Date of Award

Spring 5-2012

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Educational Leadership and School Counseling

Committee Chair

Rose McNeese

Committee Chair Department

Educational Leadership and School Counseling

Committee Member 2

James T. Johnson

Committee Member 3

Ronald Styron

Committee Member 3 Department

Educational Leadership and School Counseling

Committee Member 4

David Lee

Committee Member 4 Department

Educational Leadership and School Counseling

Abstract

The decisions on how to spend money in the public school system will continue to remain throughout the years, but how that money best impacts student achievement should always remain at the forefront of every decision. Often in today’s tough economic times school systems will cut expenditures in athletics without the full knowledge of how a high school athletic program impacts student achievement and the climate and culture within the school. The researcher investigated the success of an overall high school athletic program and the correlation with standardized test scores in English and math. Additionally, the success of a high school athletic program on the school climate and culture was examined. The findings of this study were statistically significant in both the effects of a high school athletic program on student achievement and the school climate and culture. This finding supports that the success of a high school athletic program has a significant positive impact on student achievement and that the success of a high school athletic program has a significant positive impact on the student’s perception of the climate and culture in the building. As a result of this study, it may be used to assist central office personnel and local high school administration to be equipped with the knowledge on how the quality of coaches affects a school culture and climate through success in the athletic arena, which may affect student achievement.

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