Arkansas Blog

This is obscene.

I will repeat part of what I said on the thread about charter schools about the need to do a better job identifying children at an early age who need extra help to succeed in school: "And yes, all that would cost money. But I know just where you can get it -- take all the money being spent on competitive sports and direct it toward early childhood education. If Podunk or Metropolis High wants to have a football team, let the town have bake sales or bingo games to pay for it. I'm sick of so much tax money going toward something that is basically a farm system for big-time college football, which is just a farm system for pro football."

Vegan, I found of great interest a recent interview the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette conducted with Lance Taylor, executive director of the Arkansas Activities Association which oversees public school sports activities. It was published in the November 1, 2007 editions of the paper. One Q&A, in particular, caught my attention:

Q "In light of heightened scrutiny over test scores and athletic expenditures and rising fuel prices, were you surprised that AAA members opted to retain six football classifications for the 2008-2010 cycle, even though it generally increased travel?"

A "Every piece of data that we can get our hands on, not only on the kids in the state of the Arkansas but outside, if they're involved in an extracurricular activity, they're going to have a higher GPA. They're going to score higher on tests. It doesn't matter if it's the ACT, SAT, the Criteria Reference Test, they're going to test higher if they're involved in extracurricular activities. They're going to attend school more often and they're going to have less discipline problems. People want athletics to be held accountable. As a matter of fact, there's a higher degree of accountability for athletics than any other thing in school. You can't even participate unless you have a 2.0 [GPA]."

Now, don't jump on me, lady friend, I'm just a tellin' ya what I read.

I note the ADG-AAA article mentioned "extracurricular activities, not specifically sports.

That means the Choral Club, the French Club, FFA, Scouts, FHA, etc are carrying a lot of water for
some athletes. Tip of hat to Lance for some grade A spin.

I'm not going to jump on you, Durango. My comments were as extreme at one end of the spectrum as the excessive amount spent on competitive sports is on the other end. But changes do need to be made, and not in the direction of setting up high school sports foundations.

As Knoc Knock points out, the AAA seems to interpret "extracurricular activity" just to mean sports teams -- and it is football and basketball that's really the issue here. Back in olden times when I was in high school, the majority of students did not even participate in competitive sports, and I doubt that has changed. Let's spend some money on a math club or science club or some activities that all students can enjoy, and not just by watching. And schools can have sports teams without spending the obscene amounts we see today going toward coaches' salaries and for equipment and facilities and the almighty Halls of Champions. This money is not being spent to provide extracurricular activities for students -- it's for having a big-time winning program for entertainment and bragging rights, and it is taking funds away from the real educational activities our tax money should be used for.

And I really dispute that many young men are helped by playing sports in high school or college. The odds of making it in pro sports are about the same as winning that lottery we've been arguing about; for those who do, it indeed pays off, but the results for the loser are more tragic. Frequently you find an athletically talented young man who has been passed along in school without having ever been required to actually do the classwork -- a 3.0, but Johnny Quarterback can't read. At whatever level of sports he finally tanks (or, like Maurice Clarett, just mouths off too much), the sports world tosses him aside and he has to face the grim reality that there is no market for a has-been uneducated athlete.

Our tax money would have been better spent giving him a real education. The way money is allocated in our schools today, by all the old ex-coaches who seem to comprise a majority of the administrators, is equivalent to a family taking the monthly income and taking a trip to Europe instead of making the house payment and buying food, clothing, and other necessities. The more important things should be paid for first. And we are not doing that.

One of the activities under the watchful eye of the AAA is journalism. At my local district the only funding the school newspaper gets is from the sale of the paper and ads the students sell. But the football team even gets their underwear provided by the school.

Vegan, as a former high school teacher, my hat is off to you. I could not have said it better myself.

If there were a physics booster club it would be lucky to recover its fund-raising costs in the money it brought it...
unless it were at a private school where parents have money and are willing to pay to make sure their kids have a good shot at getting an education.

Well said Vegan4Hillary.
As U.S. slips to 17th in all nations in education we must have accountable fuball teams.
by Lwood

It's just another telling indicator of why we're 49th or 50th in everything important, why we have the lowest percentage of adult population with a college degree, why we're 49th in per capita income, etc. and why we'll likely be that way for decades to come. But Go Hogs Go. Go Rogers Go.

