CITI GLOBAL

COLLEGE
1

The Effects of Absenteeism in the

Academic Performance of Grade 12
students in Citi Global College
(A.Y 2018-2019)

Jaimee Valencia
Dorothy Franco
Patricia Medalla
Lino Lansang
Dan Chad Falcon
Mark Menribe
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CHAPTER I

Introduction

Attendance is always a must in any matter of our life. It is seems as an active presence
of each of us. In this generation, many people do not value the importance of their presence on a
different events of their lives. Nowadays, a school is a place that every youth needed to attend. It
is a part of everyday living to adapt new things and to learn many things. But, absenteeism is
the big obstacle in the growth and development of every student.

Absenteeism in school is the habit of staying away from school without providing a
genuine or any reason for not attending classes. Absenteeism is a truant behavior that
negatively affects the performance among students. Absenteeism is a habitual
pattern of absence from a duty or obligation without good reason. Generally,
absenteeism is unplanned absences.[1] Absenteeism has been viewed as an indicator of
poor individual performance, as well as a breach of an implicit contract between
employee and employer. It is seen as a management problem, and framed in economic
or quasi-economic terms. More recent scholarship seeks to understand absenteeism as
an indicator of psychological, medical, or social adjustment to work.

Going to school regularly is crucially important for a student’s education and

social skills. Chronically absent students are at a disadvantage both socially and
academically. They miss out on critical stages of social interaction and development
with their peers, while simultaneously limiting their academic progress. This can result
in low self-esteem, social isolation, and dissatisfaction that could well have precipitated
non-attendance in the first place.

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, absenteeism is "chronic absence." In the

context of school, it is the habitual or intentional failure to attend school. While every
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student may miss some school activities now and then, absence becomes a problem
when the student is away from school for many days.School absenteeism is an alarming
problem for administrators, teachers, parents, society in general, and pupils in
particular. Unaccepted absences have a negative effect on peer relationships, which can
cause further absences.

Absenteeism also affects the teacher’s ability to present classwork in a sequential and
organized way. This can have an effect on the progress of all the students in the class.

Families of habitually absent students can also suffer. For a poverty-stricken family, it
may mean a continuation of the poverty and unemployment cycle that may run in the
family. This also contributes to family conflicts.

Society also suffers when school-age children are not in school. These children may
hang out on the streets. Since they have nothing to do, they resort to petty crimes like
stealing other people’s belongings and property. Others may become addicted to drugs
or engage in other destructive behavior. Thus, if a student keeps away from school for
too long, he may grow up to be a liability to his community and his country as a whole.

It is the aim of every school to lessen, if not eradicate, absenteeism among its students.
One way of addressing this problem is to identify the causes of truancy. Once they are
singled out, understood, and analyzed, these issues may be addressed with specific
actions and measures. This will eventually result in the better performance of the
students, teachers, and the school in general.

Background of the study

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Absenteeism is a habitual pattern of absence of a duty or an obligation. In

addition, Eneza Education states that absenteeism in school is the habit of staying away
from school without providing a genuine or any reason for not attending classes.
Absenteeism is a truant behaviour that negatively affects the performance among
students. In related with this, Timothy Kiner added that absenteeism can be remedied by
providing adequate co-curricular activities to students. It could be curbed by creating of
clubs and societies to keep students busy when they are out of class. Schools should
strive to have up to date learning facilities like libraries as well as sporting facilities to
make students enhance student retention.

In this research, the researchers will identify the different causes and reasons of
the Grade 12 students of CITI Global College on their absenteeism habits. The research
also include the possible effects why does the students always absent on their class. It
can also be a help for those students who are not aware about the effects of absenteeism
in the school.

Statement of the Problem

The purpose of this research study is to discover the reasons of the Grade 12
students of Citi Global College on why they need to have that absenteeism habits.
Furthermore, it will answer the following questions:

What are the possible reasons of absenteeism manners of the students?

