High school sports are at a crossroads. Research in recent years has established the cognitive, academic, physical and mental health benefits of participation and exercise. Yet only 39% of high school students play school sports and participation rates are even lower in urban (32%), high-poverty (27%) and charter (19%) schools.
The need to identify strategies and models that meet the interests of more students has only grown during the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought school sports to a standstill. Superintendents, principals, athletic directors, physical education teachers and coaches will need to innovate like never before as they re-introduce programs, with heightened priority given to access, equity and emotional health.
Join us for our next webinar, Reimagining School Sports in America, which kicks off a new multiyear initiative by the Aspen Institute. Hear from leading high school sports experts, plus students, on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead after the COVID-19 pandemic to build school sports models tailored to the needs and interests of students and society in the 21st century.
Speakers include:
- Taylor Twellman, ESPN lead soccer analyst
- Dr. Karissa Niehoff, National Federation of State High School Associations executive director
- Natalie Randolph, Sidwell Friends School director of equity, justice & community and Title IX coordinator; former high school head football coach
- Jimmy Lynch, The School District of Philadelphia executive director of athletics
- Mya Burken, Rolla (Missouri) High School three-sport athlete
