This study focusses on the examination of the recorded absences of compulsory age students. The main purpose was to identify emergent patterns of school non-attendance, critical periods of absences and key factors within and beyond the school that might contribute to school non-attendance and the impact such non-attendance has on student achievement and perceptions of schooling.A review of literature on school non-attendance was undertaken and presented to highlight the number of factors that are often linked with non-attendance. As a result of the literature review a comprehensive list of factors for further investigation was distilled and a conceptual framework was developed. It was this conceptual framework, together with the research questions, that guided the research design and the subsequent collection and analysis of data.The research was undertaken in Perth, Western Australia utilising one State Government secondary school and five of its contributory (or feeder) primary schools. The research constituted a retrospective study spanning seven years (1989 to 1995 inclusive) incorporating the complete attendance records of 61 students.The first phase of the study involved the establishment of an empirical database developed from records compiled by the five feeder schools and the secondary school under study. Data derived from the schools were analysed to establish the patterns of non-attendance and trends.The second phase involved a series of case studies in which student perceptions on school non-attendance were investigated alongside the student's characteristics and attendance patterns in order to provide greater insight into key factors contributing to school non-attendance.The case studies not only provided greater insight into key factors contributing to school non-attendance but also the impact non-attendance had on the educational outcomes of the deemed ++ / 'at risk' students.Finally, the thesis provides a number of conclusions and action statements to all key stakeholders including the schools at the centre of this research, policy makers within the State Government Education Department, parents, and personnel from other schools within Western Australia, for future action and continuing research. There is a collective responsibility to ensure all students maximise their learning outcomes through the educational programs provided in the schooling system.The study also has the potential to provide a framework at both the national and international level as the outcomes of this research have potential significance for a number of interested organisations involved in providing educational and other programs for 'at risk' students.

Many school facilities in the United States are old, out-of-date, poorly maintained, and lack specific design elements that are likely to enhance teaching, learning, behavior, and other desirable outcomes. This study proposed that one reason why previous research regarding the effects of the physical school environment on educational outcomes has had little impact on the quality of schools is because there is a lack of knowledge about these relationships. A multi-method approach was used to solicit information from educators and researchers familiar with school facility effects literature to develop a set of research priorities to guide future research. In Phase I, a literature analysis provided important physical and outcome variables to seed brainstorming lists used in following phases of the research and provided the basis for a gap analysis to identify unavailable information. A concept mapping methodology was utilized in Phase II to solicit feedback from a group of seventeen experienced educators who were asked to brainstorm a list of measures of student, school, or school district success, sort their final list of more than 100 items into categories that made sense to them, and rate each item regarding how important it is to monitor or otherwise track. Using a Delphi method, a series of four questionnaires was given to a group of experienced researchers who developed a list of physical variables plausibly related to educational outcomes, rated the importance of those items, developed hypotheses that included top-rated physical variables and top-rated outcome variables (i.e., measures of success rated by educators), and then selected from those hypotheses several that became the basis of the recommended research priorities for the field. These research priorities propose investigations of the relationships between a set of physical variables (including the provision of team work stations and faculty collaborative spaces, well-designed circulation spaces, spaces for quiet reflection, adaptable seating, daylighting in classrooms, and overall maintenance and building quality) and a variety of educational outcomes (e.g., achievement, behavior, satisfaction, affective performance).

The process, motivation, mechanisms, as well as examples of some of the material used in assessment at the Computer and Information Sciences Department at East Tennessee State University, are presented. More details, and the supporting forms mentioned can be found at the website www. cs. etsu. eduldepartmentlassessment. htm