Family

Friends and Peers

School

Society

How does absenteeism affects the lives and academic performances of the students?
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2.1 Self

2.2 Student

Significance of the Study

This study evaluated the reasons of Grade 12 students of CITI Global College
why does they need to have an absenteeism manners in school hoping that findings
would proved useful and necessary to the following:

To the students may have the realization on the value of education and also the
sacrifices of their parents just to give them a better education.

To the teachers may have the sympathy to understand the problem of the
students and consider as the tool of developing the knowledge.

To the parents of the students were given the opportunity to understand their
children by means of knowing the experiences of their child.

To the researchers may gain their knowledge and discovery to raise their
thoughts about the experiences they found.

And lastly, to the future researchers may find this useful for starting and
improving research.

Scope and Delimitations of the Study

This study aims to discover the possible reasons of the Grade 12 students of CITI
Global College on their absenteeism manners in school.

This study of the reasons of the absenteeism of the students wants to discover the
different reasons and causes of their absent in school. It may help the people to know the
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reasons of absents of the students and give their deep understanding about the matter of
the students lives.

The respondents of this study are the Grade 12 students of all strands at CITI
Global College. The Humanities and Social Sciences strand, the Accountancy and
Business Management strand, the Science and Technology Engineering Mathematics
strand, the Home Economics strand and General Academic Strand.

The respondent can express and answer the questions clearly as they’ve reached
the last Grade of Senior High School and it includes many experiences. The researchers
also believe that this study can enable to bring as an empathy for those students who are
having an absenteeism manner and habitual pattern of schooling.

Definition of Terms

To clearly understand the words in this study, the researchers give the meaning of
the words conceptually and operationally.

Remedied. A way of solving and correcting a problem. (Webster Dictionary). In

this study, it is used as the process of changing a bad habitual manner like absenteeism.

Truant. A student who misses school without permission. (Webster Dictionary).

In this study, it is used as the descriptive term for the students who are included in
absenteeism habits on life.

School . It is a educational institution ,private and public ,undertaking educational

operation with specific age-group of pupils or students pursuing defined studies at
defined levels,receiving instruction from teachers ,usually located in a building in a
particular physical or cyber site.
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CHAPTER 2

Literature Review

For the purpose of this study this literature review will analyze improving student

attendance through building a family connection through parental involvement. If students are

in school on time everyday then learning takes place. By building a family connection which

highlights the importance of attendance, this will lead to improving student performance on

standardized test, Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment Systems/Scholastic Reading

Inventory (MCAS/SRI).

Decreasing the rate of student truancy and absenteeism has been and continues to be the

goal of school districts across the nation for over a century. Amazingly, little research focuses

on what schools can do to increase and maintain student ’s daily attendance and even fewer

studies explore how families-school-community can build a partnership to work together

towards this goal. Corville and Smith, (1995) state that “Despite the long history of concern

over student attendance, the issue has received relatively little attention from educational

researchers”. Instead of focusing on student attendance, researchers have mainly focused on

students who drop out of high school before receiving their high school diploma. Even though

a great deal of research exits on students dropping out of school more so than on truancy,

research on students who dropout points to early detection of truancy in their lives before they

drop out of school.

“Dropping out of school, although defined by a single event reflects a long process of

disengagement and withdrawal from schooling and educational institutions ”, (Finn, 1989,
 CITI GLOBAL
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8

Newman, Wehlage, & Lamborn, 1992). In order to understand and reduce the problem of

students dropping out of school researchers should first investigate the early warning signs in

students behavior before it escalates to students actually leaving school. Studies of students

who dropout of school shows long-term patterns of students who may be having difficulties at

home and or in school at a very early age. Research has shown that students who eventually

drop out of school are absent more often than other students beginning as early as the first

grade. As the student gets older their patterns of being absent from school increases. So

efforts to decrease students from dropping out of high school might be better spent on

identifying early warning signs of truancy at the elementary and middle school level.

It is a fact that poor attendance predicts dropping out of school; chronic absenteeism can

have a negative impact on the student and school. Students who are not in school are not

learning and are not being adequately prepared to be successful in school and in life. Research

on truancy and absenteeism suggests that “students with better attendance score higher on

achievement tests than their more frequently absent peers” (Lamdin, 1998). If schools across

the nation are being met with the challenge of making adequate yearly progress, which is a

state mandate, then more programs need to be funded in schools to address the issue of

truancy.

