In recent years, the United States has slipped behind foreign nations in educational ranks. Twenty years ago, the U.S. ranked first both among adults ages 25-34 who have a high school diploma and those who have a college degree. Currently the U.S. ranks ninth among adults who have a high school diploma and seventh among adults who have a college degree.
Texas and Los Angeles school districts are among the many who realize that the United States needs to focus on improving the grades of our students. They have both enacted rules such as No Pass No Play. Previously, these districts had held less demanding eligibility rules. When the No Pass No Play policies were initially implemented, a large number of students were unable to participate in high school sports. However, after two years of enforcing this rule, the number of ineligible students had decreased to the number of students ineligible before the policy was enacted (1).
Additional studies indicate that stricter eligibility rules have led to increased graduation rates. According to Dr. Fernandez at the University of Boston, “A one-subject increase in the minimum subjects standard (for example, students have to pass 4 as opposed to 3 classes in order to participate in sports) is associated with a two-percentage-point increase in the probability of graduation. In order to get a better idea of the magnitude of this effect, let us suppose that approximately 20% of students are interested in athletics, and that half of those are challenged by the requirement. Then, the implied effect for the affected students is a 10% increase in the likelihood of