What the Data Says about Sports

Episode: Research on the Impact of Education-Based Athletics with Kyle Craighead & Dr. Josh Childs
Hosts: Chris Doelle & Libby Pacheco Guests: Kyle Craighead, Co-founder, Everise; Dr. Josh Childs, Associate Professor, University of Texas at Austin
In this episode of The Coaches Call, co-host Libby Pacheco sits down with Kyle Craighead of Everise and Dr. Josh Childs of UT Austin to discuss groundbreaking research that finally puts hard numbers behind what coaches have known in their bones for decades — education-based athletics changes lives.

Key Takeaways:
• Why Data Matters: Stories alone can’t defend programs when budget decisions are made. The research provides the hard data to back up what coaches, ADs, and communities have long felt about the importance of athletics in schools.
• The Study’s Scale: Over 34,000 student-athlete assessments were collected nationwide, with more than 11,000 in Texas alone. Surveys were anonymized, took 8–10 minutes, and represented urban, rural, coastal, East, West, North, and Central Texas school districts.
• Why Student Voice Was Central: Asking only administrators tells half the story. Student-athletes were surveyed on how coaches connect, communicate, and challenge them — not just on wins and losses. 92% of respondents gave education-based athletics the highest possible rating.
• The GPA Gap: Student-athletes averaged a 3.63 GPA compared to 3.02 for non-athletes — a significant difference that points to both the value of structured co-curricular activity and the role of coaches as educators in students’ lives.
• Coaching Behaviors Drive Outcomes: Coaches who scored highest in connection, communication, and challenge clustered together with the highest team GPAs. The goal now is to identify what those coaches are doing and replicate it across programs.
• Threats to the Model: Private equity investment in youth sports and outside academies are competing with education-based athletics. Having research data is critical to defending the public school model.
• Co-Curricular, Not Extracurricular: Athletics isn’t an add-on — it’s an integrated learning environment. The athletic period, the coach as educator, and the daily connection between coaches and students make it a core part of a student’s development.

This is Part 1 of a multi-episode series. Future episodes will dive into the six pillars of effective coaching, how coaches and ADs can use this data for professional development, and how THSCA is using the research to defend athletics statewide.

Mentioned in this episode:
• Texas High School Coaches Association (THSCA)
• Everise
• University of Texas at Austin – College of Education
• AnSRS (presenting sponsor)

Texas High School Coaches Association (THSCA): www.thsca.com

Produced by Fresh Media Works
http://www.freshmediaworks.com

© 2025 Lone Star Podcast Network