To deal with the issue of truancy at the James P. Timilty Middle School students have

been identified with five or more absences. The identified students prior and current

standardized test scores will be reviewed. Forty-one six, seventh and eighth grade students

were identified with attendance concerns. A conference will be held to inform students of

scores and attendance concerns. A contract will be made with the forty-one students and
 CITI GLOBAL
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9

weekly positive rewards will be discussed with students for coming to school everyday on time.

The conference will be followed by a phone call/letter to parents to talk about the attendance

concerns. The student’s attendance will be monitored on a daily basis with weekly scheduled

student check- ins to talk about attendance. Violators of the contract will be informed of

consequences of being absent from school and a yellow card will be filed which will alert the

attendance officer. In the past my buildings response to filing yellow attendance cards has been

slow, causing many students with attendance issues to go unnoticed. It is my hope that the

process can be handled expeditiously with students being monitored and frequent phone calls

home to alert and inform parents of a student ’s absence from school.

Historically, schools have always held the student accountable for truant behavior.

Corville-Smith, (1995) and Hoyle (1998) state that “Truant and chronically absent students were

considered deviants”. Frequently schools did not contact families until the problem was so

severe that the student was failing their courses. Also research shows that the learning

environment of an entire school can be affected by an individual student ’s attendance

problem. Most schools receive funds by the population they have attending school on a regular

basis. If Districts and school attendance rates are low, educational programs and resources are

in jeopardy of being cut. Also, in some locations student attendance is used as an indicator of

how well a school is functioning and requirements are set and monitored for rating (Maryland

State Department of Education, 1999)

Studies investigating family practice have suggested that “not all parental involvement

activities are associated with attendance” (Lee, 1994) for example; parent involvement that

requires “checking homework and reading with a child is associated with improved report card
 CITI GLOBAL
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10

grades, achievement scores, and subject-specific skills” (Epstein 1991; Epstein, Simon, & Salinas,

1997; Muller, 1993). Other researchers have reported that “specific family involvement practice

such as parental monitoring, parent-child discussions, parent participation at the school PTA

membership are linked to student attendance” (Astone& McLanahan, 1991; Ducwork & Dejong,

199l Lee, 1994, McNeal, 1999). Research shows that some parent activities are more likely than

others to affect attendance. Furthermore studies show that schools who want to increase daily

attendance need to reach out and work with parents to encourage parental involvement in

specific ways to address this problem.

Innovative schools see the need to develop productive school-family community

connections to address this growing epidemic of truancy. Kesler-Sklar and Baker (2000)

reported that over “90% of the school districts they surveyed had at least one policy supporting

parental involvement”. Epstein and her colleagues have been working with schools, school

districts, and the state department of education to develop programs of school, family and

community partnerships (Epstein, Coates, Salinas, Sanders, & Simon, 1997; Sanders & Epstein,

2000).

In conclusion, research reveals a lot of important information about student attendance.

Identifying students early on who show signs of absenteeism is a predicator of warning signs of
students dropping out. Even though truancy is a major issue in middle school and high school,
perhaps students should be identified and monitored early on in elementary school. Educators
need to continue to find innovative ways to bridge the gap between home and school to
communicate with parents the need for a strong partnership so students can find success.
Students need to know that coming to school on time, everyday is important. Educators, when
faced with schools that have attendance problems may need to venture out beyond the wall of
the school, into the community to involve families and work together.
 CITI GLOBAL
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11

Predictors of absenteeism and truancy can be found inside and outside of the school
environment. Bimler and Kirkland (2001) indicated that there may be as many as 10
different 'hot spots' that can predict student absenteeism and truancy. These 'hot spots'
broadly include: school conditions; home-based behavioral issues; psychological issues;
family background; school-based behavioral issues; peer issues; as well as lack of
motivation or interest in school. These issues align with more recent reviews of
literature regarding student absenteeism, truancy, and school avoidance behavior
(Kearney, 2008). As Kearney's (2008) comprehensive review of literature related to
school absenteeism and school refusal behavior suggests absenteeism can be linked to
physical conditions, psychiatric conditions, classification and proximal variables,
contextual risk factors, as well as cross-cultural variables. Each of these variables has
been shown to influence student attendance.

