The findings were based on an analysis of the activities and achievements of more than 10,000 high school students across the country. The students studied represented a variety of economic, social, and racial categories. Jordan and Nettles found that, if by 10th grade students participated in such non- school activities as a rec league, a religious youth group, a volunteer organization or other structured groups, those students went on to become more engaged in high school. They were more likely to become school leaders, to be involved in student groups and to be well-prepared for classes. They tended to earn higher grades than students who did not participate in organized activities in their free time.
Adolescents respond well to structured activities and to positive adult role models.
For their analysis, Jordan and Nettles used the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988, which tracked eighth graders of that year throughout high school and two years past their graduation. The report finds strong correlation between religious activities and school success, but Jordan expressed caution about tying those factors too directly. The research was inconclusive about the effect of after-school jobs on educational performance. It appeared that such work had little negative or positive effect on school outcomes, but further analysis of the time teenagers devoted to their jobs might yield a clearer picture of effects, the study's authors say.