PROMOTING Student Activities

By Cordts, David

A variety of online resources offer evidence of the importance of student activities to the school program.

The cocurricular student activities program in a school teaches students many useful skills that can be considered leadership skills, and even skills for life. These include goal setting, teamwork, organization, communication, problem solving, and decision making. Many business leaders indicate that these are the traits they look for when hiring, and they will certainly aid any student in his or her post secondary educational pursuits.

For these reasons, NASSP does not consider student activities as extra (as in “extra curricular”). They are really cocurricular in nature, primarily since they are sponsored by the school and supervised by a member of the staff. “Extra curricular” correctly reflects activities that young people engage in outside of school such as Scouting and youth organizations associated with various religious groups.

For anyone who knows the director of student activities at NASSP, Rocco Marano, this is a familiar argument. Marano champions the cause of promoting student activities for their unique contributions to the development of students in U.S. schools today. Recendy, a variety of new resources have emerged for those wishing to take up the cause alongside Marano in support of student activities in schools, and this article will summarize some of the most important of these reports.

NASSP Position Statement. In 2002, the Board of Directors of NASSP passed a position statement on the subject of student activities. In this statement, the board indicated, “Beyond the standard curriculum of required and elective courses, schools enhance student learning and development by offering a range of cocurricular student activities.” Later in the statement, the board added, “Student activities are integral to an education, providing opportunities for all students that support and extend academic learning…. Student activities support the goal of teaching students to be responsible and fulfilled human beings, providing them with opportunities that develop character, critical thinking, sociability, and specific skills…. Research has shown a strong relationship between participation in student activities and academic achievement.” The complete text of this statement can be found on www.principals.org.

College Board Article. An article from The College Board titled “Extracurricular Activities: Life Outside the Classroom” addresses the value of participating in student activities from the perspective of preparing for college.

“Colleges Care: The good news is that colleges pay attention to your life inside and outside the classroom. Yes, your academics probably come first, but your activities reveal a great deal about you, such as:

* How you’ve made a meaningful contribution to something.

* What your nonacademic interests are.

* Whether you can maintain a long-term commitment.

* Whether you can manage your time and priorities.”

This article stresses the skills that are most often best- developed through participation in student activities. Emphasis on the importance of work and community service is also provided, but one piece of sound advice stands out for students: “The key is whether you’ve done something significant, center stage or behind the scenes.”

For more information, visit www.collegeboard.com.

Supporting Research. Research coming out of the University of Iowa has focused on the effect of participation in student activities. In the research completed by Rachel Hollrah, interviews with collegiate and high school administrators and counselors were conducted along with surveys of students.Hollrah found that students involved in activities (which for this study included athletics along with other activities):

* Receive better grades than those who are not involved

* Are improved overall through their participation

* Are taught character-building lessons and lifelong skills.

A unique contribution in this report indicates that activities help at-risk students who would otherwise drop out of school work harder and remain in school to complete their education. Whether at- risk or high achievers, students who participate in activities also improve their overall well-being and enhance their social skills not necessarily learned in the classroom. The study concludes, “[Activities] provide and instruct students with lessons that will last them a lifetime.”

For more visit www.iastate.edu/- rhetoricll05H17lrhollrahlcof.html.

Professional Guidelines. There’s no question that student activities require professional supervision and effective administration to maintain their effectiveness. The state of Texas provides an extensive example, through their University Interscholastic League (UIL) of the attention that must be given to activities to assure their success.

Although the site may appear heavy with rules and guidelines, the intention appears to be to ensure the fair and consistent application of guidelines for all schools in the state-two very important considerations for the development of any student activities program on campus. Only if students and parents believe that the activities program is well-managed, with equal opportunities for all student, will they be encouraged to participate.

For more information, visit www.tea.state.tx.uslfield/ extracurricular.html.

College Admissions. Does participation in student activities help a student in the college admissions process? This is an essential question for many students today.

A variety of Web sites, both commercial and public, provide perspective on this topic. From the Princeton Review comes the following answer from Daniel J. Saracino, assistant provost for enrollment, University of Notre Dame: “Yes, extracurriculars do count in the admissions process. While not as important as the academic record, the committee on admissions is interested in knowing what each applicant does with her or his time when not in the classroom. Please note that “extracurriculars” should not be limited to sports and leadership roles. Community service, part- time employment, forensics, Boy/Girl Scouts … all tell us what you might be expected to ‘share with your fellow classmates’ should you enroll at our institution.”

