The document discusses the significance of extracurricular activities in Illinois public schools, highlighting their role in improving student engagement, attendance, and emotional growth. It also addresses various issues related to extracurriculars, such as funding and staffing challenges, as well as high school reform efforts aimed at enhancing educational experiences. Additionally, it outlines the legal context surrounding homeschooling and its relationship with public schooling laws in Illinois.

1. Extra Curricular Activities Issues in Illinois Public Schools William Allan Kritsonis, PhD

2. What is Extra Curricular Activities? Extracurricular activities are activities performed by students that fall outside the realm of the normal curriculum of school or university education. Debate clubs Sports Newspaper

3. What is Co –Curricular Activities? Co-Curricular are activities that happens within the during normal class time. Band Choir Drama Art Computers (Technology)

4. PURPOSE Extracurricular activities are an intricate part of education. Improves school’s performance Reduce grade retention Increase student attendance Interest in school Emotional Growth

5. BENEFITS Explore physical activities Social Political Interest Career Interest Students are more engaged in the classroom Positive Support among peers and adult staff

6. Issues of Extra Curricular Activities Budget Faculty (Staffing) Seek Volunteers or Local Colleges and Universities Class Time Planning Evaluation

7. Issues in Illinois Public School High School Reform Home Schooling Issues and Extra Curricular Activities

8. High School Reform Issues Achievement is too low Making schools more accountable NCLB Government-driven, top-down High School is a bore Prevent drop outs Maximize completions by making the high school experience more appealing Allow students to move at their own pace Recovery programs for drop outs

9. High School Reform II One size does not fit all Devise new institutional forms Using current technology Smaller Schools Give students a choice: high-tech schools, virtual high schools, charter schools, KIPP Courses are too easy and pointless Broaden access to Advanced Placement courses Strengthen state standards Revise textbooks Blend higher education’s expectations with modern jobs

10. Status of Reform in Illinois Governor Blagojevich signed legislation to strengthen Illinois high schools by increasing class requirement for graduation SB575, Higher Standards, Better Schools plan and budget More foreign languages, arts, and music Training opportunities for career-track students Advanced Placement classes

11. Status of Reform Illinois Juniors take the PSAE ISBE (Illinois State Board of Education) adopted rules that outline the standards for Illinois teacher to become “highly qualified” CCSSO a five year collaborative project to identify best practices that transform promising schools to great high schools (funded by Bill and Melinda Gates foundation) Project Lead the Way (PLTW): technology

12. Illinois Public School of Choice Provides option for students in schools that have not made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Gives students in schools identified in school improvement the opportunity to attend a public school that has made AYP in the same district NCLB Component

13. Homeschooling and The Law Compulsory attendance law New England colonies (17 th Cent.) Requires public or approved non-public school attendance for children ranging from ages five to sixteen in the area of education and public schooling (Gordon, Russo, &Miles, 1994) Parental failure to comply with the law can result in criminal penalties Common School Movement Jorgenson (1987) defines as “a series of state movements occurring roughly during the period 1830-1860” Government-differentiate Public Non-public

14. Landmark Decision I Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925) The Supreme Court clearly established that compulsory attendance laws had to accommodate both public and non public schooling Require all school aged children to attend only public school 14 th Amendment The statute infringed upon the rights of parents to choose schools where their children received both an appropriate education and religious training Court confirmed the right of individuals to establish and maintain both private non-sectarian and private religious schools, and the right of the state to require attendance at a school did not include the include the right to preclude attendance at non public schools

15. Landmark Decision II Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972) State control over education The court recognized the rights of devout Amish parents not to send their children to school after the 8 th Grade Parents were able to demonstrate that secondary schools were in direct conflict with Amish beliefs in “cooperation, piety, and simple, agrarian life style” The court reaffirming the State’s responsibility for the education of its citizens, but used the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment rather than the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment

16. Landmark Decision III Johnson v. Board of Education (1983) Refused an Amish Exception to Baptist who wished to educate their children in their own schools staffed by non certified teachers Baptist ministers argued that since they were fundamentalists similar to the Amish Refused to grant them the same exemption would be denial of equal protection The Eighth Circuit rejected their argument holding that, unlike the Amish, these Baptist children lived in ordinary residential neighborhoods interacting with others not of their faith (Gordon, Russo, & Miles, 1994)

17. Landmark Decision IV People v. Levinson (1950) Illinois defining case for homeschoolers More liberal position on the spectrum of academic equivalence Parents of a seven year old girl were convicted of violating the state’s compulsory attendance law Levinson appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court Evidence indicated that the mother had been teaching her daughter at home for five hours a day and the child had demonstrated “proficiency comparable with average third-grad students” The mother is the best teacher The education in competition with other students produces a pugnacious character The Court did not believe that the home school parents had violated the compulsory attendance law

18. Illinois Homeschooling Change Individual home schools may operate as private or church schools Section 26-1 of the Illinois School code If a child is “attending a private or parochial school where children are taught the branches of education taught to children of corresponding age and grade in public school and where instruction is in the English language, the child is in compliance with Illinois compulsory attendance law.

19. Home School and Extra Curriculum Activities in Illinois Home school and Sports Participation Home school enjoys the same status as the public school system Not all Illinois schools allow home schools to participate in extra curriculum activities Home school are entitled to participate in any “for credit” class that is offered by the public school The state’s interest in ensuring that all children have an access to an education

20. Homeschoolers and Sports Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Interscholastic high school sports are guided by the IHSA, which is an organization independent of the public schools with its own rules Any school, public or private may belong May form its own teams to play in the IHSA league (Home schools usually join with neighborhood team or other home schools

21. Home Schooling Can not participate science fair Can participate in interscholastic high school athletics Parents must make a request to the Chief Education Officer Must meet the requirements determined pursuant to the by laws of Illinois High School Athletic Association and the Chicago Public High School Athletic Association

22. REFERENCES http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extracurricular_activities Finn,C. E.,(2006). Things are Falling Apart, Education Next , pp. 1-2, Winter 2006 Smith, B.,(1998). It’s About Time: Opportunities to Learn in Chicago’s Elementary Schools, Consortium on Chicago School Research , December 1998 http://wwww.illinoishouse.org/a09.htm Buser, R.L. & Humm.W.L. (1980). Special Report on Cocurricular Offerings and Participation , Springfield, 111.:Illinois State Board of Education, 1980. http://www.cps.k12.il.us/About CPS/PressRelease/Septemer 2005/hs plan.htm http://www.smallschool.cps.k12.il.us/grants/html

23. REFERENCES CONTINUE Lett, D. (1999). Home Schooling and the request for access to public school extracurricular activities: A Legal and Policy Study of Illinois (ED 450470). Gordon, W.M., Russo, C.J., &Miles, A.S. (1994). The law of home schooling. Monograph of the National Organization on Legal Problems of Education.