Interest in the relationship between health behaviours and academic achievement has recently intensified in the face of an epidemic of childhood and adolescent obesity and converging school reforms in the United States and other nations with advanced economies. Epidemiologic research has demonstrated that poor diet and lack of adequate physical…

A large literature examines the link between shocks to households and the educational attainment of children. We use new panel data to estimate the impact of shocks to teachers on student learning in Mathematics and English. Using absenteeism in the 30 days preceding the survey as a measure of these shocks, we find no impact for the full sample,…

In the years since student loans first became available in 1958, borrowing has become a common way for students to pay for education after high school. As student borrowing has risen over time, some have raised concerns about the debt burden facing some borrowers once they complete their post-secondary education. In an effort to learn more about…

The movement for school uniforms in public schools continues to grow despite the author's research indicating little if any impact on student behavior, achievement, and self-esteem. The author examines the distribution of uniform policies by region and demographics, the impact of these policies on perceptions of school climate and safety, and…

This report presents findings of a study conducted to identify the components of systems that effectively meet the diverse, ever changing needs of children with disabilities for whom traditional school settings do not work. A secondary goal of this study was to develop a conceptually clear and empirically grounded definition of alternative…

Many countries that have undergone expansion of access to public education still face significant disparities in school enrollment and attendance rates at sub-national levels, and fail to reach a high proportion of children who are outside of the government system. Completion and student learning have also continued to be system-wide challenges…

Despite being central to government education policy in many countries, there remains considerable debate about whether resources matter for pupil outcomes. In this paper we look at this question by considering an English education policy initiative--Excellence in Cities--which has been a flagship policy aimed at raising standards in inner-city…

This document presents findings of a 9-month study conducted by the Scottish Council for Research in Education (SCRE) that explores: the statistical relationships among attendance, truancy, and student performance in examinations; the impact of truancy on students, teachers, and teaching; and factors of truancy in seven primary and seven secondary…

Findings of a study that examined the effect of a computer-assisted absence registration system (ARS) on student truancy are presented in this paper. A pre- and post-test group design compared the truancy levels of 30 secondary schools in 4 large cities in western Holland who participated in the ARS program with those of 19 nonparticipating…

A study at South Carolina State College examined the psychosocial effects of relaxation training on student dropout, disruptive behavior,and absenteeism of rural preadolescents between 10 and 14 years of age. Phase 1 of the study was composed of 62 preadolescents selected randomly from 167 middle school students with no previous instruction in…

A telephone survey of 437 no-shows at a university indicated that 82 percent were attending another school and 13 percent were working. The main reasons no-shows attended other schools were size, financial aid, academic reputation, on-campus housing, and communications from the university. Specific suggestions to counter each seeming limitation…

Describes a process and a structure that reduced absenteeism in an inner-city school. (DW)

In an era of declining enrollments, it is vital to identify potential causes of absenteeism and implement strategies for reducing it. A study was conducted at the Annandale Campus of Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) to identify factors related to absenteeism. A survey instrument listing 51 reasons for missing class was developed and…

A study of student retention was conducted at DeKalb Area Technical School (Georgia) focusing on percentage rates of retention at four stages of the matriculation process: application, acceptance, enrollment, and graduation/completion. The study followed a random sample of 5,592 applicants and students between January 1984 and June 1986. Study…

A study was conducted at Minneapolis Community College to determine the point at which students dropped out of classes during fall quarter 1981 and to consider whether counseling interventions at any particular point during the quarter could reduce student attrition. A sample of 71 classes (20% of the classes offered) was taken, and instructors…