Students Run L.A. (SRLA) is a school-based program in the Greater Los Angeles area that challenges at-risk secondary students to experience the benefits of goal-setting, character development, adult mentoring and improved health by competing in the City of Los Angeles Marathon. Rather than being lectured about the benefits of personal discipline and a healthy lifestyle, the students experience a demanding commitment that necessitates fundamental changes. They learn to avoid tobacco, drugs, late nights and other destructive behavior to be able to meet the physical and mental challenges of the training regimen.
The concept for the program began in 1987 when a Los Angeles high school teacher challenged a group of six students to train with him to run in the city marathon in order to help these young people, who had been classified as under-achievers, to accomplish something extraordinary. These students not only completed the marathon, they graduated high school and went on to college and jobs. The success of the program captured the attention of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board of Education which sponsored the program in 1989 to teach life skills and reduce dropout rates. SRLA became an independent 501(c)(3) organization in 1993 and now encompasses 300 teachers and more than 2,800 students from 150 schools and community programs around Los Angeles. The participants range from 12 to 19 years of age, with a 53 – 47 percent split between boys and girls. The participants reflect the general demographics of the city public schools, coming mostly from minority and low-income families living at or near the federal poverty line. The students are about 70 percent Latino, 14 percent White, 9 percent Asian, 3 percent African American, and 4 percent Pacific Islander, Native American or other.
The program kicks off in September with an event at a local college or university where students run a mile, receive SRLA training shirts, and attend workshops about nutrition, training regimens and injury prevention and treatment. The students go on to train with their school teams, ranging in size from a few up to a hundred students, before and after school about three to four times a week. The entire SRLA group participates in monthly community races, including two half-marathons, a 30K race, and the LA Marathon in March. The students continue to train and enter community races from April through June, a period in which potential recruits for the fall are also offered the opportunity to try the program. The teacher/leaders, who volunteer to train with the teams, cater training styles to meet the needs of participants. Because the program is centrally administered through SRLA, the volunteers do not have to address logistical issues such as fundraising, obtaining supplies, arranging buses, and negotiating the students’ participation in the various races. SRLA covers the entire cost of the program, which comes out to about $270 per student. Parents sign permission forms.
Students Run Philly Style
SRLA has received nationwide attention and other communities are starting to adapt the program to match their needs and available resources. For example, a slightly different model of the program is run through Boys and Girls Clubs. A full-scale replica of the program, Students Run Philly Style, is administered in the mostly African-American and low-income areas of North and West Philadelphia, serving students particularly vulnerable to a range of problems including obesity, diabetes, asthma, and drug and alcohol abuse. It is supervised by the National Nursing Centers Consortium (NNCC) with the help of community partners including two nurse-managed health centers, the Philadelphia School District, Temple University, youth organizations, and charities. The pilot initiative, from 2004–2008, has a goal to train a minimum of 665 adolescents. It is funded by a grant through The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF) Local Initiative Funding Partners (LIFP) program.
The objectives and set-up of the Philadelphia program mirror that of the Los Angeles model. The uniqueness of the Philadelphia program centers on the involvement of health centers, institutions that are already committed to the public health goals of the program. The local health centers assist the NNCC by providing health education and physical examinations. The teams are mostly based out of the schools, with some participants recruited from recreation centers.
Results
SRLA has found the physical education and mentoring it provides to have been generally successful in enabling students “to stay in school, to plan to go to college or university, to develop life-long habits of good health and hard work, and to learn to become responsible, focused people.”
SRLA has tracked progress through the following data collection methods:
The tracking and survey results reveal that:
The attitudinal studies found one of the most substantial benefits to be an improved attitude toward schoolwork, with high school students successfully transferring the goal-setting lessons to the challenge of completing high school. Middle school participants did not think that school was a waste of time, believed their teachers considered them capable of learning, were assured of their ability to set and accomplish goals, and enjoyed learning. Students and teachers form a special bond while in training, and that shared experience carries into the classroom. Students learn to approach their teachers differently, enhancing their academic experience.
The Philadelphia program tracks progress through the following procedures:
Students Run Philly Style was able to involve 100 students at some point during the training season, exceeding the initial goal of 75 participants. Because only one full year of training has been completed so far, data collection and evaluation is still in the preliminary stage. Much of the evaluation will depend on tracking data over time. The main finding from an internal review of the first year’s survey data is a statistically significant improvement in self-esteem and social confidence. The most significant indicator of success, however, has been enthusiastic testimonials from volunteers and students.
