Running For Success: The Benefits of Participating in the Girls on the Run Program

This quantitative descriptive study used ex post facto data to describe the possible impact Girls on the Run (GOTR) afterschool program has on the participants' school attendance, office referrals, state test scores in the areas of reading and math and their body image. GOTR is an afterschool program for girls that helps create a stronger sense of identity, a greater self-confidence, a positive body image, and an increased knowledge of how to be a member of a team and a community (GOTR of Delaware, n.d.). There were 97 girls in Grades 3, 4, and 5 from nine Title I schools in Delaware who participated in this study. The study found that attendance rates of GOTR participants were comparable to rates statewide. Office referrals for the study sample were low when compared to state, school districts, and schools' reports of suspensions and expulsions. Reading DCAS scores revealed that 73% or higher of the study sample met the standard, which was comparable to the state of Delaware's AYP of 70.55%. Math DCAS scores showed that 52% or higher of the study sample met the standard, which was lower than the state of Delaware's AYP of 72.9%. Lastly, the pre- and post-survey results showed the participants' opinion of their body image was in the middle of the range 1-7 (1 being extremely thin and 7 being obese). These findings were inconclusive, but they may have implications for other school systems and researchers. Students who participate in GOTR may have good attendance, fewer office referrals, improved test results, and a positive body image.