Schools all across the nation offer a vast selection of extracurricular programs, some of the most popular being sports, band and choir, and student council. These clubs are meant to enrich a pupil’s high school experience and produce a generation of well-rounded young people. But is it fair to require one who wants to participate in these activities to sustain decent grades? Does it seem right that the most athletically talented student in the campus can’t be part of his or her sports team because of a failing grade? Well, attempts to up the mark for academic eligibility for high school athletes started in 1983. Stated by the LA Unified School District in their new policy, “To be eligible for participation in extracurricular activities, students must maintain a C average in four subjects and have no failures” (Eitzen & Sage, 1989). The most popular mandate that schools use now to enforce this rule is “no failing grades.” Many argue that this is an unjust mandate, given the possible varieties of circumstances a student might be under while under the “oppression” of this rule. Despite this, it is necessary for schools to require that their students maintain an acceptable GPA in order to have the privilege of participating in extracurricular sports, because students would try harder to excel at their academics, therefore being more educated, and their inclusive behavior and attitude in life would be improved by making it harder to attain the opportunities they want. To begin with, requiring a certain GPA sets a source of impetus for students to work harder at their core classes. This encourages them to sign up for more classes and strive to meet any essential benchmarks to keep up their grades up so they can be part of the enjoyab... ... middle of paper ... ... harmful activities like smoking and drinking, and helps teens and young adults in the future by building better character. To achieve such an ideal world, people can start trying hard at school even if their school doesn’t have a scholastic requirement for extracurricular clubs. Establishing one will only heighten your willpower to keep up decent marks. Matters can also be helped outside of just raising awareness to the importance of academics; schools can contact programs offered at local hospitals to come educate their students about the dangers of doing drugs and drinking. Adding a stringent formal order that increases educational standards in your school may not seem like it will aid much in improving adolescent behavior and intelligence. On the contrary, the weight of a feather is sometimes all it takes to tip the balance and make a difference for the better.
“Maintaining good academic standing is part of the student athlete culture,” according to women’s head soccer coach Jack Hyde, “It’s part of their responsibility...they embrace it,” he said (Stricklen). “I love football and I wouldn’t want to mess it up by not getting good grades in all my classes,” said Narayan, a student athlete (Given and Tribou). However, more and more student athletes are not finding studying and keeping their grades up a priority. Most student athletes dream of one day becoming a professional athlete, but without good grades, they won’t be able to go to a good college to play for. Being an athlete with good grades also benefits them when trying to get scholarships. Becoming a professional
In the article, “The Case Against High-School Sports” Ripley discusses how some schools put a bigger emphasis on sports rather than academics. Ripley explains that since sports gets more attention, nobody pays attention to the academic side and their needs. According to the author, some schools are willing to do whatever it takes to make sure a sport runs, even if there is no money in the budget. She states that too much of a focus is being put on sports is affecting academic achievement negatively in American high schools. The author gives the reader three reasons why schools should focus more on academic achievement and less on sports.
Within a community is a sense of unity, which for many is brought together by the young athletes of the community. In his article “High School Sports Have Turned Into Big Business,” Mark Koba of CNBC highlights that within the last thirty to forty years high school football has escalated into a highly revered tradition in which not only communities, but highly successful corporations have begun to dedicate millions of dollars towards (Koba n. pg.). This highlights the status of sports within the community and may explain part of the reason schools would favor sports over other programs. Because sports programs can often turn over big profits for schools, they tend to dedicate most of their excess funds towards sports, and rely on sports programs to create large profits for the school. When school administrators see how much sports unite, excite, and benefit the school, they develop a respect for sports and consider it a necessity to provide a good sports program for their students and community. Also in his article, Koba quotes an interviewee named Mark Conrad who is the associate professor of legal and ethical studies at Fordham University 's school of...
College sports are a major revenue producing industry. Athletic programs and their student-athletes can achieve national recognition and generate millions of dollars in revenue for their university. Colleges use this revenue to invest in players, pay for their education, and provide state of the art training facilities, which are used to improve their athletic performance. As revenue driven colleges begin to prioritize athletics, the emphasis on the quality and standards of an undergraduate education are diminishing. Compromising their academic acceptance requirements, universities have now found that the educational ability of their newly accepted student athletes are inadequate, to say the least (Gurney). The same universities must then spend millions of dollars to provide these athletes with “learning specialists”, who in turn helps them to meet academic requirements and maintain their eligibility (...
Amanda Ripley argues in The Atlantic in her article “The Case Against High School Sports”, that the United States place too much attention on sports rather than academics. Ripley argues that sports programs at schools should be reduced, maybe even cut out completely. She states that there are a lot of countries that outperform America on international tests, and it is because they put more of their emphasis on academics, where the United States puts more of an emphasis on athletics. Ripley says that high school sports negatively affects academics. (1). I disagree with Ripley on this topic; I think that sports are important for young kids because it teaches them very valuable life lessons and it keeps them out of trouble.