The literature related to predictors of chronic absenteeism and truancy has been
grouped into four broad categories in this review. First, research regarding student
predictors of attendance is presented. This discussion reflects the most developed
research base and broadly explains the individual characteristics that influence student
attendance. Next, parent and family predictors are reviewed. These factors have
received increased attention in recent years but continue to be an area where more
research is needed. School-level predictors are discussed next. The discussion of school-
level factors includes structural, cultural, and social conditions in the school. These
factors also relate to the physical condition of the school. Finally, community predictors
are discussed. Community-level predictors have only recently received attention from
researchers and are thus an area of research that requires further elaboration.
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12

Decreasing the rate of student truancy and absenteeism has been and continues to be the

goal of school districts across the nation for over a century. Amazingly, little research focuses

on what schools can do to increase and maintain student ’s daily attendance and even fewer

studies explore how families-school-community can build a partnership to work together

towards this goal. Corville and Smith, (1995) state that “Despite the long history of concern

over student attendance, the issue has received relatively little attention from educational

researchers”. Instead of focusing on student attendance, researchers have mainly focused on

students who drop out of high school before receiving their high school diploma. Even though

a great deal of research exits on students dropping out of school more so than on truancy,

research on students who dropout points to early detection of truancy in their lives before they

drop out of school.

“Dropping out of school, although defined by a single event reflects a long process of

disengagement and withdrawal from schooling and educational institutions ”, (Finn, 1989,

Newman, Wehlage, & Lamborn, 1992). In order to understand and reduce the problem of

students dropping out of school researchers should first investigate the early warning signs in

students behavior before it escalates to students actually leaving school. Studies of students

who dropout of school shows long-term patterns of students who may be having difficulties at

home and or in school at a very early age. Research has shown that students who eventually

drop out of school are absent more often than other students beginning as early as the first

grade. As the student gets older their patterns of being absent from school increases. So

efforts to decrease students from dropping out of high school might be better spent on

identifying early warning signs of truancy at the elementary and middle school level.
 CITI GLOBAL
COLLEGE
13

It is a fact that poor attendance predicts dropping out of school; chronic absenteeism can

have a negative impact on the student and school. Students who are not in school are not

learning and are not being adequately prepared to be successful in school and in life. Research

on truancy and absenteeism suggests that “students with better attendance score higher on

achievement tests than their more frequently absent peers” (Lamdin, 1998). If schools across

the nation are being met with the challenge of making adequate yearly progress, which is a

state mandate, then more programs need to be funded in schools to address the issue of

truancy.

To deal with the issue of truancy at the James P. Timilty Middle School students have

been identified with five or more absences. The identified students prior and current

standardized test scores will be reviewed. Forty-one six, seventh and eighth grade students

were identified with attendance concerns. A conference will be held to inform students of

scores and attendance concerns. A contract will be made with the forty-one students and

weekly positive rewards will be discussed with students for coming to school everyday on time.

The conference will be followed by a phone call/letter to parents to talk about the attendance

concerns. The student’s attendance will be monitored on a daily basis with weeklseey

scheduled student check- ins to talk about attendance. Violators of the contract will be

informed of consequences of being absent from school and a yellow card will be filed which will

alert the attendance officer. In the past my buildings response to filing yellow attendance cards

has been slow, causing many students with attendance issues to go unnoticed. It is my hope

that the process can be handled expeditiously with students being monitored and frequent

phone calls home to alert and inform parents of a student ’s absence from school.
 CITI GLOBAL
COLLEGE
14

Historically, schools have always held the student accountable for truant behavior.

