chapterFiveJefferiesSP.txt

Presented in Chapter 5 are the research questions and the related conclusions, along with
discussion on the limitations and problems with this study. Additionally, implications and recommendations for future research are discussed in this chapter.
Research Questions and Main Findings of the Study
The purpose of this study was to answer the following questions: 1. How do high school principals, division superintendents, school board chairs,
members of Virginia House of Delegates and Virginia Senate, and high school athletic/activity directors perceive the authority of the VHSL?
2. What are the opinions of high school principals, division superintendents, and school
board chairs, members of Virginia House of Delegates and Virginia Senate, and high school athletic/activities directors concerning the governance of the VHSL?
3. Are high school principals, division superintendents, school board chairs, members of
Virginia House of Delegates and Virginia Senate, and high school athletic/activities directors satisfied with the performance of the VHSL? a. What is the source of any dissatisfaction that does exist? b. How can the dissatisfaction be reduced or resolved?
4. How do the results of the Polakiewicz Study compare to the results obtained in this
study?
5. Do the same groups surveyed in the two studies express similar concerns? 6. Do the groups surveyed in this study raise concerns not identified by the Polakiewicz
Study?
All of the above research questions are presented below including a discussion of the
relevant study results.
1. How do high school principals, division superintendents, school board chairs,
members of Virginia House of Delegates and Virginia Senate, and high school athletic/activity directors perceive the authority of the VHSL?
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The majority of participants responded that the VHSL should have the authority to
impose periods of probation on coaches and sponsors, member schools and participants (73%), and prohibit the participation of coaches and sponsors, member schools, and participants (70%). The survey results suggest that the authority of the VHSL to perform such duties is supported by the majority of the groups that participated in this study.
In addition to supporting the authority of the VHSL to impose periods of probation and
the authority to prohibit participation, the majority of participants (59%) responded that the VHSL currently imposes penalties that are appropriate. The survey results also suggest that the VSHL could impose stronger penalties, as 18% of participants responded that the VHSL imposes penalties that are lenient. The survey results suggest that the penalties imposed by the VHSL are supported by the groups that participated in this study.
2. What are the opinions of high school principals, division superintendents, and school
board chairs, members of Virginia House of Delegates and Virginia Senate, and high school athletic/activities directors concerning the governance of the VHSL?
The survey results suggest that the VHSL should consider changing the way they hear
appeals to decisions or disciplinary action taken by the VHSL. When survey participants were requested to identify which group should hear VHSL appeals, participants responded that an impartial fact-finding panel (46%) or an outside agency established by the Virginia Department of Education (10%) should have this responsibility. In conclusion, a combined 56% of survey participants responded that appeals should be heard agencies other than the VHSL.
Additionally, the survey results suggest that the VHSL should do more in regards to
educating parents on high school athletics and activities. With 67% of participants responding that the VHSL should do more to educate parents, the VHSL should consider an education initiative for the parents and families of the students participating in VHSL athletics and activities.
In contrast, the majority of participants responded that the VHSL is doing an adequate
job in educating students (66%), parents (62%), coaches (72%) and officials (65%) on the topic of concussions. Also, the majority of participants responded that the VHSL is doing an adequate job in educating students (65%), parents (55%), coaches (70%) and officials (69%) on the importance of sportsmanship.
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The majority of participants responded that the VHSL should do more to oversee and
regulate officials/referees and their associations (69%). The survey results also suggest that the VHSL should consider developing a plan to oversee game officials and their associations.
The majority of participants responded that the VHSL should require head varsity and
head junior varsity coaches participate in a coaching education course prior to the beginning of every season (63%). The survey results suggest that the VHSL should consider making a coaching education class an annual requirement for all head varsity and head junior varsity coaches.
The majority of participants responded that the VHSL does an adequate job regulating
the safety of student-athletes through their policies and rules (77%). The survey results suggest that there is support for the current safety initiatives, policies, and rules that the VHSL has established and implemented.
The majority of participants responded that home-schooled students should not be able to
participate in athletics and activities at member schools in the areas where they live (78%). The only group that participated in this study that viewed this differently was Virginia legislators, where five out of nine Delegates and Senators (55%) responded that home-schooled students should be able to participate. The survey results suggest that legislation regarding home-schooled student participation should be monitored closely by the VHSL and Virginia educators in the future.
The majority of participants responded that the VHSL should provide athletics and
activities for students in order to regulate initiatives set forth by the Virginia Department of Education (Civic Engagement, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, Collaboration, and Communication) (52%). However, 34% of participants responding that the VHSL should not provide athletics and activities that support VDOE initiatives. The survey results suggest that providing VHSL athletics and activities for students in order to regulate initiatives set forth by the VDOE requires further consideration.
