The term extracurricular seeks to remind us that learning takes place through a broad range of activities and experiences—some in formal classroom settings and some in more informal settings, both within and outside of school. Extracurricular activities should not be viewed as peripheral to high–quality civic learning, but rather as indispensible to well–rounded civic learning.

Extracurricular activities provide forums in which students can use skills and knowledge in purposeful experiences that have both meaning and context. As one of the definitive studies on extracurricular activities notes, extracurriculars “provide opportunities to acquire and practice skills that may be useful in a wide variety of settings [… to] help students to develop a sense of agency as a member of one's community; to belong to a socially recognized and valued group, to develop support networks of peers and adults that can help in both present and future; and to experience and deal with challenges.”( 98) According to some studies, school–group membership is an even better predictor of adult engagement than more commonly recognized factors such as education and income. ( 99)
A wide range of extracurricular activities have civic benefits. Not surprisingly, explicitly civic activities such as mock trial, model congress, speech and debate, and model U.N. all have positive impacts on students' civic knowledge and engagement. There are civic benefits to a far broader set of extracurricular activities, however. Reuben Thomas and Daniel McFarland found that participation in a wide range of extracurricular groups boosted students' voting rates. 100 In their study, many activities that require teamwork and collaboration (such as the performing arts and some sports) were especially helpful for encouraging voting.

One study, based on their extensive review of the literature, concluded that there is “good evidence that participating in extracurricular activities is associated with both short and long term indicators of positive development including school achievement and educational attainment.”( 101) They go on to demonstrate that extracurricular programs are most effective if they “provide opportunities to engage in challenging tasks that promote learning of valued skills; provide opportunities to form strong social bonds with adults outside of the family and like–minded peers; and provide opportunities to develop and confirm positive personal identity.”( 102) Finally, effective extracurricular programs must be “both intensive and long term”;( 103) research shows diminished effects absent sustained
participation in high–quality programming.

More specifically, research stresses the importance of three components of school–based extracurricular activities that contribute positively to school attainment. First, students should voluntarily select activities because of a genuine interest. Second, activities should be structured, organized, scheduled regularly, and led by an adult. Third, activities should require effort on the part of the student( 104) Given that many existing extracurricular activities already meet these criteria, schools interested in promoting civic engagement through extracurricular activities often need only to strengthen their support for existing programs.

There are two primary threats to extracurricular programs and the civic benefits that come from them. First, as funding for extracurricular programs is reduced, we should anticipate reductions in effectiveness with schools and other service providers unable to afford the full commitment that such programs require. Second, the literature suggests that the positive impact of extracurricular and after–school experiences may be undermined by policies that place low–performing students in after–school tutoring or focus on an experience that replicates or closely aligns with the traditional school program are less effective.

Given that the goal of civic learning on the whole is to prepare students for knowledgeable, engaged citizenship, extracurricular activities can serve as a vital bridge between classroom learning and the world at large. Once students have the essential knowledge that comes from classroom instruction, extracurricular activities can show them how their newly acquired knowledge is relevant in broader contexts. “The relationship between citizen and society
is essential,” notes an American Bar Association report, and the goal of extracurricular activities should be to “illustrate significant connections between students and larger communities, such as town, nation, and world.”( 105) In focusing on this goal, extracurricular activities are a vital part of well–rounded civic learning.