Participation in school sports has a variety of benefits for students. But not all students are able to participate in school athletics programs. In this column, Robert Kim explores the different levels of access suburban, urban, and rural students have to sports programs. And he considers whether students, regardless of where they live, have a…

Sports participation in high school has positive effects on students' later civic engagement. But that is true of nearly all forms of extracurricular participation in high school--whether a group is explicitly civic (student government or a service club) or far removed from civic life (an academic club or a music group). Indeed, the civic…

Student participation in school sports has surged over the past half century. The greatest contributor to this increase has been Title IX, which required schools to expand opportunities for girls. Despite the perceived benefits and high levels of support from students and parents, interscholastic athletics constantly come under attack. The fervor…

Extracurricular activities, particularly sports, have a long-standing tradition in public schools. However, the cost of running extracurricular programs has risen steeply. In many districts, state and local funding is shrinking, and extracurricular activities are often the first items to be put on the chopping block. In this article, the authors…

The Texas Supreme Court ruled that students' rights to participate in extracurricular activities were not on the same level as rights to free speech and found that the state law barring failing students from extracurricular activities was rationally related to a legitimate state interest in educational quality. (PGD)

The current press for higher academic standards is matched by intensified public interest in the cocurriculum, particularly athletics. While some researchers tout the benefits of extracurricular activities, others are less sanguine. At best, results are mixed and even irrelevant to crucial issues, such as equity in participation, challenging…