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…

In August 1995, a young football player died as a result of heat exhaustion suffered on the first day of football practice in Arkansas. Spurred by this tragedy, the district made some changes that every school district with an athletic program should consider. These include using a heat-stress monitor; abandoning the practice of group physical…

Describes a successful drug and alcohol prevention program developed at Forest Hills School District (Ohio). The program uses athletic coaches to recruit student athletes to support the antidrug program and to bring peer pressure to bear in discouraging drug and alcohol use by their teammates and other students. (MD)

This report examines trends in student learning. Using data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the first section reports on current trends in reading and mathematics test scores, highlighting arithmetic and noting that student's computation skills have stagnated or declined in recent years. The second section revisits the…

Describes the Student Athlete Leadership Program (SALP), part of the Long Beach (New York) City School District's comprehensive drug education program. SALP trains high-profile high school athletes to conduct drug and alcohol prevention activities in the elementary schools. (FMW)

Discusses "no pass-no play" rules adopted by many state legislatures and local school districts that raise the academic standards students must meet before participating in extracurricular activities. Reviews two recent court challenges to the rules' constitutionality, focusing on due process, authority, and participation as a right or…

This report presents summaries of data collected from Division I, II, and III National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) member institutions. Tables are provided to offer meaningful summaries of the graduation-rates and enrollment data that Division I, II, and III institutions have provided to the NCAA and the federal government. The…

Describes Athletes Caring Together-Informing, Organizing and Networking (ACTION), a chemical health program targeted at student athletes developed by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA). ACTION focuses on athletes, coaches, and parents without increasing staffing or funding. Includes a list of trainers. (FMW)

The report from the House Committee on Education and Labor recommends the bill (H.R. 1454) to require institutions of higher education receiving federal financial assistance to provide certain information with respect to the graduation rates of student athletes. Background information is provided on the need for the legislation and an explanation…

Mandatory testing of college and university athletes has met with mixed success not only in combating substance abuse but in legal arguments. Students have claimed that drug testing violates their constitutional rights of equal protection, protection against unreasonable search and seizure, and due process, and is a gross invasion of privacy.…

This report provides data on graduation rates of student-athletes at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I schools. Institution-specific reports for each of the 305 colleges and universities that returned surveys include graduation rates for all students enrolled in a full-time program for a degree and of student-athletes who…

A review of college athletes receiving federal financial aid in addition to athletic scholarships was conducted by the U.S. General Accounting Office. Information on admission procedures, financial aid awards, and evidence that students maintain academic progress was obtained from Michigan State University. In addition, interviews were conducted…

Outlines standards in seven areas--staff training, facilities, athletic equipment, emergency preparedness, a central training room, athletic health care and training, and recordkeeping--for assessing school athletic programs so that potential injuries and lawsuits can be avoided. (KS)

This report to J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House of Representatives, examines trends in characteristics related to participation of college men and women in athletic programs. The report focuses on net changes between academic years 1985-86 and 1996-97, by gender and sport, for schools that were members of the National Collegiate Athletic…

In 1986, a survey of 969 two-year college chief executive officers (CEO's) was conducted to determine the extent of the colleges' involvement in intercollegiate athletics, National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and athletic conference memberships, perceptions of NJCAA's new eligibility rules, institutional eligibility requirements,…