In this article, the author highlights a recurrent issue related to the historical measurement and use of attendance data: The challenge of producing uniform and reliable records on school attendance. Comparing this issue in the late 1800s to nearly two centuries later, he observes that while the capacity for record keeping and analysis has…

In this webinar, Dr. Joyce Epstein, Director of the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships and the National Network of Partnership Schools, discussed what the research says about effective family engagement. The webinar and PowerPoint presentation are also available. A brief list of resources is included.

It is well recognized that for people living with a chronic disease, the largest impact on preserved health may come from persons other than medical professionals. This may be especially true for children for whom the actions of parents and school professionals have significant importance. Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one such disease. Although…

The size of schools and districts in which they are located has become a salient policy issue in recent years. While consolidation of school districts and expanding high school size were in vogue from the 1960s until recently, funding agencies are now sponsoring projects to reduce school size under the assumption that smaller schools will lead to…

Various elements of absenteeism are presented: costs to the employer, company policies that affect absenteeism, when absenteeism is high, and how the training officer can improve the situation (positive discipline, post-absence interview, and other strategies). (CT)

Argues that schools should develop and implement a comprehensive attendance policy that encourages students to have good attendance. Discusses eight questions for principals that may help determine whether their schools have a serious problem. Outlines practical suggestions for improving attendance in schools. (HB)

College alumni directors are finding that alumni want more than parties at their reunions and are overcoming attendance slumps with creative, substantive programing. Ideas include faculty seminars on topics of current interest, sometimes integrated with professional continuing education, alumni panel discussions, involving the family, involving…

The problem of student and teacher absenteeism is examined in terms of costs and the effect on academic performance, and solutions are suggested. A description of the major research to determine causes and to describe the nonattenders is included. (JMF)

In this article, the author comments on an article by Dunn, Kadane, and Garrow, "Comparing Harm Done by Mobility and Class Absence: Missing Students and Missing Data." He believes the research reported in that article should serve as a model for future applications of Bayesian methods in important educational research problems. The author lauds…

The more than 500,000 children currently in foster care are among the most at-risk children in American society. Research shows that adults who were formerly in foster care are more likely than the general population to succumb to poor life outcomes. Many of these problems are at least in part a product of problems in the classroom, where foster…

Discusses improving attendance of staff and administrators by providing various financial and recognition-oriented incentives including savings bonds, plaques, and a year-end trophy. Rewards for perfect and near-perfect attendance resulted in a 16 percent improvement in total staff attendance and improvement in 90 percent of individual schools.…

Growing concern about the quality of public education in the United States has driven numerous educational reform efforts across the last three decades. These reforms include increased accountability as exemplified by various requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the introduction of new curriculum and instructional methods in…

Ways in which campus security may affect the academic programs of subgroups of students, such as women, or individual students are offered, including usage patterns of some facilities and course selection or study group attendance based on time or location. Faculty and advisors are encouraged to consider security an academic issue. (MSE)

The United Kingdom has a low, but rising, rate of postcompulsory participation in education. Reasons for this are suggested. Although market-led vocational training has provided for expansion, the current system lacks coherence. The paper concludes with some suggestions for reform. (Author/KDP)

This article focuses on the issues of reintegrating the chronically ill child into the school setting, the types of school problems encountered, the process of school reentry, (including a successful school reentry plan), and the implications for the school and the family of returning the chronically ill child to school. (DB)