Extracurricular ActivitiesThe research was conducted on the basis that students involved in extracurricular activities receive higher grades than those not involved in the activities. This topic was studied because high school budgets are tight and the administrations of these schools want to spend the money efficiently. As a result, funding for extracurricular activities may be reduced. This report examines the correlation between extracurricular activities and academic performance. ScopeThe scope of the survey includes only high school students and the relationship between their involvement in activities and their academic performance. Some college-level studies were used because the benefits of extracurricular activities in high school and college are the same. Methods Three experts in different fields who have knowledge of this research area were interviewed. Laura Bestler, assistant director of student activities at the Iowa State University Student Activities Center, was interviewed because she is an expert on the activities that take place on Iowa State's campus and the benefits students gain from participating in the activities. Matt Craft, student body government president at Iowa State University, was also interviewed because the student body government, or GSB, supports and funds many campus activities. The intention of this component of the research was to discover why the GSB finds extracurricular activities so beneficial that they choose to support them financially. Erin Fowkes, a high school counselor at Battle Creek-Ida Grove High School in Ida Grove, Iowa, was interviewed to gain insight into why it is important for students to participate in activities...... half of the document.. ...do the students involved get better grades? Is the type of activity carried out by the student important? Why are clubs and organizations funded by the university? How are activities a vital component of a well-rounded education? Works Cited Berson, Judith S (1996, March). Student Perceptions of the Intercollegiate Athletic Program at a Community College. Paper presented at the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Annual Convention, Atlanta, GA. ERIC Document ED404607. Bestler, Laura. Telephone interview. October 11, 1999.Craft, Matthew. Telephone interview. October 11, 1999. Fowkes, Erin. Telephone interview. October 11, 1999. Rombokas, Mary. (1995, October). High school extracurricular activities and college grades. Paper presented at the Southeastern Conference of Counseling Personnel, Jekyll Island, GA. ERIC Document ED391134.