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Cocurricular pursuits are integral tothe educational program and—whether or not they carry aca-

demic credit—have legitimate links toregular courses and to the purposes ofmiddle level and high schools. Theyunderpin the goal of teaching studentsto be responsible and fulfilled humanbeings with opportunities that developcharacter, critical thinking, socialskills, and talents (NASSP 1996).Cocurricular activities also providestudents with a network of peers andadults who have interests and talentssimilar to their own. Students whoparticipate have the chance to excelindividually, be part of a group, andgain real-life lessons about the impor-tance of teamwork, responsibility,commitment, and hard work (Educa-tional Research Service 1999).

Participation in cocurricular activi-ties improves an adolescent's chancesof avoiding such risky behaviors asdropping out, becoming a teenage par-ent, engaging in delinquency, smoking,or abusing drugs or alcohol throughthree mechanisms, according to Zill,Nord, and Loomis (1995):• Time displacement: the widely heldnotion that if a young person spends agreat deal of time in beneficial orharmless activities, he or she will nothave time to get into mischief.• Commitment building: the argu-ment that participation in constructive

activities, by developing skills, creatingaspirations, and providing rewardingexperiences, strengthens a young per-son's commitment to conventionalinstitutions, such as school, and tradi-tional career pathways.• Group pressure: the idea that partici-pation in teams, clubs, or other groupactivities promotes a sense of member-ship or belonging.

Expanding the CurriculumCocurricular activities are an extensionof, not a diversion from, a good educa-tional program and support the aca-

demic mission of the school. Studentswho participate in activity programstend to have higher grade point aver-ages, better attendance records, lowerdropout rates and fewer discipline prob-lems than students who don't partici-pate (National Federation of State HighSchool Associations [NFHS] 1999).

Students who participate in cocur-ricular activities not only do betteracademically than students who donot but also develop other facets oftheir personalities in the process. Self-esteem, self-confidence, social coopera-tion, and leadership skills are just afew of the cognitive factors that areaffected. Cocurricular activities allowstudents to blend aspects of their aca-demic learning into personal actions(Allison 1979).

Cocurricular activities may be oneof the reasons many students stay inschool or find personal meaning fortheir middle level and high schoolyears. Students who are involved incocurricular activities are able to extendand enrich previously learned aca-demic skills through competitions andreal-world simulations. In the cocur-ricular setting, they may also developand practice artistic, musical, and

The Value of CocurricularActivities Cocurricular activities may not be tested or graded,but they educate—and benefit—students in ways that classroom activities cannot.

BY EDWARD J. KLESSE AND JAN A. D’ONOFRIO

AS I S E E IT

psychomotor talents; leadership skills;and future career and occupationalskills (Haensly, Lupkowsky, and Edlind1985/1986).

Goal-directed activities developskills in young people, and they mayfoster positive character traits. Bothindividual and group activities canteach students the importance of vig-ilance, hard work, attention to detail,practice, patience, and persistence inthe face of setbacks. Group activitiesencourage cooperation and team-work, personal sacrifice for groupgoals, and empathy—qualities thatbenefit young people in their studies,their jobs, and their personal lives, aswell as help them become responsibleand successful adults (Zill, Nord, andLoomis 1995).

Cocurricular activities foster successin later life. Participation in high schoolactivities is often a predictor of latersuccess—in college, in the workplace,and in society (NFHS 1999). Considerwhat any industry wants from its newemployees, besides positive attendancerecords and high academic averages incore courses: The list always includespeople skills, the ability to acceptresponsibility and follow directions,poise, and high personal ideals. Theseare marketable skills—and skills that are

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cultivated through cocurricular partici-pation (USA Today 1993).

