Ward, Jr. (2008) of Francis Marion University also examines the effect of athletics on academic achievement. His report mentions the idea that since the 1960s, despite some disagreement, almost all studies of individual involvement in athletics have pointed to favorable results in the classroom. However, the difference between Ward's studies and those I've heard of is that he examined the effect of interscholastic athletic participation on a group's overall academic improvements; This is the case for Arkansas school districts. Ward collected data for his research from the Arkansas Department of Education website. Information was analyzed from 227 districts (Arkansas) for the 2004-2005 school year. In analysis, it assessed student outcomes for 1) basic skills and 2) college readiness. Basic skills were examined through math scores and American College Test (ACT) literacy scores during college preparation. Ward, in his research, found that participation in athletics had no real effect on academic achievement at the district level. An area of ​​study that is considered largely unnoticed, the group effects of sports participation outside of schoolwork do not at this point show the same positive effect as experienced by individual students. “Thus, it appears that school districts are neither losing nor losing an advantage in academic performance.