| A current trend in public education is toward high-stakes, standards-based assessment and accountability systems. In Virginia, the systems are known as the Standards of Learning (SOL) and the Standards of Accreditation (SOA). The recent No Child Left Behind (NCLB) initiative put forth by President Bush requires that schools develop programs that ensure success for all students. Extracurricular activities may be one such program. Unfortunately, at the middle school level, opportunities for students to become involved in extracurricular sports programs have decreased over the last ten years. The lack of extracurricular activities in middle schools is not congruent with the developmental needs of many adolescents.;In one urban, public middle school in Southeastern Virginia, teachers and staff members were concerned that many students were not "engaged" in school. They believed that this lack of engagement resulted in a lack of student motivation, which in turn contributed to poor academic performance. In this middle school many students were at risk of academic failure, as characterized by high rates of grade retention and suspension. Teachers proposed the creation of an intramural, extracurricular sports program in an attempt to better meet the needs of these adolescents.;This study sought to assess the impact of that program. The purpose of the study was to determine the impact of student participation in an extracurricular, intramural sports program on 8th grade students in the areas of student/teacher relationships, peer relationships, self-esteem, and behavior. An interview protocol and survey were developed by the researcher to ascertain the perceptions of program participants concerning the impact of the program on participating students' relationships with teachers, relationships with peers, self-esteem development and behavior. Findings suggest that both students and teachers perceived that involvement in the intramural program had a positive impact upon student/teacher relationships, peer relationships, student self-esteem, and one aspect of student behavior, staying out of trouble. It might be inferred from these findings that student involvement in extracurricular sports programs may result in outcomes that facilitate student academic achievement. |