Corville-Smith, (1995) and Hoyle (1998) state that “Truant and chronically absent students were

considered deviants”. Frequently schools did not contact families until the problem was so

severe that the student was failing their courses. Also research shows that the learning

environment of an entire school can be affected by an individual student ’s attendance

problem. Most schools receive funds by the population they have attending school on a regular

basis. If Districts and school attendance rates are low, educational programs and resources are

in jeopardy of being cut. Also, in some locations student attendance is used as an indicator of

how well a school is functioning and requirements are set and monitored for rating (Maryland

State Department of Education, 1999)

Studies investigating family practice have suggested that “not all parental involvement

activities are associated with attendance” (Lee, 1994) for example; parent involvement that

requires “checking homework and reading with a child is associated with improved report card

grades, achievement scores, and subject-specific skills” (Epstein 1991; Epstein, Simon, & Salinas,

1997; Muller, 1993). Other researchers have reported that “specific family involvement practice

such as parental monitoring, parent-child discussions, parent participation at the school PTA

membership are linked to student attendance” (Astone& McLanahan, 1991; Ducwork & Dejong,

199l Lee, 1994, McNeal, 1999). Research shows that some parent activities are more likely than

others to affect attendance. Furthermore studies show that schools who want to increase daily

attendance need to reach out and work with parents to encourage parental involvement in

specific ways to address this problem.

 CITI GLOBAL
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15

Innovative schools see the need to develop productive school-family community

connections to address this growing epidemic of truancy. Kesler-Sklar and Baker (2000)

reported that over “90% of the school districts they surveyed had at least one policy supporting

parental involvement”. Epstein and her colleagues have been working with schools, school

districts, and the state department of education to develop programs of school, family and

community partnerships (Epstein, Coates, Salinas, Sanders, & Simon, 1997; Sanders & Epstein,

2000).

In conclusion, research reveals a lot of important information about student attendance.

Identifying students early on who show signs of absenteeism is a predicator of warning signs of
students dropping out. Even though truancy is a major issue in middle school and high school,
perhaps students should be identified and monitored early on in elementary school. Educators
need to continue to find innovative ways to bridge the gap between home and school to
communicate with parents the need for a strong partnership so students can find success.
Students need to know dethat coming to school on time, everyday is important. Educators,
when faced with schools that have attendance problems may need to venture out beyond the
wall of the school, into the community to involve families and work together.

As a students, we are expected to perform well with excellence in everything that we

do, most especially in the academic aspect. One factor that dictates the quality of
performance of a student is his/her punctuality that is, getting to school on time or
being tardy. As cited by Nakpodia and Dafiaghor (2011), “lateness” can be defined as
the “situation where an individual arrives after the proper, scheduled or usual time
(Oxford Advance Learners’ Dictionary, 5th ed., 1995), Lauby (2009) puts it as a term
used to describe “people not showing up on time” and Breeze et al. (2010) contributed
by saying that, lateness is synonymous with “tardiness”, which implies being slow to act
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16

or slow to respond, thus not meeting up with proper or usual timing. Lastly, Weade
(2004) defined tardiness as “being late for any measurable length of time past the
stated or scheduled start time for work or school.” In most schools, a student is
considered tardy when he/she is not present when the school bell rings or when the
first teacher starts to give instructional materials for the first subject in the morning
class.

One of the most recurring and the most “frustrating problem” that the schools are
having with their students nowadays is tardiness (Sprick and Daniels, 2007). It creates
problems, not just to the students but also to the teachers (Cowan Avenue Elementary
School Community, 2007, para 1). Cowan Crier, the official School Publication of CAESC,
also states that while having “occasional tardy” isn’t a big deal, unfailing tardiness is
and it gives students problems including being ill-prepared for the job market.
According to the results of the study of the U.S. Department of Education on “truancy”,
which is related to tardiness, being present and on time in going to school are big
factors on the “success and behavior” of the students (Zeiger, 2010, para 1). Thus, it is
a lot important to value time and practice being on time while being a student.

According to CAESC (2007) and Zeiger (2010), the most essential learning time of
the day for the students lies in the morning, specifically between 8:00 to 9:30 AM. It is
because the students are most mindful and observant at this time of the day. It is also
the reason why the most important lessons and subject matters are discussed during
this time. So when students are late or are not present during this time of the day, they,
in effect, miss out most of the important lessons to be noted and learned.