You kow much like with personal income, where the haves continue to grow and the gap widens between them and those with lower incomes, so it is the same with States. The States that "Get It" and the states with large percentage of college educated parents (but not solely college educated) understand what is at stake and the world is different, is perceived differently, in those states. There is a different mindset at the levels that matter. I'm over generalizing a little but not much to make a point.

Here's a clear example. My kids go to a private shcool here. And they have to cater to the parents that get off on athletics at the expense of actually building a school that is in sync witht he needs of the kids and the in line with where the bar is with private shcools in many other states, It is depressing. And this is one of the best schools in the state.God forbid their precious little 7th or 8th grader didn't get 20 hours of basketaball practice a week. But if you ask them how the foregin langauages are going they look at you like, "what?"

It's a good shcool but really that's about what oit is--a good school. What it could be if anyone had any balls to raise some issues and lead, instead of follow the parents, is a great school. But ehn you probably couldn't fill the school and that is the sad part.

And football programs at some private schools that just shouldn't be sucking up so much space and effort and energy with football. It doesn't happen at the great schools in many other states. They get it. They don't play that game because they know the stakes are high.

It's why so many kids come back here to work. They have to.

So the trickle down effect here is depressing. You can't escape it.

This little blog entry about Rogers is just another example of the whackiness that is ingrained in our state culture and that has a damaging effect that either not many see or don't care to bother with.

I don't even liket to think about it much. Dealing with education here is depressing. It just is. You can't think about it,

Say, if that's a glass house you're living in, I'd hang onto that rock for just a little longer. One reason athletics gets so much support is that mommy and daddy and Uncle John are vocal supporters, and the squeaky wheel, etc., etc.
There are actually some schools where parents are in FFA support organizations or Band Moms, or here in my town where parents are greatly responsible for organization and perpetuation of a "bug bowl" or entomology team which is literally the best in the mid-south.
Parents need to organize a physics or math support club. Think of a cool name. Don't just sit at home and be critical because some parents think that dribbling a basketball is so important. I'm glad to see parents interacting with children, their own and other.
(This is an aside: Went to a crawfish festival in south Louisiana a few years ago where I could buy a beer from a tent manned by the FFA Dads).
Three lessons: don't throw rocks, support kids, support education.

I say bullshit on that. The damn schools should do it. I have a job. A life. I already went to school. I'm not into doing little clubs and rah-rah shit so my kid gets a physics club. Just have the damn physics club. Its' what they are supposed to do. Teach them the foreign language. Just do it. That booster club crap is a trap we've all let the schools throw at us.

And at a private school especially. They should do it. Ask me for money. I don't care. But then use it wisely. I curtail my giving to the school because I'm thinking they will hire more coaches before they institute a decent foreign language program that actually gets kids on the road to fluency.

I can speak only for one football team (public): Our sons play football for the love of the game. They put in countless hours 12 months per year, with the majority knowing they aren't going to play at the next level. They bond with their teammates, despite the vast difference in their backgrounds, in ways that exemplify true integration. Many of the players are in AP classes (we have one National Achievement scholar this year, and we had a National Merit Finalist last year), and many struggle to keep that 2.0 so they can keep playing. The players are responsible for their own cleats and off-season practice clothing. The team provides helmets, pads, uniforms and a meal on Friday game days when school is in session (on a $4500 per year budget for nearly 100 kids). No meal is provided for JV game days, when some players eat lunch at 10:30 and then don't get home until after 9 pm. We have team doctors who volunteer to be on the sidelines on Friday nights. We have a team trainer whose time is donated by his employer (we are one of the few to have a trained medical staff member at all practices and JV games, which is a great comfort to parents). And yes, we have a booster club. We ask for $10 from parents and supporters. We use this money to purchase water and gatorade for the August practices (ever run bleachers when it's 100 degrees?) and the games. We purchase snack meals for the boys to eat on the bus when they are playing away games (teenage boys sure can eat!). We help fund the spring banquet so the players and parents who can't afford it can enjoy a nice meal. There's also a fund set up by football alumni who understand how being a member of a team stays with you long after high school -- their biggest project to date was to improve our weight room (although it doesn't begin to compare with the ones at other schools).
My opinion: A high school education involves so much more than classroom time. Students who are good scholars, artists, musicians, singers, debaters, dancers, athletes, actors, etc., deserve the chance to shine. At our school, we have parents who help fund athletics, the band, the choir, the spirit groups, the debate team, the quiz bowl, the drama department, etc.; we support whatever our children enjoy, and our support helps other children whose parents either can't or won't provide it. Our booster club is very lucky to be involved with a wonderful group of young men who care deeply about each other, and we share their hugs, smiles, gratitude and sometimes even their tears. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

