School sports are traditionally described as fertile ground for the achievement of diverse outcomes for student-athletes. Philosophically, this means that the adult leaders of school-sponsored sport programs have an obligation to provide developmentally appropriate outcomes for their student-athletes. While sport skill development and competitive…

In 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) identified the school nurse as the healthcare expert to manage students with chronic healthcare needs, including those with disabilities (ESSA, 2015). In 2011-2012 approximately 25% of children aged 6 to 17 years were reported to have a special health care need (Child Health USA, 2014). School nurses…

A corporate sponsorship program, built on an appropriate knowledge base, can help bridge the funding gap that exists in interscholastic athletics between the cost of fielding teams and decreasing budget allocations. This article describes sponsorship in its most effective form as a business concept, the value that athletic departments provide to…

In order to achieve success, there is little doubt that sport coaches must overcome a plethora of challenges beyond simply designing and implementing effective training schedules and competition strategies. The United States high school interscholastic sports environment is no different. The purpose of this short essay is to provide a personal…

Sport and religion have been linked in many societies and are still a part of many traditions today. In recent years, the topic of prayer in interscholastic sport has received public attention due to many high-profile court cases. "Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe" (2000) was the landmark case that prohibited school officials,…

As a coach, this author likes to share some thoughts on children and sports. After 42 years in athletics in all capacities--coach, athletic director, official, parent, athlete, and observer--he can easily say he has seen, heard, or experienced it all. Each experience has helped him gain some insights on youth and interscholastic sports. Parent of…

While interscholastic sports help young athletes enhance sport skills, physical fitness, self-discipline, sportsmanship, teamwork, time-management skills, self-confidence, and mental toughness, their benefits actually surpass even these. Interscholastic sports also promote life skills and lessons and enhance academic performance. The National…

While interscholastic sports help young athletes enhance sport skills, physical fitness, self-discipline, sportsmanship, teamwork, time-management skills, self-confidence, and mental toughness, they also promote life skills and lessons and enhance academic performance as well. Coaches have a tremendous opportunity--and responsibility--to instill…

There is an uneasy relationship between fundraising for academic programs and intercollegiate athletics. This has little to do with individuals and almost everything to do with circumstances in higher education in the United States that have come into play in recent decades. This chapter identifies issues presidents will confront as they seek…

The goals of today's school athletic programs are vastly different from the original intentions of the administrators who established the first interscholastic athletic teams. For athletics to be anything more than a drain on school and taxpayer resources, these programs must undergo serious changes.

In most school systems in the United States, interscholastic sporting events and other extracurricular activities help bring people together while enhancing opportunities for students to become integral parts of their communities. Because of the important role that extracurricular activities, especially sports, play in the lives of students,…

For decades, people questioned the sense of having two school districts, each with its own superintendent, central office and high school, operating in the same small town of The Dalles on the banks of the Columbia River in north-central Oregon. But election campaigns to consolidate repeatedly failed because each community had strong emotional…

Middle-level sports programs can be defined as intramural, interscholastic, or a combination of both. The trend toward middle-level interscholastic sports programs has been accompanied by recurring and sometimes controversial issues for principals. For example, which age groups and grade levels should be allowed to participate? Which sports should…

A combination of commercialism and professionalism has become a powerful force undermining the wholesome nature of amateur athletic programs in local secondary schools of America. The growth in popularity of professional sports in America parallels the introduction of television. The pervasive influence of television on American life has driven…

Interscholastic sports programs in the U.S. face increasing pressures from the pervasiveness of sport in American life. A combination of commercialism and professionalism has become a powerful force undermining the wholesome nature of amateur athletic programs in the local secondary schools of America. But the seductions of commercialism and…