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Christopher Garza
Mrs. Yeyna
English Literature(12th)
28 November 2016
Annotated Bibliography
Bliss, Kevin. "How Do Youth Sports Help Kids in Academics?" LIVESTRONG.COM.
Leaf Group, 02 Feb. 2014. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.
<http://www.livestrong.com/article/225787-how-do-youth-sports-help-kids-inacademics/>.
This article focuses on sports for kids in school and how it can improve their grades. The
author of this article; Kevin Bliss examines the many different factors that can play into school
performance. A very big factor is physical fitness. Bliss takes results from a Sports Medicine
study and shows that those who perform better on fitness tests will also perform better
academically. The students involved in sports scored higher in both their core subjects and
standardized tests. Bliss also interviewed teachers, coaches, and students. In doing this he got
first hand accounts. One high school football player from Ohio said that sports required him to
use his head and he transitioned this skill into the classroom. Bliss article is a very informational
piece that reinforced my previous assumptions on school and sports. I hope to really build a
bridge in doing this project. I know a lot of kids dont like school but love sports. I can use this
information to help me better understand what both can do for eachother.
Holloway, John. "Science or Soccer?" Education World. Education World Inc., 9 June
2000.
Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

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<http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr237.shtml>.
In this article, Holloway discusses the contrast of school success between at-risk students
and average students. He also examines the positive characteristics that can arise from getting
involved. Holloway has accounts from schools and administrators who see the benefits that these
extracurricular programs have provided. The overlying theme of this article is the fact that
students are positively affected by extracurricular activities. I believe that this resource will be
very useful in my project for a lot of reasons. The biggest reason is its connection to activities not
involving school. The basis of my work is going to be outside of school at my boxing gym.
Having learned all the positive effects of extracurriculars I have a better understanding of this up
and coming generation. My biggest obstacle in tackling this project was finding real statistics to
show that something needed to be done. I believe that now I have what I need to continue my
work and move forward.
Jensen, Eric. Teaching with Poverty in Mind. Alexandria: Association for Supervision &
Curriculum Development, 2009. Teaching With Poverty in Mind. 19 Nov. 2009. Web 28
Nov. 2016
<http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/109074.aspx>.
In this book, Jensen examines different factors in students behavior and academic
performance. While researching, Jensen learned that our behavioral genetics based between 50
and 70 percent on our environment. He also found out that these behaviors can be swayed
heavily by a less fortunate environment. Using a graph from an article by G.W. Evans, Jensen is
able to conclude that children in a poorer environment have an overall higher number of stressors
than those who live in a non-poor area. It's also shown that when a family has a lower income,
there tends to be less of a focus on the children. The parents become disengaged and don't do

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their whole job when it comes to raising their kids. This book provides a good insight into how
something such as someone's income can affect their everyday behavior. It will help me in my
project because I will be able to understand some possible reasons why a certain student is acting
out or not performing to their full potential in school.
Merkel, Donna L. "Youth Sport: Positive and Negative Impact on Young Athletes." Open
Access Journal of Sports Medicine. Dove Medical Press, 30 May 2013. Web.
29 Nov 2016.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3871410/
This article discusses and explores the different effects that exercise and sports have on
people. Merkel learns that there are both goods and bads to participating in sports. She uses
multiple different sources to do this. Stretching from Michelle Obamas Lets Move! Initiative
to the Woman's Sport foundation, Merkel explores both the physical and mental benefits to
exercise. Merkel discovers sports can play a massive role in young girls lives as majority of them
do not get the recommended amount of daily exercise that they need. Another point Merkel
makes is the fact that both male and female athletes are more likely to eat fruits and veggies and
less likely to engage in unhealthy activities such as drinking and drug use. This article is a very
good source for my project. It explores the positive effects that exercise and sports can have on
anyone. This will help me because in trying to better our youth, I will provide them a positive
activity to spend their day doing.
Petrill, Michael J., and Brandon L. Wright. "America's Mediocre Test Scores: Education Crisis or
Poverty Crisis?" Education Next. Harvard Kennedy School, 03 Mar. 2016. Web. 29 Nov.
2016.
<http://educationnext.org/americas-mediocre-test-scores-education-poverty-crisis/>.

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This written piece by Petrill and Wright dives into the statistics relating to test scores of
students in lower income area. They examine a number of different sources including but not
limited to: National Center for Education Statistics, The Program for International Student
Assessment, and the Census Current Populations Survey. They learn that as the percentage of
kids living in poverty stricken areas increases, the test scores of these kids decreases. While there
were a few exceptions in the scores, they were rare and the pattern remained relatively the same.
Petrill and Wright also note how even our affluent students are being outperformed by our
neighbors across the ocean who have their own percentages of low income families. I believe
this article will be very useful to me because it gives me solid evidence almost completely
answering my third research question What are the differences in test scores when comparing
different levels of income?.