lrmom wrote: "Students who are good scholars, artists, musicians, singers, debaters, dancers, athletes, actors, etc., deserve the chance to shine."

Any school administrator or teacher who ignores that is no more effective than a prison warden.

obviously all the arts and sports have their place and are good at face value. But we've lwet athletics take on a prominence that is out of whack with so-called lessons learned and skills taught.

I'm sick of hearing of how sports teach teamwork and cooperation and competitiveness and numberous other "benefits" that are kids would not get any other way. More BS that is elf-serving to parents that want to beleive it and to schools that spin it that way. Sure, those beneifts come from sports--sometimes. But they come from soo many other things as well. And often witht he fervor surrounding even little league sports, a lot fo negatives are taught too.

My gripe is that sports in High Schools and middle schools are out fo hand and the downsides are serious.

Sorry for all typos today. I'm not a good typist when I try and as you can tell I'm terrible when I'm on the run.

Razorbacks are taking a beating. Half the state will need Prozac to get through the week. Only half-joking.

Looks like we won't make the top 20 for sure this year. Maybe we'll come in 49th. That'd be fitting. And on this one we can't say "Well Dang Paw, Thank Gawd for Mississippi though."

Sure, football might allow some kids to excel and learn something. But the rest of us -- including our children -- are paying for those chosen few hotshots to shine on Friday night. Sports is the tail that wags the dog, and it's a key reason we're at the bottom of the 50 states when it comes to learning. We might not be able to outsmart you or get a better job, but we can sure kick your ass at football. Well, so what?

I have always enjoyed school sports, both as a player, parent, and now an empty nester spectator. But I, too, believe our schools may be emphasizing sports a tad too much these days. However, that's just part of the troublesome situation. Another part --- a major one --- can be illustrated by this little story:

Little Johnny was in school one day when the teacher brought around cookies for the 10 a.m. snack time. "Here, Little Johnny, have a cookie," said the teacher.

"I don't fucking want one," declared Johnny.

The teacher was stunned. She called Little Johnny's mother and scheduled her to come in for a meeting the next day.

When Little Johnny's mother arrived, the teacher had her hide behind a curtain until snack time came around. As she came to Little Johnny, she again said, "Here Little Johnny, it's time for your cookie."

"I don't fucking want one," stated Little Johnny again.

The teacher pulled aside the curtain and said to his mother, "See? Did you hear what he said?" To which the mother replied, "So? Don't fucking give him one."

what has happened is some of the wealthier schools have gone silly in trying to outspend each other on facilities and to see who can have the most coaches. high school football doesn't need 8-10 coaches. the facilities are getting to be overgrown. indoor practice areas with astroturf supposedly for all students but i imagine the athletic teams get preference. now somebody wants a foundation for athletics. this is getting to the extreme stupidity. i couldn't read the article, it was off the net but i imagine what it is doing. if they do it you can bet bentonville and springdale will not be far behind. there are contests up there to see which one can be the most arrogant with their athletic program. either they spend more for their stadium or they pay their coach 6 figures or they start a foundation. they also lead in trying to get state money for white flight charter schools, must be too many hispanics. i am glad to see their priorities are in the right place.

49th, Should be on our license plates. Should be an asterik next to the football poll anytime we make the top 20.

Just to put it in context and keep things in perspective. When I first moved here my friends all said, ah you'll be back if you have kids and time comes for them to go to school. I think about that often now that I have kids in school.

"The report also indicated that the amount of money transferred out of the education and general budget into athletics dropped substantially at all schools last year."

Good news.