With the introduction of key federal, state, and local legislation that has placed an ever-increasing emphasis on improving overall school academic performance, it has become vitally important for educational leaders to explore any and all methods that may positively impact the academic outcomes of their respective educational institutions. While…

With today's greater focus on preparing students for college and careers, the Center on Standards and Assessment Implementation (CSAI) recently conducted a review of the coursework that states are requiring students to complete in order to receive a high school diploma, and of what diploma options are available for students in each state. This…

This study was designed to investigate the influence of student participation in extracurricular activities, as perceived by rural high school principals, with successful extracurricular programs. Participating principals were asked about their perceptions on the influence of student participation in extracurricular activities on student…

The Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science (TAMS) is a publicly financed, residential early college entrance institute at the University of North Texas at Denton. Created in 1987, TAMS enables high-achieving students planning STEM careers to complete their last 2 years of high school simultaneously with their first 2 years of college. Admission…

The purpose of this study was to determine the common characteristics of economically disadvantaged schools that demonstrate success in academics and extracurricular activities. Mixed-method design was used for this study. The quantitative portion of the study determined the correlation between a school's performance in extracurricular activities,…

With the study rise of the Hispanic population in the United States over the last 25-years there has been a languished progression of this populations' educational attainment. The purpose of this qualitative study was to tap into the "black-box" of ten academically successful Latino students from San Antonio by capturing the life history…

In February 2005, The Dallas Morning News published a multipart series on steroid use among high school students in Texas. The paper's four-month investigation was wide-ranging, but shined a particular spotlight upon alleged abuses in the 13,700-student Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District, north of Dallas. Use of steroids and other…

A study was conducted to gain a better understanding of how the term "at-risk" is defined and applied in the schools and to assess the intended and unintended consequences of four policies: attendance, the Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills exit-level examination, the no pass/no play rule, and the driver's license law on…

Most typical high school programs are not meeting the needs of gifted and talented students. Programs for the gifted are often neither interdisciplinary nor differentiated as encouraged by Texas state guidelines. Gifted students can gain much from well-designed extracurricular activities. Grade weighting schemes in which gifted courses are…

This is the third issue of the magazine to focus on baseball in Panola County (Texas). The issue salutes the Carthage High School baseball program during two periods of its history. The first period was the early 1940's under Coach E. B. Morrison, whose teams were State Finalists in 1941 and 1942. The second period covered is the era of Coach…

The application of the principles of intramural athletic competition to stimulate outstanding academic performance is discussed in this paper. The implementation of an academic intramural competition based on student diversity, immediate recognition, fun, and meaningful prizes in a Texas high school is described. The program is based on the tenet…

This report presents findings from a 5-year study of the impact of educational reform on Texas students who are in situations that put them at risk of school failure or dropping out. Data were derived from three sources: a statewide survey of high school principals; a longitudinal analysis that tracked 1,800 at-risk high school students from…