This document discusses an academic achievement study of selected Garvey School District students (N=179) as reflected on the CTBS (Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills) scores of first-grade students at elementary school sites and covering a period of 6 school years starting with 1980-81. Findings compare (1) achievement in reading scale scores…

This report presents results of an investigation of transcripts of Gainesville Junior College students conducted to examine course-taking patterns with respect to the relationship between continuing education and regular college course work. First, data are presented on the number of students (N=8,900) who had taken Continuing Education Unit (CEU)…

Mechanisms formerly prevalent within formal organizations which created stability, maintained tradition, and transmitted general wisdom are less prevalent now than in previous years. Types of formal organization are determined by the purposes of the formal organization and the prevailing disposition of leadership and perceived leadership plus the…

Student absenteeism has been declining in the United States since records were first kept in the late nineteenth century. Even so, some districts, usually urban, have found absentee rates doubling or even tripling over the last ten years. The tendency of teacher absenteeism to rise in districts where student absenteeism has increased sharply…

THE PROBLEM OF POOR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG CERTAIN CATEGORIES OF CHILDREN WAS PRESENTED. THERE WAS A DIRECT CORRELATION BETWEEN SOCIOECONOMIC POSITION AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT. ONE CAUSE OF LOWER LEVELS OF ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AMONG POOR YOUTH WAS THE FACT THAT THEY RECEIVED LESS INSTRUCTIONAL TIME. THEY HAD HIGHER ABSENCE RATES DUE TO POOR…

The political processes involved in the policy system of the college are examined and are considered important because the students have become legitimately involved in the policy-making process. The student class attendance policy was studied, based on interviews and study of documents related to the development of the policy. Sixteen major…

Using data from a nationwide longitudinal study of student attendance patterns in higher education, this study compared the responses of community college students who discontinued their enrollment during their initial semester with those of community college students who persisted for two years. Data for the analysis and comparison were opinion,…

In this hearing, Congressman John R. Rarick (Louisiana) helped put forth a concurrent resolution that each officer or employee of the Federal Government residing and working in the District of Columbia should send his children to the D. C. Public Schools. Congressman Rarick, and William Robinson from the District of Columbia government, were among…

The attendance policy outlined in this document succeeded in increasing attendance in Napa High School, California. The program focused on student absences due to truancy, not illness, although many of the illness absences reported were due to other, not-so-legitimate causes. The attendance program utilized a direct relationship between the…

Various aspects of absentee patterns were compared with pupils' performances on a standardized ninth grade algebra examination. Results indicated that patterns of absence, in addition to gross quantity of absence, are related to pupils' performances. Moreover, results indicate that attending students' test score performances are sensitive to…

New studies from the 1990s have strengthened an already notable consensus on school size: smaller is better. This policy brief outlines research findings on why size makes a difference, how small is small enough, effective approaches to downsizing, and key barriers. No agreement exists at present on optimal school size, but research suggests a…

Biographical and attitudinal characteristics of dropout college students are compared with students who did not drop out. It was proposed that these nonintellective characteristics have an effect on attrition greater than academic ability. Results are discussed. (Author/CG)

To evaluate the functioning of a senior citizens' center, data were collected on six variables: (1) historical population shifts; (2) attendance and membership statistics; (3) goal attainment; (4) community outreach attempts; (5) neighborhood resources; and (6) general factors affecting attendance. Comparisons revealed a pattern of decreasing…