For more information, visit www.princetonreview.com. Student Life. Finally, from in an article by T. Sweeney, “The Importance of Extracurricular Activities in a Student’s Life,” we find the following concluding thoughts: “Taking the time to get involved in extracurricular [student] activities will benefit students in a variety of ways. Time away from the school day through participation in extracurricular activities can also serve as an oudet for stress and a way to build confidence and self-esteem. Students need encouragement to pursue their dreams. Not only will it empower them to make their own decisions, they will also be given a chance to gain vital experience and skills that will lead them on the path to their future.” For more information, visit www.finetuning, com/ articles/436-the-importance-of-extracurricular-activities-in-a- students-life.html.

Although none of this information presents any earth-shattering conclusions, it does offer solid support for student activities in an era when the value of student participation is being questioned by school administrations, parents, and perhaps most importantly, those who control the purse strings of school budgets. Build your case for student activities on your campus with research and knowledge to ensure the many continued benefits for your students from participation in student activities.

Additional Resources

The author found most of these resources simply by “Googling” either “student activities” or “extracurricular activities”-fast research, but effective. In addition to the resources noted in this article, here are some other articles promoting the benefits of student activities:

* How to Choose Extracurricular Activities at www.ehow.com

* Best Bets for After School by Toby Leah Bochan at www.scho/ast/ c.com

* Extracurricular Activities as Career Prep by Melissa Beams at www.fastweb.monster.com

* Extracurricular Excitement at www.fc/dshea/th.org/ teen/ schooljobs/school/involved_school.html

* The case for High School Activities at www.nfhs.org.

Supporting Standards

Almost every state in the nation has established content standards for core subject areas. Many of the standards identify as essential the knowledge and performance outcomes that cocurricular activities both teach and support. Of course, it is easy to see how academic-related clubs such as the history club, forensics, science club, or foreign language I clubs support academic standards and student achievement. But let’s take a look at general standards in a few content areas and how student activities support and extend classroom learning in those disciplines.

Civics: Students are expected to understand the function of government and how citizens can become involved in government at the local, state, and national levels. Students’ participation in the school’s student council and in the structure of other clubs and organizations, of course, supports this standard, providing opportunities for students to actually see firsthand how government- and parliamentary procedure-work.

Economics: Students’ classro\om learning about such topics as supply and demand, inflation, cost of services, and prudent use of limited resources is underscored by their planning and participation in cocurricular projects such as fundraisers, dances, and even elections-any student activities that put money and resources into their hands and then ask them to use those resources wisely.

Mathematics: Students who are involved with cocurricular activities-especially with the financial aspects of activities- become adept at data collection and analysis, statistics, probability, and estimation as they use their mathematics knowledge to plan, implement, and generally oversee the financial aspects of student activities projects. They also become skilled at using spreadsheets, computers, and calculators as they maintain records and perform computations.

Language Arts: Many states’ standards suggest that students be able to apply their thinking skills to their reading, writing, speaking, and listening, and that they be able to write and speak for a variety of audiences and for a variety of purposes. As students participate in cocurricular activities, they are called upon to write and speak persuasively (e.g., when running for office or as part of the debate team), to write promotional materials to advertise activities, to write and deliver committee reports, and to write clearly and report fairly for student publications.

When students participate in a wide variety of activities, they can acquire broad experience, knowledge, and skills that support and supplement classroom instruction. Students who participate in arts- relatr ed student activities such as the school band, orchestra, chorus, or art or drama club not only get reinforcement of the concepts and content they learned in class, but also have an opportunity to nurture their multiple intelligences through individual expression.

Lillian Coltin, in the 1999 ERIC Digest “Enriching Children’s Out of School Time,” suggests that “Classroom instruction focuses chiefly on logical/mathematical intelligences. By tapping into the underutilized intellh gences, such as musical intelligence; extracurricular activities can encourage the development of skills and interests not fully nurtured during the school day.”

Excerpted from “Mutual Support, Myriad Benefits,” from the December 2001 issue of Leadership for Student Activities magazine.

David Cordts (cordtsd@pnncip3ls.org) is associate director of student activities at NASSP. He is a former student council adviser and was the national winner of the Warren E. Shull Adviser of the Year award in 1991.

Copyright National Association of Secondary School Principals Feb 2006