Wichita School Bond: Information Request

by Bob Weeks on October 1, 2008

In support of the proposed Wichita school bond issue, USD 259 officials and their supporting campaign group make a lot of claims.

Unfortunately, Wichita news outlets, for whatever reason, don’t spend a lot of time investigating these claims. It’s left to citizens to make inquiries. So I do. Here’s one sent to Wendy Johnson, Division Director Marketing and Communications Division:

On this page at the USD 259 website:

http://www.usd259.com/news/Bond2008/FACT+CHECK+Frequently+Asked+Questions/default.htm

This claim is made: “Research has shown that student involvement in arts and athletics activities is directly linked to higher academic performance, stronger school connections, higher graduation rates and fewer discipline problems.”

Could you please supply me with references to one or more studies that USD 259 relied on when making this claim?

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