| This study is a program evaluation of the Sports Club Education Program, a co-curricular program, originally designed to serve at risk Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) middle school students. The students are selected for the program due to their history of poor grades, low self-esteem, negative attitude, financial need, and "risky" home life. The primary goal of the Sports Club is to improve its participants' attitude, school attendance, academic performance, and overall school achievement. This study focuses on participants in the Sports Club during the 1996--97 and 1997--98 school years.;The results of this study show that when two groups of similar students---those who participated in Sports Club and those who did not---are compared based their grade point averages (GPA), conduct grades, occurrence of suspensions, and attendance, Sports Club participants fare better in all areas. Programs similar to the Sports Club could be considered for other school settings.;This study focuses on two questions: (a) Is there a difference in indicators of school success between those students who participated in the Sports Club Education Program activities and a comparison group who did not participate? (b) Is there a significant difference in program effect among students with different race, gender, or SES characteristics? Four hierarchical regression using stepwise procedures and correlational analyses were done using JCPS archived data. Interviews of the adults who work with the Sports Club Program were also used to collect background information. |
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