Early homesteading laws allowed the settlers free land on which to build schools.
Schooling was perceived as the key to success for individuals and to the excellence of
 CITI GLOBAL
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society (Mitchell, 1993). Free and compulsory education came to England and Wales
following the Elementary Education Acts of 1870 and 1876, although not always on a
full time basis. The Education Act of 1918 finally abolished half time schooling, and
made elementary education entirely free and compulsory until the end of the term
after the child's fourteenth birthday. Nevertheless, in most parts of the United States
the problem of illegal absence dates from 1876 (Galloway, 1985). In the 1850s urban
schools suffered from an extremely high turnover of students. Many students were
needed at home to do many of the chores, especially if they lived on a farm. Other
students worked outside of the home to help support the family. Poor attendance was a
problem to teachers and parents well before school attendance became compulsory
(Pallister, 1969). Pallister notes that enthusiasm for education varied with the standards
of the school; good schools quickly obtaining the support of parents, and similarly bad
schools, least in the eyes of parents, quickly losing support. School administrators were
immediately faced with new concerns considering that in 1900 only 6 percent of
Americans had a diploma (Wise, 1994;Kay, 1991). It is clear that attendance rates varied
little between 1904 and 1938, except in 1920 when lower average attendance followed
the social upheaval of the First World War. Galloway noted that there is little evidence
that attendance rates over the last ten to fifteen years (1970-1985) differ very much
from those earlier in the century (Galloway, 1985). Even with the increased attendance
and the increased graduation rates over the last 100 years, education is relatively the
same. A glaring example of this is the release of students for farm work in extremely
industrialized society. Our culture has changed but the reasons for excused absences
have not changed (Wise, 1994).School attendance was a problem before education
became free and compulsory, and based on the researcher's knowledge and experience
as an educator, it has continued to be one ever since. The researcher notes that
attendance figures can be interpreted in different ways. There is little evidence that
school attendance rates have changed noticeably throughout the twentieth century.
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Importance of Attendance Government officials, teachers' groups, and individual

parents all have voiced their concerns over the need to develop policies and practices
to counteract the problems facing our nation's schools today such as the dropout rate,
drug abuse, and declining education performance (Bernstein, 1990). Poor school
attendance arouses strong feelings in teachers, parents, members of the educational
support services, educational administrators, politicians, and pupils. These strong
feelings are expressed in different and often contradictory ways, depending on the
individual's own perspective (Galloway, 1985). The statistics related to school
absenteeism arestaggering. Each school day, 2,500,000 students are reported absent
from school. The dropout rate is estimated at 27 percent nationally and over 45 percent
in some cities. The 27 percent dropout rate equates to 65 busloads of students who
leave United States schools each week and do not return. In a year's time, 700,000
students will be lost. In two years, the number will exceed one million (Person, 1990).
The Virginia Department of Education has created a system for better and more
accountable schools through what is now called the Outcome Accountability Project
(OAP). This program establishes the criteria for how schools and school divisions will be
held accountable for meeting the commitment of improving learning for all. The data
from the OAP provides a framework for analyzing the school district by breaking the
whole into some of its parts. The attendance data for secondary students provided by
the OAP for the State of Virginia indicates that 66 percent of students in grades 9-12
during the school year '95-'96 were absent 10 days or less from school. The OAP data
further lists Newport News Public Schools as having 55 percent of its grades 9-12
students absent 10 days or less from school (OAP Report, 1997). The school philosophy,
in general, is one that stresses to teachers, pupils, and parents the importance of
regular school attendance. This is because it is the belief that only through regular
school attendance can studentsprogress academically at a successful rate (Jett &
Platt,1979). Attendance is part of a pupil's cumulative record. It is important that good
 CITI GLOBAL
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school attendance habits be established for later years when pupils seek employment
(Jett & Platt, 1979). Jett and Platt conclude that attendance and its importance should
be taught to students. Basic to that philosophy is the belief that poor student
attendance and truancy are some of the first signs of decay of a school and school
system. Therefore, it is incumbent upon educators to do all they can to promote good
school attendance habits among their pupils.Anyone who has skipped or had to repeat
a grade, has been placed in or excluded from a special program, or has been denied
academic credit because of absences knows the importance of local school policies.
While scholarly attention has tended to focus on federal and state education policy,
those who attend and work in schools realize that their lives can be affected greatly by
policy made at the school and district level (Duke and Canady, 1991).

