This study investigates how an instructor's use of relational messages, specifically nonverbal immediacy behaviors, may neutralize how students interpret instructor course workload demands and student expectations for instructor availability. It was hypothesized that instructor immediacy would temper instructor course workload demands that…

One study indicates that learning loss occurs when substitute teachers are in classrooms, and the data gathered here indicate not only that virtually nothing is being done to prevent such loss but that the amount of time lost is increasing. (Author/IRT)

Using detailed data from North Carolina, we examine the frequency, incidence, and consequences of teacher absences in public schools, as well as the impact of an absence disincentive policy. The incidence of teacher absences is regressive: schools in the poorest quartile averaged almost one extra sick day per teacher than schools in the highest…

This summary presents highlights of "The Cost Burden to Minnesota K-12 when Children Are Unprepared for Kindergarten" [ED511612]. A number of studies document the long-term public and societal benefits of early childhood education, including the reduced costs associated with child welfare, public assistance, crime and incarceration, and…

This report, the seventh in a series concerning school calendars, examines teacher attendance patterns. Pupil attendance falls off from the September high point to reach a low point in February, whereupon the trend is reversed through June. Outside temperature and student patterns are similar. A sample of New York State public school districts was…

This paper discusses teacher absenteeism via a 1978 preliminary study of 90 school systems by the American Association of School Personnel Administrators. The major causes of employee absenteeism, cited by the participating personnel directors, were (1) personal illness, (2) illness in the family, (3) personal leave days, (4) emergencies, (5)…

This study examines three areas of concern to school districts: a) the policies of supplemental remuneration for teachers currently maintained by the school districts, b) the extent of teacher absenteeism in the districts, and c) the possibility of relationships between policies for supplemental remuneration and teacher absenteeism. Five study…

The effects of pay incentives on teacher absence rates were examined. The records of 292 teachers revealed that absence declined significantly and perfect attendance rose from 8 to 34 percent during an attendance incentive plan. Reduction in sick leave was accompanied by a significant increase in the use of personal days. (Author/CH)

Gaps in school achievement among racial/ethnic groups and between students from different socioeconomic circumstances are well documented. They are wide and persistent, well known and widely acknowledged. This report focuses on the conditions and experiences that create and perpetuate achievement gaps. It is the second edition of the report…

Describes a program that reduced teacher absences by 55 percent. (IRT)

Most of the studies of the return on investment in early childhood education have focused on the big payoffs in reduced public and societal costs associated with child welfare, public assistance, crime and incarceration, and benefits related to increased education and earnings. Several studies focus specifically on costs and benefits within the…

"Education Matters" is the monthly newsletter of the Association of American Educators (AAE), an organization dedicated to advancing the American teaching profession through personal growth, professional development, teacher advocacy and protection. This issue of the newsletter includes: (1) Is She Your Competition? Are India's Students…

To discover how teachers feel about a bonus program designed to give stipends to teachers with few absences, the author surveyed teachers in two elementary schools, one an urban school with a heterogeneous student body and the other suburban and homogeneous. By using a questionnaire, information was gathered on (1) standard demographic…

Research suggests that current methods of obtaining and training substitute teachers benefit neither substitutes nor students. A staff development program that is continuous, addresses substitute teachers' expressed needs, creates lines of communication, and provides continuously accessible resources is needed. Includes three references. (MLH)

Although the relationship between teacher job satisfaction and absenteeism is tenuous, the relationship is apt to be stronger under conditions of high work interdependence rather than under moderate or low interdependence. (Author/IRT)