3. Are high school principals, division superintendents, school board chairs, members of
Virginia House of Delegates and Virginia Senate, and high school athletic/activities directors satisfied with the performance of the VHSL? a. What is the source of any dissatisfaction that does exist? b. How can the dissatisfaction be reduced or resolved?
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The majority of participants responded that they are satisfied with the VHSL’s
administration of athletics (79%). Additionally, survey participants responded that they would assign the VHSL a grade of ‘A--excellent’ (9%) or ‘B--above average’ (54%) when evaluating the performance of the VHSL. The survey results suggest that there is satisfaction with how the VHSL is performing.
Survey participants responded that they received ‘0’ (21%) or ‘1-5’ (50%) complaints
concerning the VHSL during the previous school year. The survey results suggest that not only are participants satisfied with the performance of the VHSL, but they also suggest that communities and constituents associated with the participants are satisfied with the performance of the VHSL.
Survey participants also had the opportunity to answer an open-ended question that dealt
with any possible suggested changes to the VHSL. Two of the major themes that developed from the survey responses pertained to the alignment/classification of schools and the quality of the VHSL website. The survey results suggest that there are concerns with how high schools are classified and aligned by the VHSL and the VHSL should consider a clear and consistent alignment model. The survey results also suggest considering enhancements to the VHSL website to make it more user-friendly.
4. How do the results of the Polakiewicz Study compare to the results obtained in this
study?
During the Polakiewicz study, there were 194 survey participants (Polakiewicz, 1985).
For this study, there were 419 participants. The response rate for the Polakiewicz study was higher (78.8%) than this current study (45%) (Polakiewicz, 1985). Additionally, this study included high school athletic/activity directors, a group that did not participate in the Polakiewicz study. This study had more high school principals (148) and public school superintendents (76) participating in comparison to the number of high school principals (86) and public school superintendents (42) who participated in the Polakiewicz study (Polakiewicz, 1985). Both studies had similar numbers of public school board chairs participating, with 45 school board chairs participating in the Polakiewicz study and 46 school board chairs participating in this current study (Polakiewicz, 1985). Additionally, more Virginia legislators participated in the
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Polakiewicz study (21) when compared to the number of Virginia legislators who participated in this study (9) (Polakiewicz, 1985).
A larger percentage of survey participants in the Polakiewicz study (87.6%) responded
that the VHSL should have the authority to impose a period of probation upon coaches, member schools, and participants when compared to the survey results of this current study (73%) (Polakiewicz, 1985). Additionally, a larger percentage of survey participants responded that the VHSL should have the authority to prohibit the participation of coaches, member schools, and participants in the Polakiewicz study (79.9%) when compared to this current study (70%) (Polakiewicz, 1985).
The majority of participants responded in the Polakiewicz study (57.2%) and this current
study (59%) that the VHSL imposes penalties that are appropriate (Polakiewicz, 1985). Additionally, high school principals from the Polakiewicz study (67.4%) and high school principals from this current study (67%) responded that the VHSL imposes penalties that are appropriate (Polakiewicz, 1985).
The results of this current study suggest that the VHSL should consider either an outside
agency established by the Virginia Department of Education (10%) or an impartial fact-finding panel (46%) to hear appeals on VHSL decisions or disciplinary action. Similarly, in the Polakiewicz study, participants responded that an outside VDOE agency (14.4%) or an impartial fact-finding panel (49%) should hear VHSL appeals (Polakiewicz, 1985).
In regards to complaints about the VHSL, 50% of survey participants received ‘1-5’
complaints concerning the VHSL during their last school year. In comparison, only 32.5% of survey participants in the Polakiewicz study reported receiving ‘1-5’ complaints concerning the VHSL during their previous school year (Polakiewicz, 1985). Additionally, 57.2% of participants responded that they received ‘0’ complaints concerning the VHSL during the last school year in the Polakiewicz study, while 21% of participants responded that they received ‘0’ complaints for this study (Polakiewicz, 1985). The survey results suggest that while there is satisfaction with how the VHSL is performing, the number of complaints received by participants has increased when compared to the Polakiewicz study.
The majority of participants in the Polakiewicz study responded that they were satisfied
with the VHSL’s administration of athletics (76.3%), while 79% of participants responded that they were satisfied with the VHSL’s administration of athletics in this study (Polakiewicz, 1985).
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The survey results suggest that satisfaction with the VHSL’s administration of athletics has increased when compared to the Polakiewicz study.