Lessons Learned
According to the staff at Students Run L.A., one of the elements of SRLA’s success is that the program comes to the teenagers’ neighborhood and gives them something to do. The school-based model has been very successful for SRLA because: (1) the students and teachers are in one location, (2) they are free at the same times, (3) there is usually a track or grassy area to begin training, and (4) students, even the most troubled ones, are used to taking direction from teachers. Throughout the program, it is also emphasized that the goal is about completing the marathon and not about competing. A centralized administrative group that provides support directly to the teacher/leaders — without placing administrative demands on them or the school system — has also been a source of success, preventing burn-out amongst the teacher/leaders.
One of the most valuable aspects of the two programs is the mentoring relationship built between the leaders and the students. Leaders actually train with the students, going through the “same aches and pains.” To ensure such a relationship, SRLA recommends a ratio of about two adults for every 15 students. The motivation of the teachers and dedication of the volunteers, coupled with the mentoring relationship, are the main factors contributing to the success of the Philadelphia program.
A challenge for the rapidly growing program is the pressure to continuously find more sources of funding to maintain an open admissions policy and providing services free of charge,. SRLA receives funding from private foundations, corporations and individuals. In addition, the Los Angeles marathon provides a major in-kind contribution to SRLA by waiving the $85 entry fee. The marathon itself gains publicity as the students now comprise 10 percent of the marathon’s participants.
Other obstacles have included overcoming a widespread perception that children are too young to run marathons.
This barrier has been gradually surmounted as people see that the training is incremental, has the flexibility to be catered to individual needs, and incorporates both walking and jogging, even encouraging students to incorporate walking in the marathon. The goal is not to create marathoners. Rather the marathon is a tool to instill confidence, to teach kids to set and realize goals, to have fun, and to respect each other and themselves.
SRLA also works to keep the teacher/leaders supported and encouraged, so that they, in turn, can provide the appropriate support to the students. The teacher/leaders are empowered to tailor their individual training programs to the needs and realities of their students, under the overall guidance of the SRLA program. In addition, SRLA holds an annual appreciation dinner for volunteer leaders, to provide a more formal thank you for all of their hours of effort.
The Philadelphia program is constantly challenged to keep children engaged for the enormous commitment of a nine-month athletic program, address attrition, and work around weather problems such as nine intense heat-waves. To keep interest high, the group this year is instituting a summer clinic that will bring all the teams together for career and educational planning and other activities designed to be fun for the students.
The SRLA program started out small and has grown over the years. In the early years, SRLA publicized the program to school principals, attending faculty meetings to describe the program to teachers. Over time, the program grew as teachers changed schools, leaving the SRLA group at the old school in the hands of another teacher and starting a new one at the new school. Other teachers inquired about participating in SRLA because they had heard of the program from students and other teachers. Now that the program is so popular, SRLA no longer engages in any publicity to attract new groups.
Strengths
Innovative Ideas
Implementation
Resources
www.srla.org
The website provides information about the history and operation of the Students Run LA program as well as a short video about the program with testimonials from participants
http://www.nncc.us/studentsrun.html
The website for Students Run Philly Style
Contacts
Executive Director
Students Run Los Angeles
6505 Zelzah Avenue
Reseda, CA 91335
Phone: (818) 997-2451
Program Director
Students Run Philly
260 South Broad Street, 18th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Phone: (267) 765-2387
References
Bottlik, Geza Paul. (2001). SRLA Middle School Programs. Los Angeles, CA: University of Southern California.
DiGioacchino DeBate, R. (2002). Girls on the Run International: Evaluation Report, Spring 2002. University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Retrieved February 21, 2006 from http://girlsontherun.org/files/ACADEMIC%20EVALUATION.pdf.
DiGioacchino DeBate, R. and K.A. Otero-Fisher. (2005). Girls on the Run: Formative Evaluation Report: Spring 2005 Results. Old Dominion University.
Girls on the Run. (2004). Home Page. Retrieved February 21, 2006 from http://girlsontherun.org/theprogram.htm.
Hintz, Diane J., Obarski, Susan King, & Popham, W. James. (1994-1998) An Evaluation of Students Run L.A.. Los Angeles, CA: IOX Assessment Associates.
Programs & Services – Students Run Philly Style. In Programs. Philadelphia, PA: National Nursing Centers Consortium (NNCC). Retrieved February 21, 2006 from: http://www.nncc.us/programs/programs_runphilly.html.
Students Run America. (2006). Students Run L.A. Factsheet. [Factsheet]. Reseda, CA.
Students Run Philly Style. In Local Initiative Funding Partners. (2005). Princeton, NJ: Health Educational & Research Trust (HRET) of New Jersey. Retrieved February 21, 2006 from: http://www.lifp.org/html/project/detail.asp?GN=51434.
