This report is the first publication based on the 2003-04 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:04), conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the U.S. Department of Education. NPSAS is a comprehensive study that examines how students and their families pay for postsecondary education. The study includes…

Contains nine articles focusing on prevention programs and school counseling. Topics addressed include educational alternatives for potential dropouts, childhood depression, suicide, and school vandalism. Describes programs facilitating adolescent development and for the prevention of delinquent behavior. Discusses the counselor's role in failure…

Reviewing international school attendance statistics, the author notes that, while the United States is the pioneer of mass schooling, it too has school attendance problems, particularly relating to the exclusion of handicapped and delinquent youth. He looks at the techniques other nations are using to deal with these problems. (SJL)

This article describes an attempt to reduce truancy through intervention in the school system. This strategy had two goals: (1) amelioration of truancy as manifested in individual patterns of behavior; (2) elimination of setting events and/or contingencies within the school system that evoke or reinforce truancy. (Author/KC)

Contests the assertion that vocational courses track students away from the baccalaureate. Sees a blurring distinction between vocational and transfer courses, contending that students may take "vocational" courses to transfer and "transfer" courses to prepare for jobs. Discusses the ad hoc nature of student attendance and course-taking patterns.…

A pharmacy course in nonprescription drugs in which student evaluation was based on homework assignments, written reflective paragraphs, and class attendance but not examinations was seen by students as enhancing their personal sense of responsibility for learning. (Author/MSE)

A survey of Canadian universities identified six offering graduate students credit courses on university teaching/learning. Limited resources restrict the numbers who take the courses. Half are sponsored by graduate schools. Benefits of the courses are noted and factors to consider in initiating similar courses are suggested. (Author/MSE)

Study examined the effects of three grading systems on college physical education students' outcome measures in table tennis using skill tests, written tests, game play variables, class attendance, student behaviors, and attitudes toward the systems. Positive effects of the three grading systems were demonstrated on most process and outcome…

Compared the quality of experience for children attending part-time nursery at different times of the day, focusing particularly on storytime. Findings suggest the two sessions are not of equal value to the children, that children may not be performing as well in the afternoon, and that traditional group storytime may not be as effective for the…

Describes the development and evaluation of an elementary school attendance incentive program designed to encourage positive relationships between at-risk children and the school system and to give social workers a better understanding of issues related to early school nonattendance and the need to include family-based interventions in addressing…

Examined elementary school interventions perceived to address the challenges related to high student mobility. Found that schools experiencing high mobility had a diverse network of programs that provided curricular and extracurricular services including academic and family support; school personnel believed these interventions addressed either…

Asthma, the most common chronic disease in children today, is the leading cause of absenteeism among students. It accounts for nearly 20 million lost school days annually. This study examined whether full-time (5 days per week) or part-time (2 days per week) school nurses would have a differential effect on the frequency of absences among…

We explored the relationship between school-age children's emotional and behavioral symptoms and workforce participation of their family caregivers using structural equation modeling. Secondary analysis of data from the national evaluation of the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program was performed…

This article addresses the relationship between academic achievement and the student characteristics of absence and mobility. Mobility is a measure of how often a student changes schools. Absence is how often a student misses class. Standardized test scores are used as proxies for academic achievement. A model for the full joint distribution of…

The expansion of school choice and greater competition between schools is currently the centrepiece of government educational policy in the UK. There is an increasing emphasis on parents' right to choose their preferred schools, and whilst many parents may value choice itself, the advocates of these market oriented reforms usually argue that the…