In regards to the performance of the VHSL, 23.2% of participants from the Polakiewicz
study assigned the VHSL a performance grade of ‘A--excellent’, while only 9% of the survey participants from this current study assigned the VHSL the same grade (Polakiewicz, 1985). A combined 70.1% of participants from the Polakiewicz study assigned performance grades of ‘A-excellent’ or ‘B--above average’ to the VHSL, and a combined 63% of participants from this study assigned the same grades (Polakiewicz, 1985). The survey results suggest that impressions regarding the performance of the VHSL are down slightly, but still favorable, when compared to the Polakiewicz study.
5. Do the same groups surveyed in the two studies express similar concerns?
When examining the statements and questions used from the Polakiewicz study for this
study, the results of both surveys suggest that the only similar concern expressed by the participants in both studies is the VHSL appeals process. The survey results suggest that the VHSL should consider using an impartial fact-finding panel or an outside agency established by the VDOE to hear VHSL appeals.
6. Do the groups surveyed in this study raise concerns not identified by the Polakiewicz
Study?
Aside from the concerns expressed previously by participants in this chapter, participants
in this study were asked to identify potential issues that the VHSL may face over the next five or ten years. In regards to potential issues the VHSL may face over the next five years, the participants identified the following main themes: home-schooled students participating in VHSL athletics and activities, private school participation in VHSL athletics and activities, the financial model of the VHSL, and transgender student policies. Additionally, participants were asked to identify potential issues facing the VHSL over the next ten years. The participants identified two major issues, the financial model of the VHSL and home-schooled students participating in VHSL athletics and activities. The survey results suggest that participants are concerned about the long-term financial future of the VHSL, and concerned about how the VHSL will deal with home-schooled students in the future.
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Lastly, survey participants were requested to give the VHSL recommendations on how
they could be more transparent. The survey results suggest that the VSHL could be more transparent if they focused on social media use and an improved VHSL website. The responses suggest that utilizing different/enhanced communication methods would improve their level of transparency.
Limitations
While this study involved using only some of the survey questions from the Polakiewicz
study and examining some current issues facing the VHSL, it did not address all of the current issues facing the VHSL. For example, survey questions pertaining to issues such as transgender student policies and the financial model of the VHSL were not addressed in this survey. This study does not include an extensive search of state board rules and regulations, state department regulations, or state athletic association handbooks. This study was limited to the review and analysis of selected court cases in Virginia and other states concerning the Virginia High School League and several other state athletic associations respectively. This study was also limited to a review of state athletic associations in close geographical proximity to Virginia, rather than a review of all associations (Polakiewicz, p. 34). Additionally, the study was limited to the rules and regulations of the VHSL, as they appeared in the 2016-2017 VHSL Handbook.
Problems
A problem with this current study was the low response rate by Virginia legislators, as
only nine out of 37 (24%) Delegates and Senators who received the survey participated. Additionally, only 46 out of 132 public school board chairs (34.8%) participated in this survey. Both response rates fell below the desired 40% response rate for this study.
Another problem with this study was the number of participants who chose not to answer
individual questions on the survey. The range of non-responders on survey questions by participants varies from 5% to 14% on individual questions, with non-response rates even greater on individual questions by the groups making up the survey population.
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Implications
From the conclusions discussed previously in this chapter, several implications followed
and resulted in the following observations and suggestions:
 The VHSL should consider establishing a system to oversee athletic/activity officials
and their associations.
 The VHSL should consider utilizing independent panels for their appeals process.
 The VHSL should consider analyzing their current financial model.
 The VHSL should consider changes to their website and utilization of social media
feeds to improve and enhance communication.
 The VHSL should consider a parent education program regarding interscholastic
athletics and activities.
 The VHSL should consider a coaching education training program that can be utilized
annually.
 The VHSL should consider a consistent and effective alignment model for member
schools.
Recommendations for Future Research
Future research into the VHSL, and other state athletic associations, might focus in
particular on the following areas based specifically on the results of this study:
 Research the financial model of the VHSL to determine if it is a sound fiscal
program. -Research the financial model of the VHSL Foundation to determine if it is a sound fiscal program.
 Investigation of independent panels utilized for purposes of hearing appeals.
 Study the current alignment of VHSL member schools to see if it is appropriate for
member schools.
Additionally, after a review of literature and relevant court cases, it is also suggested that
future research on the VHSL and other state athletic associations could focus on the following areas:
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 Investigation of student-athlete academic eligibility requirements in school systems
that vary from the academic eligibility requirements set by their state athletic association.
 Comparative analysis of financial models of similar state athletic associations.
 Comparative analysis of appeals processes used by similar state athletic associations.
 Investigation of the VHSL Executive Committee and similar committees in other
state athletic associations.
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