DR. WALLACE: I'm a very good student. I'm on the school debate team, president of the science club, a member of the marching band and a member of the National Honor Society. With participation in these excellent academic groups, hardly anyone knows of my achievements. But everyone on campus knows the football quarterback, the basketball star and the guy who hit home runs for the baseball team.
It's almost liked our school is more popular for our athletic teams than for our academics. Our football team won eight games and lost only two. All the kids know this. Our debate team was undefeated and we won a trophy, but no one knows or cares about us.
I know that you are a former high school principal. Did you allow the athletic department to dominate at the expense of academic program? — Tommie, Austin, Texas
TOMMIE: The prime goal for every school, both public and private, must be to provide the best possible academic program and to instill in students the desire to learn to reach their full potential academically.
But extracurricular programs offer students the opportunity to broaden their educational experience. You are a wise young person for participating in these programs. Athletics are also an important section of the extracurricular programs. Athletics not only allow the participants to learn the game and enjoy competition, but also they help the student body to join together cheering for their school, hoping for victory over a dreaded rival opponent.
The Brookings Institution, a nonprofit research organization, found that athletics could possibly aid academics. Their study found that schools that have powerful athletic teams generally have math and reading scores equal to schools that are not sports powerhouses.
Team sports are a dominant factor in high school culture, and researchers who have studied student athletes for the past 50 years have found that they generally have higher grades, better attendance and fewer discipline problems than students who don't play sports.
The Brookings record compared scores on state required reading and math tests in 141 high schools, in 24 states, that excelled in athletics. This report was the first to show that a school focused on sports can boost academic achievement across the entire student body, not just for the athletes.
Studies suggest that a school's success in the sports arena creates a ripple effect, motivating many students to lift the level of their academic performances out of a sense of team spirit. This may sound unlikely, but statistics indeed prove this out.
As a high school administrator, I considered academics the prime goal at all times. Extracurricular programs were important, but never at the expense of academics. You are a very bright student, and I'd like to offer my congratulations on your excellent academic record and the wonderful extracurricular activity successes you've achieved with your debate team. Trust me, your debating skills will be cheered and valued more and more as you age and go through the career path you chose.
Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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