NASBE/IGE Aligning Values and Practice: Standards for Balancing Athletics and Achievement in an Era of High School Reform
The Institute for Global Ethics, in collaboration with the National Association of State Boards of Education, undertook a prototype study funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to examine the relationship between athletics and achievement in the nation’s public schools. This Executive Summary appears as part of a larger report intended for publication in the Fall of 2006.
How can superintendents and school boards best support healthy interscholastic sports programming? What effective steps are they taking to ensure a positive athletic experience for their students? What trends are they up against as they seek to make athletics support academics, rather than the other way around?
Through focus groups and interviews, numbering approximately two hundred and fifty adults and student athletes, at three carefully selected U.S. public high schools notable for healthy athletic programming, the Institute for Global Ethics addressed these questions. Our site visits uncovered a host of examples, large and small, in which athletic programming effectively supported the broader aims of education and helped mitigate the pervasive cultural pressure to “win at all costs.”
- A suburban high school on the east coast made the clear connection between the values at the top and the tone on the courts and playing fields.
- A large, urban high school on the west coast revealed ways that the adult “front lines”—athletic directors and coaches—can and must be supported.
- A small, rural school in the southwest demonstrated that enthusiasm can build when students are encouraged to take the lead.
In every case, the process began with a concerted, sincere, top-level delineation of the values and philosophy of the whole educational system.
Once the values and philosophy were in place, three hallmarks characterized the success of our sample of schools:
- Direct, deliberate communication of the values and philosophy;
- Energetic, systemic alignment of values and philosophy with actual practice; and
- Vigorous, thoughtful promotion of the program by marshalling champions to connect with and influence others in the community.
What are ways that school boards and superintendents directly and deliberately communicate their philosophy and values?
- They work to elevate thinking and learning based on the philosophy, furthering their understanding and the public’s.
- They constantly emphasize standards for academic achievement.
- They develop approaches that build in a focus on their values, asking questions like, “If we had an ideal school system with an ideal sports program, what values would we promote within that program?”
- They develop the discipline to consider values ramifications: “Could what we’re about to do have an impact on the values behind our sports programs?”
- They receive training in, or deliberately and formally develop, listening skills.
- They shape their meeting content to reflect their priorities, making healthy sports programming a regular focus instead of waiting to talk about sports only in the context of scandals and complaints.
- They wordsmith toward concise expressions that reinforce their philosophy efficiently, such as, “Quality education for all students.”
How do school boards and superintendents make sure that on-the-ground practice aligns with broad values and philosophy?
- They make academics the clear, key focus of their meetings and policy work.
- They link policy development in other realms to the overarching goal of quality academics, and consistently articulate this connection.
- They make sure students have as many extracurricular opportunities as possible, to telegraph their interest in the whole child and in all children.
- They take on the responsibility of keeping sports in perspective, evenly emphasizing athletics along with arts, outdoor education, and other extracurricular alternatives.
- They promote system-wide professional development that targets and develops the values and philosophy at the top, making sure that coaches and other volunteers or stipend positions are included and involved in this learning.
- They encourage athletic directors and coaches to embody and express a broad appreciation for education, avoiding narrow focus and “lobbying” in the realm of athletics.
- They provide professional development opportunities that build coaches’ teaching skills, rather than focusing solely on their expertise in a particular sport.
- They demand developmental appropriateness, making sure there are sports options in place from recreational to varsity levels of competition.
- They provide opportunities for coaches to learn about differentiated instruction and learning styles, sending a clear expectation about individualizing coaching approaches to meet each student’s needs.
- They encourage a minimum of bureaucracy at the coaching level, streamlining the paperwork to allow a focus on the student.
- They are committed to and model the expectation for sportsmanship.
Who are the people school boards and superintendents can and should support in promoting the program and positively influencing others?
- Athletic Directors who
- become expert in the connection between their athletic programming and the values of their school community
- take every opportunity to communicate this connection to the public, and to work on generating the right tone with fans
- connect with teachers so that the “magnifying glass” of attention reaches the classroom
- make clear to parents, students, coaches that, “We think team first, individual second.”
- Coaches who
- emphasize studying and insist on the connection of academics to athletics
- engage in thoughtful team discussion related to values and philosophy, and who model personal reflection
- build an aligned attitude in players, such as, “That’s the area I have to work on,” rather than, “I’m a super star”
- don’t seek to be the students’ buddy, but instead communicates the idea that “the coach respects you, so you respect the coach”
- know how to offer constructive criticism while being open to students’ ideas
- remind student athletes of their privilege and expect student athletes to contribute back to their community
- Student leaders who
- participate in leadership classes or training
- study and learn to articulate their school’s values and philosophy
- are empowered to take the initiative to uphold and broadcast the connection between athletics and achievement
For more information, contact Paula Mirk, vice president for education.
© 2006 Institute for Global Ethics
