[barranger]

The problem is that multiple changes we made at the same time in that school:

1) Giving Teaches more time for training and planing 2) Making students wear uniforms 3) Aligning the curriculum with more rigorous state standards 4) Drop the sports program

Then spends the rest of the article giving all the credit for the improved test scores to a lack of sports.

[kaa2102]

You made an excellent counterpoint. The improvements in performance were not solely due to dropping sports programs. It may be difficult to tease out the impact that each of the major changes had on performance.

I did participate extensively in high school sports. I think that the benefits far outweigh the costs. In evaluating solutions like dropping sports programs, I believe that other options for performance improvement should both jointly and individually be considered, e.g., minimum GPA for sports participation, uniforms, longer school hours, mandatory summer school, etc.

[mcguire]

Out of curiosity, how many of your teachers were hired primarily as coaches in the sports programs?

"minimum GPA for sports participation"

You wouldn't believe the kerfluffle that caused in Texas[1]. As I recall, the result was rather predictable grade inflation.

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Pass_No_Play

[kaa2102]

I hear you. My mother enforced a minimum GPA for sports participation. I took mostly Honors and AP courses. I had a C midyear on my report card in a math course and my parents told me there would be no more sports until I had only As and Bs.

Yes, some teachers are hired primarily to be coaches. Some, not all of coaches teach gym class. However, my best teacher ever was a guy called Coach K because he and his father coached football for years. Coach K taught AP physics and engineering courses in high school. He was an Army guy and previously worked at McDonald-Douglass. He made learning fun and exciting. Perhaps Coach K is the exception. Student athletes are there to learn first and a teaching coaches' primary job is to teach.

[mcguire]

When I say "kerfluffle", I don't mean on an individual level. I mean people who ought to know better predicting massive numbers of drop-outs, gang activity, and the failure of school systems. (Also, not having any local sporting events on Friday nights.)

For example, here is one quote from 2011, something like 25 years after the no-pass-no-play law was passed[1]:

"Dr. Victoria Martin, a Child Psychiatrist in Richardson, TX,...continued by saying: 'Instead of beating these children down even more, we should be encouraging them to participate in activities where they have talents and abilities. We are punishing the “good” kids, the ones who care about their school and want to participate in school activities instead of being involved in gangs and other destructive groups.'" [Emphasis mine.]

As far as teaching coaches go, I'll just mention one of my high-school history teachers, whose primary qualifications as a history teacher seem to have been that he was a very decent football coach.

[1] http://www.adhdtexas.com/no-pass-no-play-law-has-very-advers...

[scott_s]

My understanding was that the lack of sports lead to more money, which enabled those things.