State high school athletic associations are tasked with facilitating equitable athletic opportunities for all member schools. To accomplish this task, state associations implement rules designed to ensure competitive balance (Johnson, Tracy, & Pierce, 2015). With over 7.8 million participants, interscholastic athletics are extremely popular…

This study builds on previous research and policy that view teen sports as an educational tool and public health asset. The results highlighted that school-based athletics continued to be the most popular activity provided by high schools in the U.S. and was the only school-based extracurricular activity that showed an increase in participation…

Beyond heightened academic requirements, student athletes face a multitude of tasks including weight training, practice, film review, and travel for competition. This makes the student's life complex. As student athletes progress through their educational experience, they experience higher structured time demands in regard to their sport…

There are currently mixed findings on the social and academic benefits of youth participation in school sponsored sports, such as football. While some research suggests positive outcomes through increased sense of school belongingness, other studies link participation in football to increased delinquent behavior. Social control theory informed the…

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…

Title IX is designed to protect students from discrimination based on sex in any educational institution that receives financial assistance. This article focuses on Title IX as it applies to high school athletic programs by considering the trial of a high school district in California. A federal court found considerable inequalities between boys…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not a significant difference existed in the overall academic performance of athletes when compared to non-athletes at one rural high school in Wisconsin. The study was important to the field of educational leadership because in the current environment of accountability, educational leaders need…

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.

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association is the governing body for high school athletics in the State of Wisconsin. For some time they have been concerned with the growing perception that there is recruitment occurring in varsity basketball within its member schools. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine what, if any,…

Data obtained in this study indicate that male high school students place no greater emphasis on winning than on all the other dimensions of interscholastic athletics, though athletes placed greater emphasis on winning than did nonathletes. (MB)

Briefly discusses the problems of increasing costs and injuries in interscholastic athletics. Provides some sources of information to help administrators and board members make decisions on certification of coaches and the establishment of athletic training programs. (IRT)

High school academic eligibility rules for interscholastic athletic participation have been imposed by 50 states and the District of Columbia. The purpose of the eligibility rules is to emphasize excellence in academics over athletic performance and to enhance the academic performance of athletes. This policy paper synthesizes current literature,…

For a decade, Ashland school district required the 70 average for athletes--a higher threshold than the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association standard that many of the state's schools follow. That standard has no minimum GPA, merely requiring that students do not flunk more than one major subject during a marking period. Parents began…

Addresses the area of dispute over students who were forced to repeat a grade or two due to their disability, and now wish to participate in high school athletics after reaching the state athletic associations's age limit. Reviews federal statutes as they apply to high school athletic associations. Examines two recent decisions. (79 footnotes)…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of three organizational justice dimensions on the commitment of high school student athletes (N = 480) to continue playing a referent sport. The athletes were asked to complete an instrument designed to assess their perceived levels of justice displayed by their coaches in three justice…