National Survey of Secondary Education. Bulletin, 1932, No. 17. Monograph No. 26: Nonathletic Extracurriculum Activities

In order that we may know where we stand in secondary education, the membership of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools four years ago took the lead in urging a study. When the members of a committee of this association appeared before the Bureau of the Budget in 1928, they received a very courteous hearing. It was impossible, so the Chief of the Budget of Bureau thought, to obtain all the money which the commission felt desirable; with the money which was obtained, $225,000, to be expended over a 3-year period, it was found impossible to do all the things that the committee had in mind. It was possible, however, to study those things which pertained strictly to secondary education, that is, its organization; its curriculum, including some of the more fundamental subjects, and particularly those subjects on which a comparison could be made between the present and earlier periods; its extracurriculum, which is almost entirely new in the past 30 years; the pupil population; and administrative and supervisory problems, personnel, and activities. This manuscript has to do with extracurriculum activities which are nonathletic. The authors attempted to find out what extracurriculum activities there were and what, if any, the carryover influence into later life was on those participating. They examined four high schools within 50 miles of Chicago. These were the only schools among 50 sampled which could produce student publications of the period before 1918. From these publications data were secured on student activities in all four schools during the period 1913-1930 and in some of the schools for earlier years. Tabulation was also made of returns on a check list on extra-curriculum activities of the nonathletic type received from 224 schools. Later 24 of these schools were visited by the surveyors and a check list was used to secure more detailed information on a number of additional items considered important. An effort was made to ascertain the influence of these activities on later activities in college or in adult life. No conclusive findings are reported, largely because of lack of records. Data for 529 graduates of a private secondary school, however, show in 42 per cent of the cases a carry-over value of interest in extracurriculum activities from secondary school to college. Data from 293 graduates of a public high school are also reported. Individual sections contain footnotes. (Contains 84 tables and 22 figures.) [Best copy available has been provided.]