Charter schools are publicly funded but operate outside the regulatory framework and collective bargaining agreements characteristic of traditional public schools. In return for this freedom, charter schools are subject to heightened accountability. This paper estimates the impact of charter school attendance on student achievement using data from…

Related a high school district's attempt to reduce absenteeism through use of an autodialing machine. Explains the mechanisms of the system and proposes additional uses for it. Indicates that improved attendance rates occurred after its incorporation. (ML)

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…

Attaining a post-secondary credential has become increasingly important for securing opportunities to get high-return jobs in the United States in the 21st century. Students from low-income families are underrepresented at every milestone in the educational pipeline, limiting their ability to attain post-secondary credentials and break the…

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…

The relationship between student attendance and personal characteristics of the student, the student's family relations, and school variables was studied with 54 high school students. T-tests revealed statistically significant relationships between school absence and many student, family, and school variables. Absentee and regularly attending…

For the 1982-83 school year, the Austin (Texas) Public Schools adopted a high school attendance policy allowing a maximum of 10 absences per semester for course credit to be earned. Under this policy, Austin's high school attendance rose to an all-time high of 93.5 percent in 1983-84. In 1984-85, education reform mandated by the Texas Legislature…

Absenteeism is expensive in terms of academic achievement, economic loss to school districts, and teacher efficiency. Most importantly, however, truancy is expensive because it is a lost opportunity to rehabilitate a large number of distressed youngsters. A number of studies have demonstrated that schools are not equipped in either organization or…

An important aspect of students' access to education is the amount of time actually spent in the classroom. This brief highlights data on the student absentee rate for 1990-91. The data were extracted from "The Condition of Education, 1995," U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics. Findings indicate that…

A three-step plan to improve attendance at Aurora Central High School, Colorado, has successfully reduced truancies to less than 1.25 percent. Students with exemplary attendance are exempt from taking final exams; chronic truants are suspended; and all students are required to do makeup work for all absences. (MLF)

Study evaluated a program to modify school attendance for 20 special education high school students. A treatment group received social and tangible rewards for good attendance, and their parents received notices about absences. They showed no decline in attendance over a semester, whereas control group students showed significant declines. (SM)

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…

Unable to provide needed transportation for 1,000 high school students, a California school district cooperated with the county transit district to bus the students. The successful project included extra buses on existing routes, adjusted school hours, special bus stops at schools, and free student passes. (MCG)

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) NCLB Turns Five: Key Players in Reauthorization Process Celebrate Fifth Anniversary of Landmark Education Law, Begin…

This article presents a longitudinal case study of an urban high school as it transitioned from one comprehensive reform model to another over a 10-year period. The study is based on qualitative interview data and quantitative data on student outcomes. Despite evidence of improved student outcomes during this reform period, the school could not…