Race, gender, and socioeconomic status are enduring social characteristics that influence life outcomes and children and adolescents cannot control (Murphy, Gaughan, Hume, & Moore, 2010). With the unequal distribution of society’s resources based on race and gender and the negative view of African American males, African American males’ ability to access and complete college is hampered. Although athletics is often viewed as a way to improve one’s life chances, African-American male athletes perform worse academically than any of their peers (Murphy, Gaughan, Hume, & Moore, 2010), which threatens their college completion goals.
Athletics in American schools have always been controversial for many reasons. Some of these reasons include health concerns, safety precautions, and academic significance. Daniel H. Bowen and Colin Hitt wrote an article titled, “High-School Sports Aren’t Killing Academics” to present the factors of positive correlation between success in athletics and academics. I believe that athletics in high schools not only benefit students socially, but also academically.
"College Athletic Programs Undermine Academics." Student Life. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 27 July 2011.
The school council should raise the GPA requirement because it develops good work habits. These work habits can be develop by studying for a test, doing the assigned homework, or taking good notes. Students who develop good work habits, such as responsibility and efficiency, will get a better job position more than students without the work habits. Students with good work habits know that they are fulfill the expectations of themselves placed by teachers and parents. Even though students are under pressure at one point, their work habits let them progress more easily in life. With good habits and high...
The admissions of student athletes has been a topic of discussion for quite some time. In most cases, it is brought up when students who have a perfect high school resume are turned down and athletes’ who have a not so perfect high school resume are accepted. My argument is not one that bashes athletes for their abilities or one that argues against an
For decades there has been a debate on student athletes and their drive to succeed in the classroom. From the very beginning of organized college level athletics, the goal to want to succeed in athletics has forced students to put academics to the back burner. In spite of the goal to want to succeed over a hundred years of attempts to check limits of intercollegiate athletic programs on colleges' academic standards still seems to struggle to this day. This brings to surface one of the most asked questions in sports, “What effect does college sports have on academics and economics?” Herbert D. Simons, Derek Van Rheenen, and Martin V. Covington, authors of “Academic Motivation and the Student Athlete” researched the topic on whether athletics and academics benefit each other. Bryan Flynn, the author of “College Sports vs. Academics” poses the question “Should institutions of higher learning continue to involve themselves in athletic programs that often turn out to be virtual arms races for recruiting talented players who bring big money and prestige, but put academics to the back burner?” Although both authors agree that sports have an impact on an athlete’s academics, the focus of their argument differs.
Students should desire to earn higher grades, not necessarily just earn them to surpass each other. Higher grades can be an indicator that a student is sincerely learning, a feat which should be celebrated. Subsequently, there are a wide variety of scholarships out in the world, so students don’t necessarily compete for the same ones. There are ones based on gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, job (or lack thereof), one’s parent’s job, and a number of other factors. Scholarships exist out there if a student is simply willing to search. Students also adopt extracurricular activities to cause themselves appear preferable, nevertheless this is not required. No one forces students to join extracurricular activities (except maybe their parents). Moreover, there are other ways to cause oneself appear desirable to colleges and jobs than being a participant in extracurricular activities. Extracurricular activities are an excellent way for students to meet people who are fond of the same interests as them. In all honestly, there’s not an array of excuses nowadays for students having grades that aren’t up to par. Computers are one of the world’s best resources when it comes to finding information. Even besides that, books today come out with furthered information and other helpful tools than ever. Students have every resource they need to succeed, so
America’s greatness relies on an educated populace, a populace equipped with the knowledge to guarantee justice for Americans, preserve the rights of Americans, make decisions that effect the lives of all Americans, and, ultimately, govern together as Americans. The modern educational system’s inapposite prioritization of physical education and athletics is irrefutably incongruous
Do extra-curricular activities have a positive or negative effect on a student’s academic performance? If they do, then why do schools take activities away from students at the first sign of academic troubles? If they are scientifically proven to be positive, then why are they not curricular rather than extra curricular? There are numerous influences that impact the academic performance of a student other than after school activities. However, this study will focus on the effect of extra curricular activities on academic performances. In many cases, participation in extra curricular activities positively influences attendance and connection to school. This study will investigate the impact of extra curricular activities that require a daily commitment over an extended period of time, greater than a month. Athletics is the dominant after school activity that requires a daily commitment; therefore, this study will involve student athletes as well as students who are involved in other extra curricular activities. Another reason why student athletes will be a large part of this study is that there may be a correlation between the skills necessary to succeed in athletics and academics (American Sports Institute, 1991).
Extracurricular activities can benefit students greatly through their personal lives and well being. According to Justin Coulson in his article on kidspot.com, students that are involved in extracurricular activities, such as sports or clubs, are generally healthier than those who do not participate. Extracurricular activities can help raise student’s self esteem and self awareness as stated by Joy Burgess in her article, “Extracurricular School Activities and the Benefits” at more4kids.info. Being involved allows the student to learn about the skills and talents they already have and can teach them new ones such as time management, organization, and prioritizing skills. It also allows the students to realize what they are good at or enjoy doing (Burgess). As similarly described by the College Board staff at collegeboard.org, extracurriculars can enable you to learn your personal talents, interests, ...