Pizzo (1983) refers to school policy as fitting into an ecology of public policies. In other
words, where the operation of pubic schools is concerned, a range of policysources can
be identified. Pizzo further states that policies are derived from Congress, the
Department of Education, the courts, state legislatures, intermediate agencies, school
boards, and school-based personnel. To understand educational policy in the United
States, it is necessary to understand each of these policymaking entities and the
relationships among them. Duke and Canady (1991) identify three reasons to study
policy. First, many of the education policies likely to have a direct effect on the lives of
students, parents, and teachers are local school policies. A state legislature may pass
legislation concerning the allocation of resources for education, but the legislation does
not become meaningful for clients, patrons, and employees until local policy decisions
determine how the available resources will be utilized. Second, schools serving similar
groups of students can differ greatly in areas such as student achievement, attendance,
dropped rate, teacher morale, and school climate. The third reason to study school
policies according to Duke and Canady (1991) is the fact that the number of locally
 CITI GLOBAL
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20

developed policies is likely to increase in the future. Interest in shared decision making,
teacher empowerment, school-site management, and the restructuring of schools
suggests that the locus of educational policymaking may be shifting. Duke and Canady
point out that ample justification exists for the systematic study of local school policy.
Suchstudy promises to shed light on school effectiveness, the process of school
improvement, and local control of education. In addition, Duke and Canady state as
interest in at-risk students grows, questions need to be raised regarding the extent to
which local school policies enhance or impede these youngsters’ chances for success.So
frequent and so complicated have problems related to student attendance become that
many school systems consider them to be separate from other discipline problems. This
fact may be explained, in part, by the relationship between school attendance and state
aid to education and the link between attendance and a student’s constitutional right to
an education. Attendance rules include those pertaining to unexcused absence from
school and class, tardiness, and leaving school without permission. Since, by law,
students must attend school up to the state-mandated school-leaving age, attendance-
related issues for local policymakers do not concern rules so much as the consequences
for absenteeism and attendance practices (Duke and Canady, 1991). In recent years,
school policymakers concerned about the relationship between the time spent in
school and student learning have begun to condone denying course credit and
awarding failing grades for chronic absenteeism. The number of absences resulting in
denial of credit or a failing grade usually ranges from 10 to 24 in a semester (Sedlak et
al, 1986).
 CITI GLOBAL
COLLEGE
21

CHAPTER 3
12 HUMSS

Question YES NO
1 21 (10%) 18 (90%)
2 0 (0%) 20 (100%)
3 6 (30%) 14 (70%)
4 4 (20%) 16 (80%)
5 2 (10%) 18 (90%)
6 9 (45%) 11 (55%)
7 0 (0%) 20 (100%)
8 19 (95%) 1 (5%)
9 8 (40%) 12 (60%)
10 2 (10%) 18 (90%)
11 9 (45%) 11 (55%)
12 8 (40%) 12 (60%)

11 HUMSS 2

Question YES NO
1 4 (20%) 16(80%)
2 4 (20%) 16(80%)
3 6 (30%) 9(45%)
4 9 (45%) 11(55%)
5 7 (35%) 13 (65%)
6 7 (35%) 13 (65%)
7 9 (45%) 11 (55%)
8 13 (65%) 7 (35%)
9 6 (30%) 14 (70%)
10 10 (50%) 10 (50%)
11 11 (55%) 9 (45%)
12 12 (60%) 8 (40%)
 CITI GLOBAL
COLLEGE
22

Overall computation
Yes No
15% 85%
10% 90%
30% 70%
32.5% 67.5%
22.5% 77.5%
40% 60%
22.5% 77.5%
80% 20%
35% 65%
30% 70%
37.5% 50%
50% 50%