The academic achievement gap, particularly for at-risk students in urban school districts, needs to be addressed and met head on with a plan. That plan is identified as a school-based mentoring program. The purpose of this research study is to examine the impact and effect a school based mentoring curriculum has on at-risk students in an urban…

The purpose of this literature review is to provide a comprehensive summary of the topic of poverty and its effects upon student behavior and academic performance. Presented in this chapter of the review of the related literature will be: (a) description of poverty and the role of education, (b) effects of poverty on student behavior, (c) effects…

This report describes the AISD at-risk student population and expenditures for 2012-2013, results from program evaluations conducted in 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, and the longitudinal disparity between performance of at-risk and not-at-risk students.

(Purpose) This study contributes to the knowledge base about strategies for helping disconnected youth re-engage with schooling. The study presents findings of a rigorous impact evaluation of the Good Shepherd Services (GSS) Transfer School Model that is grounded in developmental theory positing that social and emotional factors are essential to…

With the emergence of the Democratic South Africa, a number of disciplinary problems emerged. One of these problems is truancy of school children from schools. The South African Schools Act (1996, p. 6) provides that if a learner who is subject to "compulsory attendance" fails to attend a school, the HODS (heads of departments) may take…

This article addresses an analysis of current literature on employee and student absenteeism and seeks to provide key recommendations that may yield higher levels of attendance and student achievement in urban school districts. It hones on the idea that educational leaders must be cognizant of the factors relating to absenteeism and its cost to…

Each year, Austin Independent School District Department of Research and Evaluation (DRE) staff develop a plan of work to describe the scope of work for the coming year. The plans that make up this document identify programs to be evaluated and services to be provided by DRE staff and provide the blueprints for evaluation that staff will follow…

This study addressed the problem of poor attendance adversely affecting grades and learning. Current school policies do not address problematic attendance for all school-aged children, perpetuating trends of academic failure. The research objective was to determine if unexcused absences had a greater negative impact on a high-stakes test compared…

The primary purpose of this article is to share with the reader the beliefs, on a variety of topics, of William Lester Bodine, co-founder, first president, and first Honorary Life President of the National League of Compulsory Education Officials. The convention's annual proceedings are the source for his reflections, ideas, aspirations, and…

The purpose of this non-experimental correlational study was to determine the relationship between the type of attendance policies in the high schools of the 67 Florida school districts, the size of the school district (number of high school students), the socioeconomic status SES) of the school district, and the average daily attendance rate of…

The National League of Compulsory Education Officials, beginning with its 13th annual convention in 1923 and ending with the 30th annual convention in 1940, published annual proceedings of each convention. This article includes both a topic and presenter index and a summary of the 1935 and 1941 annual conventions, based on newspaper articles, for…

The purpose of this research project was to improve the attendance of high school students using teacher initiatives. There were two teachers and about 140 students involved. The interventions used were improving lesson plans, developing better relationships with students and positive incentives. The students at this school had a history of very…

This report summarizes recent research on factors relating to excessive student absenteeism, the effects of absenteeism on pupil achievement, and the effects of instruction, positive reinforcement, and parent-school involvement on attendance. Actual proposals, policies, and programs from 16 school systems in 12 states are included. Much of the…