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…

This paper describes a program intended to increase student attendance in a Savannah, Georgia, inner city high school. The author maintains that shifting the accountability for attendance to the students through peer pressure was perhaps the most significant reason for gains in attendance. He believes that a successful attendance increase program…

This report provides a summary of the results of a survey intended to gather firsthand information concerning truancy and absenteeism in Illinois schools. The report includes data on attendance patterns and policies in various Illinois school districts, legal actions taken by the districts in response to truant behavior, ratings of assistance…

Elementary school attendance and achievement data were collected from the records of a random sample of 1,200 Chicago students. There were complete longitudinal data sets for 333 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Student absence was highest in kindergarten and decreased until fourth grade; absence rates were approximately constant…

There are no simple answers to the absentee problem, but the technical guides included in this document may provide a better understanding of the problem. These guides may be useful in determining the causes and indicating the ways in which a reduction in absenteeism may be achieved. Topics covered include a definition of absenteeism; a method of…

Observations and interviews were used to evaluate the East Providence Career Education Project for 1973-1974. Data available on processes and products suggest that the program is substantially meeting its goals in spite of low attendance figures and student performance on various tests. A lower socioeconomic class of students with its resultant…

When the University of California at Berkeley initiated year-round operation in the summer of 1967, the prevailing question concerned whether such a system would work. Midway through the summer term of the following year, a mail survey of 2,100 students --a 25% sample of those enrolled in the 1968 Summer Quarter-- was conducted to evaluate the…

This study, based on information collected by the U.S. Bureau of the Census in its Current Population Survey, shows the number of children 3 to 5 years old in the United States and the extent of their enrollment in public and nonpublic preprimary programs. This survey related the preprimary enrollment to several socioeconomic factors: family…

Students at two inner city elementary schools who were consistently truant were divided into six groups according to the reasons they were absent. The school social worker describes techniques used to combat truancy in each category. (HMV)

To determine whether children's observable kindergarten behavior might predict eventual educational risk, 40 of 94 children originally observed in their classrooms at the beginning of kindergarten were followed at completion of second grade. Attending behavior correlated highly with eventual risk, leading to speculation about early identification…

A new survey shows that six states enroll more than 90 percent of their residents who attend college, with students more likely to leave their home states to attend four-year than two-year colleges. (MSE)

An explanatory model of dropping out of school is presented. A test of the model in four high schools revealed the following: (1) data on dropouts underestimate the true figures; (2) junior high experiences are important correlates of dropping out; (3) institutional procedures need to be changed; and (4) outreach programs are needed. (VM)

This article assesses the usefulness of short-term program performance data in judging the relative effectiveness of Supported Work and in targeting program resources to those most likely to benefit from them. The results reveal evidence of significant negative impacts for youth who left the program for negative reasons. (Author/CT)