If you're on the fence about signing that permission slip to allow your child to go on a school field trip do NOT hesitate!
Recent studies have shown to be incredibly beneficial for the students that go on them!
New research from BYU, along with Johns Hopkins University and the Heritage Foundation, found that students who participate in them during the school year have "higher test scores, perform better in class, and have increased cultural conscientiousness over time."
Heidi Holmes Erickson, assistant professor of educational leadership at BYU and lead author of the study, said, "Contrary to practice where schools, facing accountability pressures, trade extracurriculars for increased seat time, we found that there's no harm to academics by taking time out of the classroom. It's possible to expose students to a broader world and have culturally enriching curriculum without sacrificing academic outcomes, and it may actually improve academic outcomes."
Erickson concluded, "We anticipated that field trips wouldn't harm test scores. However, we started seeing academic improvements and realized that students who participated in these field trips were doing better in class. One potential reason for this is that field trips expand students' world concept and expose them to new ideas. Similarly, students might be more engaged in school thanks to field trips. Students find school more exciting and want to try harder in class."
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