Some Causes Of Irregular Attendance In The Negro Public Schools Of Texarkana, Arkansas

Every modern business enterprise wants to serve as large a number of its customers as possible. To serve them they usually have attractive stores, beautiful fronts, courteous clerks, and a good quality of merchandise at a fair price. They have goods and services, and they realize that the selling of these goods and services is important to their continuation in a profitable business. They realize that He that serves best profits most . In a democracy the school exists to serve all the youth which can profit by what It has to offer. Since there is a relationship between scholastic attainment and regularity of attendance,1 the school should strive to keep as many scholastics in regular attendance as possible. The American public school is one of the basic social institutions of our democracy, and if it Is to serve fully the purpose for its existence it must hold and keep in school regularly as long as possible the boys and girls for which the school was established. Origin and Statement of Problem This study grew out of a consideration of the fact that out of an average enrollment of eight hundred thirty pupils for the past five years the average high school graduation class had only fifteen members. At the 1940 session of the Arkansas State Teachers Association, the State Supervisor of Schools pointed out that the small number of Negro high school graduates was due to the low percentage of attendance in both the elementary and secondary schools. In the light of these considerations it is the thought of the writer that if the causes for such low attendances can be found, a much larger number of boys and girls may be encouraged to remain in school long enough to graduate from high school. The causes may also suggest remedies for improving the curriculum to meet the needs of the boys and girls. The problem involved in this study finds expression in a series of questions: 1. What is the status of attendance of the Negro school children in Texarkana, Arkansas? 2. Is the status of school attendance of the Negro school children in Texarkana, Arkansas, similar to the status of the children in the state and in the nation? 3. What are the causes of irregular attendance? Purpose of the Study This study aims to find some of the underlying causes of irregular attendance in the Negro Public Schools of Texarkana and to interpret them so that the average teacher may be able to use the results in improving school attendance. It may also be used as a guide for individuals who are making similar studies, and may be used as a basis for making recommendations based upon attendance