Extracurricular participation and academic achievement in minority students in urban schools

Abstract

Restructured extracurricular activities are a component in many of the proposed solutions for the educational problems of minority students in urban schools. This study investigates the relationships between participation in traditional extracurricular activities and the academic achievement levels of minority male and female students in poor urban schools. Using a national data base, we found that, in almost 50 percent of the cases, male student participation in extracurricular activities was associated with lower achievement levels. For female students, the results were mixed. In 23 of the 90 different analyses run, females who participated in extracurricular activities were found to have higher achievement levels than nonparticipating females. In 6 cases, female participants had lower achievement levels. In the remaining cases, no differences were found. Reasons for and implications of the results are examined.