Keeping Students SafeResearch also shows that low levels ofparticipation in student activities arecharacteristic of at-risk students (Klesseand D’Onofrio 1994). Compared withstudents who reported spending 1–4hours a week in cocurricular activities,students who reported spending notime in school-sponsored activities were57 percent more likely to have droppedout before their senior year, 49 percentmore likely to have used drugs, 37 per-cent more likely to have become teenparents, 35 percent more likely to havesmoked cigarettes, and 27 percent morelikely to have been arrested (Zill, Nord,and Loomis 1995).

Cocurricular activities encouragepersonal accomplishments and thedevelopment of interpersonal skills.Adolescents who participate in theseactivities have opportunities to assumemeaningful roles and responsibilities.The sense of efficacy students gainfrom these experiences can be animportant protective factor for thosegrowing up under adverse circum-stances (Wagner 1999).

As overt acts of racism and thenumber of school-based hate groups

climb, such activities as team sportscreate bonds that cut across raciallines. For example, 76 percent of allWhite and African-American studentathletes say they became friends withsomeone from another racial or eth-n i c g roup wh i l e p l a y ing spor t s(Lapchick 1996).

Teaching Young People To ServeYouth service can build a community.When young people from differentracial, ethnic, economic, and educa-tional circumstances work together inclose quarters, they come to trust eachother and depend on each other. Youthservice can build up the young peoplethem selves: When young peop leengage in community service, theybecome valued, competent resources,rather than clients of social institu-tions, such as schools, and gain self-s a t i s f a c t i on and r e spe c t . The i rexperience can transform who theyare—in their own eyes and in the eyesof others. Youth service can inculcate a

activities appear to provide all stu-dents, at-risk and gifted studentsalike, an academic safety net. Studentsinvolved in activities often experienceheightened interest in academ iccourses, have a platform on which topractice leadership and fellowshipskills, have opportunities to socializewith students and interact with teach-ers outside the classroom, are recog-n ized for their involvement andachievement, and have a healthy useof their leisure time. The cocurricularprogram can be viewed as a trainingground for adolescents for participa-tion in fundamentally similar organi-zations as adults (Hlebowitsh andWraga 1998).

References! Allison, B. 1979. Student activitiesas the ultimate academic department.NASSP Bulletin 63 (426): 95–98.! Commission on National Commu-nity Service. 1993. What you can dofor your country. Washington, D.C.:Commission on National CommunityService.! Educational Research Service. 1999.Creating a caring school community.Arlington, Va.: Educational ResearchService. ! Haensly, P. A.; A. E. Lupkowsky;and E. P. Edlind. 1985/1986. The roleof extracurricular activities in educa-tion. The High School Journal 69 (2):110–119. ! H lebowitsh , P. S. , and W. G .Wraga, eds. 1998. Annual review ofresearch for school leaders. New York:Macmillan.! Klesse, E., and J. D’Onofrio. 1994.Student activities for students at risk.Reston, Va.: NASSP.! Lapchick, R. 1996. School sports: Asafety net for youths. The SportingNews (March).

sense of civic responsibility as youngpeople come to appreciate the value ofthe community and the contributionthey can make to it; they develop alasting commitment to do their partand do i t we l l (Comm i s s ion onNational Community Service 1993).

The health of the United Statesdepends on its young people gaining asense of their connection to the largercommunities in which they live. Oneof the best ways to create such ties isthrough service learning, which enablesyoung people to contribute to thecommunity and helps them reflect onwhat they learn from their participa-tion (NASSP 1996).

The Gift of ParticipationIn a study of cocurricular participa-tion and school size, Shoggen andShoggen (1988) found that, on aver-age, students in small high schoolsparticipate in cocurricular activities ata higher rate than do their counter-parts in large high schools. Especiallynoteworthy is the higher percentageof students in larger high schoolswho, relative to those in smallerschools, show no participation in anyschool activities. The largest schoolshad about five times as many avail-able cocurricular activities as thesmall schools, but evidence suggeststhat students in large schools do nottake advantage of these opportunities.Although small schools may not pro-vide a wealth of activities, the averages tuden t in a sma l l s chool has agreater degree of involvement in theactivities available.

