Effective Extra-curricular Programming for a Better School Climate

"""Effective Extra-curricular Programming for a Better School Climate"" Project is directly related to the priorities of EU in the new term and European Commission strategies which is prevention of school truancy and absenteeism. Research suggest that the very first reason for students' absence from school is their lack of love or negative attituted toward school. For this reason rate of school attendance has been decreasing significantly. Academic success of students who do not attend school regularly decreases gradually and in return, students whose academic success is low, develop negative attitutes and feelings toward their schools. This, in the end, results in chronic absenteeism and truancy and staying out of the regular education system. Our project was about developing a programme ""Effective Extra-curricular Programming for a Better School Climate"" with three Mediterranean countries (Turkey, Spain, Italy) that face the same problem and to produce a solution to this problem through developing a programme of extra-curricular activities .The positive effects that extracurricular activities have on students are better behavioral traits, better grades, school completion, positive aspects to become successful adults, and a social aspect as well as;– Learning Time Management and Prioritizing– Getting Involved in Diverse Interests – Learning About Long Term Commitments – High Self Esteem – Building Solid Relationship Skills – Decrease in behavioural problems:The ages that usually are involved in poor behavior are between twelve and seventeen years old. (Howie et al. 2010, 120)– Higher grades and positive attitudes towards school: Students who participate in extracurricular activities are three times more likely to have a grade point average of a 3.0 or higher. This is higher than students who did not participate in extracurricular activities. This is regardless of their previous background or achievement.– Positive and voluntary connection to school:Students who participate in extracurricular activities are less likely to drop out and more likely to have higher academic achievement. Under the scope of the Project, a programme will be prepared to help students develop positive feelings toward their schools and to turn schools more attractive places for students, or in other words to help students spend happy hours during school time. Teachers and school administrators have been carrying out several activities for their students to love their school but since these activities are not implemented on a regular basis, they do not give effective results.The Programme we prepared is a programme that a teacher can apply in an academic year. Sample implementations also have been added to the programme and each partner country made presentations about the implementations intheir country and/or region . The Programme is/has been implemented after the teachers in pilot schools were trained about the Programme. By taking the implementation process intoconsideration, new activities have also been added and problems arising in implementation process have been discussed and ways ofsolutions have been discussed and the programme is replanned accordingly. . The Programme of ""Effective Extra-curricular Programming for a Better School Climate"" have been published in a book with example implementations after its last form has been evaluated by three partner countries."