The Engagement Gap

Abstract

Participation in extracurricular activities is associated with positive youth outcomes such as higher education attainment and greater future earnings. We present new analyses of four national longitudinal surveys of American high school students that reveal a sharp increase in the class gap in extracurricular involvement. Since the 1970s, upper-middle-class students have become increasingly active in school clubs and sport teams, while participation among working-class students has veered in the opposite direction. These growing gaps have emerged in the wake of rising income inequality, the introduction of “pay to play” programs, and increasing time and money investments by upper-middle-class parents in children’s development. These trends need to be taken into account in any new initiative to monitor mobility. They also present a challenge to the American ideal of equal opportunity insofar as participation in organized activities shapes patterns of social mobility.

Reframing After-School Programs as Developing Youth Interest, Identity, and Social Capital

“…For example, participation in after-school programs can develop "soft" skills, such as leadership and prosocial behaviors, while decreasing risky behaviors (Eccles et al, 2003;Little et al, 2008;Mahoney et al, 2009;Smith et al, 2014). Regular participation in after-school programming is associated with improved health, civic engagement, and occupational attainment later in life (Snellman et al, 2015), with often greater effects for low-income youth and youth of color (Mahoney et al, 2005;Morris, 2015). Alternative educational experiences found in after-school settings may be particularly important for young Black males who are disproportionately represented in disciplinary statistics and drop-out rates (Baldridge et al, 2011).…”

“…While federal budget cuts to after-school programming would disproportionately affect low-income communities and students of color, where demand already outstrips supply (Afterschool Alliance, 2014), spending on after-school programming among wealthy, White families continues to grow (Duncan & Murnane, 2011). High-income families have embraced afterschool programming as an enrichment mechanism to prepare students for post-secondary education and beyond (Lareau, 2011), creating an engagement gap between those who can afford to pay for programming and those who cannot (Snellman et al, 2015). Current research and policy related to afterschool programs suggests we may be overlooking critical functions of these activities and instead suggests reframing them as developing youth interest, identity, and social capital.…”

School Culture and Its Effect on Extracurricular Participation in Hong Kong

“…A substantial amount of research in the U.S. reveals the positive influences of extracurricular participation. For instance, by filling non-school time with constructive activities ranging from sports teams to community service, ECAs help decrease youth violence, increase social skills, and enhance academic achievement (Eccles & Barber, 1999;Snellman et al, 2014;Zaff, Moore, Papillo, & Williams, 2003). In addition to the aforementioned benefits, ECAs impact students' motivation to attend school, as more autonomy is associated with higher intrinsic motivation for participation and school attendance (Denault et al, 2016;Fischer & Theis, 2014).…”

“…With the local school banding system, each school offers different support systems for student activity involvement. It is, therefore, necessary to understand the extracurricular participation situation because low-income students could lose the opportunity to learn skills that may be beneficial for the workforce later on (Snellman, Silva, Frederick, & Putnam, 2014). The crucial relationship between school culture and extracurricular participation among high school students is am-biguous and has not been heavily researched (Hohepa, Scragg, Schofield, Kolt, & Schaaf, 2007), especially among local schools in Hong Kong.…”

Inside The Gates: First-Generation Students Finding Their Way

“…However, studies show that lower income students participate much less than higher income students in cocurricular activities, and instead use their out-of-school time working at outside jobs, studying, sleeping, and socializing with friends (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016;Snellman et al, 2015).…”