Most stud ies do not establishwhether participating in cocurricularactivities leads to success, whethersuccessful students are more likely toparticipate, or whether both theoriesare correct. However, cocurricular

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…students who reported spending no time in school-sponsored activities were 57 percent more likely tohave dropped out before their senior year…

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! USA Today. 1993. Good grades onresume may not guarantee job. 28 January.! Wagner, C. 1999. Improving theprospects for poor children. The Futur-ist 33 (4).! Z i l l , N . ; C . W. No rd ; L . S .Loomis. 1995. Adolescent time use,r i sky behavior, and ou tcomes: Ananalysis of national data. Rockville,Md.: Westat.

Edward J. Klesse (eklesse@windsor-csd.org) is the assistant superintendent forinstruction in the Windsor Central SchoolDistrict, Windsor, N.Y., and the adminis-trative codirector of NASSP's NationalLeadership Camp in Castine, Maine.

Jan A. D’Onofrio (jdonofri@nhart-high.moric.org) is a secondary schoolcounselor in the New Hartford CentralSchool District, New Hartford, N.Y. PL

! NASSP. 1996. Breaking ranks:Changing an American institution.Reston, Va.: NASSP.! The National Federation of StateHigh School Associations (NFHS).1999. The case for high school activities.Indianapolis, Ind.: NFHS.! Schoggen, P., and M. Schoggen.1988. Student voluntary participationand high school size. Journal of Educa-tional Research 81 (5): 288–293.

L et’s bury the term extracurricular activities. Extra implies something not necessary and suggests that studentactivities are just fun and games, which makes it easy for them to be dismissed or removed. Activities are school-sponsored programs and should be thought of and referred to as cocurricular. There are numerous studies that show that students who participate in student activities usually have better

grades, better attendance, and are more successful in later life than students who don't participate (see Klesse, p. 5).If school administrations feel that activities are valuable enough to sponsor and teachers are required to serve asadvisers, activities should be regarded more than “extra.”

Extras are the things kids do outside of school, such as Scouts, church activities, and the like. Principals and fac-ulty members who serve as advisers have an obligation to ensure that students are learning something by participa-tion in an activity. Of course, student activities should be enjoyable, but there are also valuable skills and lessons thatcan be taught to those who participate, such as goal setting, communication, organization, decision making, team-work, conflict resolution, and tolerance. These are sometimes thought of as leadership skills, but they are really lifeskills that can be practiced as part of a club or organization and complement what is taught in the classroom. Forexample, service projects contain lessons in family and consumer science, social studies, math, English, health, com-puter science, business, marketing, and journalism if participants implement a creative project plan with appropriatepublic relations activities.

In light of recent incidents of school violence, I believe that student activities can play an important role in creat-ing a school climate in which students feel involved and favorable toward school, teachers, and administrators. Ourgoal should be to have all students involved. The only way that we will reach this goal is through a systematicapproach in which we track all students’ participation in activities just as we track all students' academic progress.Educators can use surveys to ascertain what areas students may be interested in, and students who are not involvedcan be encouraged to participate in activities that correspond to their interests. Some students will not participate untilsomeone reaches out to them. You might have to convince them, for example, that their artistic talents could be usedfor a drama production or for posters advertising the homecoming dance. I realize that involving all students in activ-ities is a lot of work, but in the long run, everyone will be better off if we can help students achieve academically andsocially balanced skills.

I’d be interested in hearing from any of our members who are already doing some of the things that I have sug-gested. You can reach me at MaranoR@principals.org. I hope that you will join the NASSP Department of StudentActivities in our belief that Academics + Activities = Excellence. And please encourage your colleagues, teachers, stu-dents, parents, and the public at large to refer to student activities as cocurricular.

Rocco Marano is director of NASSP's Department of Student Activities.

STUDENT ACTIVITIES ARE NOT EXTRA

FROM THE DESK OF ROCCO MARANO