The National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) is a joint venture between state Departments of Education and Wildlife. Several archery equipment manufacturers and organizations are also partners. The program promotes student education and participation in the life long sport of Archery. The program's focus is to provide International style target archery training in physical education classes, for grades 4-12.
Department of Natural Resources Objective:
Declining participation in the shooting sports threatens financial and public support for wildlife conservation. Since its inception in 2002, more than 4 million students in over 5,000 schools located in 49 states and 5 countries have participated in the NASP. We expect many of these young people to make Archery a life sport.
Department of Education Objective:
Engage more students in the educational process to improve classroom performance and reduce dropout rates. The national school dropout rate is 10%. Most students (88%) who drop out of school indicate they were not involved in extra-curricular activities. Archery taught by the NASP is accessible to all students of nearly all age groups. Educators are reporting that the NASP "engages the unengaged" and inspires students to greater achievement in school.
Development History:
The program began in Kentucky in 2002 with the training of 39 educators and 22 middle school pilot projects. At the conclusion of their 2-week target archery class, 1,600 students were surveyed (55% boys and 45% girls). Survey results are as follows:
Before the Class:
72% did not own a bow & 62% had never shot a bow before
After the Class:
89% enjoyed the archery class
45% wanted to own archery equipment
59% wanted to become target archers
38% wanted to try bowhunting
To see what kids are saying about the National Archery in the Schools Program, please view the comprehensive study conducted by Responsive Management, a nationally recognized research firm.
For more information on NASP archery: http://www.archeryintheschools.org
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NASP and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources:
The National Archery in the Schools Program in Iowa is coordinated through the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Currently there are nearly 200 Iowa schools participating in the program. The Iowa DNR provides NASP Basic Archery Instructor (BAI) training throughout the state to teachers and archery program organizers. BAI training is provided at no cost to teachers conducting NASP programs as part of a 2 week in-school course. To start a NASP program in your school, to schedule or sign up for training, or for questions on NASP in Iowa, contact Donise Petersen, Shooting Sports Outreach Coordinator for the Iowa DNR at 515-205-8709 or at Donise.Petersen@dnr.iowa.gov
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