The need for higher skill levels in South Africa’s labour market warranted an investigation into why some learners from poor communities make the decision to leave high school at the end of Grade 9, whilst other learners continue to Grade 12 or tertiary education. This exploratory, longitudinal study investigated the Educational Decision Making (EDM) of 16 Grade 9, Coloured, male learners from poor neighbourhoods in Cape Town. This study identified the socio-economic factors that influenced participants’ EDM to consider leaving the school system at the end of Grade 9, or continue their education. The study applied Miles and Huberman’s (1994) approach to identify links between the socio-economic factors that influenced EDM, and to understand the learners’ educational context. These interactions were investigated using Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Framework, comprising 5 traversing and Huberman’s (1994) approach to identify links between the socio-economic factors that influenced EDM, and to understand the learners’ educational context. These interactions were investigated using Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Framework, comprising 5 traversing layers, namely, the micro-system, meso-system, exo-system, macro-system, and chronosystem (Watts, Cockcroft & Duncan, 2009). This qualitative study drew on semi-structured, one-on-one interviews with learners in their Grade 9 year in 2015, and makes use of followup telephonic interviews (2016) and enrolment records (2017) to verify the findings. All learners made the decision to continue to Grade 12 or tertiary education. Examples of negative influences on EDM included socio-economic challenges presented by South Africa’s transition to democracy (Chrono-system), which impacted on other systems, including inadequate school facilities (exo-system), a family history of school dropout (mesosystem), and financial instability (micro-system). Examples of positive influences on EDM included financial stability in the household (mesosystem), and the resilience and agency of learners (microsystem).

Children in the child welfare system face a multitude of challenges following maltreatment. These children frequently go on to report poor outcomes in many facets of their life, including education. It is thought that children who are removed from their home following maltreatment and placed in out-of-home placement (OHP), experience even more challenges due to their removal from their home and environment. The literature surrounding maltreated children's educational outcomes suggest that these children struggle in school when compared to children who have not experienced maltreatment. However, literature surrounding the educational outcomes of maltreated children who experience OHP, versus maltreated children who do not experience OHP, tend to collectively present with mixed results. The purpose of this study was to isolate the effect of OHP on the educational outcome of, school engagement, to get a clearer picture of how OHP affects the educational outcomes of maltreated children. This study utilized data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAW II) with a total sample of 1,490 children. Propensity score matching was employed to isolate the effect of OHP on school engagement. The results indicate that there is no statistically significant difference in the school engagement of maltreated children who experience OHP, when compared to the school engagement on maltreated children who remain in-home. Direction for future research, and clinical implications are addressed. / Master of Science / Children who experience any form of abuse (physical, sexual, neglect, and other), tend to experience a number of challenges in many parts of their life following the abuse. It is thought that children who are removed from their home following abuse and placed in out-of-home placement (OHP), experience even more challenges due to their removal from their home, family, and school. OHP is when the child is removed from the home and placed with a temporary caregiver in a: family or non-family foster home, group home, residential care, etc. When looking at the challenges that these abused children face, it is common for these children to experience challenges with school and their academics. The purpose of this research study was too narrow in on how OHP affects the child’s ability to do well in school, specifically how it affects the child’s school engagement. School engagement is best described as the way the child interacts and responds to school, including their attitudes and thoughts about school. The results indicate that there is no significant difference in the school engagement of children who experience abuse and OHP, when compared to the school engagement of children who experience abuse and remain in their original home. The results of this research study suggest that it is less about OHP, and more about abuse, that makes it difficult for abused children to have positive school engagement.

No description available.

Este artigo analisa a eficiência do gasto público em educação nos municípios brasileiros para o ano de 2011. Utilizaram-se os resultados da Prova Brasil para as disciplinas de matemática e língua portuguesa como medida de produto e foi feita a construção de uma fronteira de eficiência através dos métodos DEA e FDH. Os resultados mostram que a distribuição da eficiência não é uniforme, sendo as regiões Norte e Nordeste menos eficientes que as demais, notadamente em relação ao Sul e ao Sudeste. Na análise dos determinantes da eficiência, os resultados indicam que número de professores com ensino superior e IDHM contribuem positivamente para maior eficiência, ao passo que o abandono escolar e a distorção idade-série impactam negativamente. Via regressão quantílica, evidencia-se que o efeito dessas variáveis é distinto em função dos quantis da distribuição da eficiência. Interpretações adicionais dos resultados são obtidos através do método de fronteira Order-α. O estudo sugere que, a partir de um determinado nível, não há evidência de que maior gasto público implique aumento da aprendizagem. Uma melhor aplicação dos recursos pode elevar a nota das provas sem aumento de gasto público. / This paper analyzes the e ciency of public spending on education in Brazilian municipalities for the year 2011. The results of the Prova Brazil for math and portuguese language were used as product measure and the construction of an e cient frontier was made through DEA and FDH methods. The results show that the distribution of e ciency is not uniform. The North and Northeast regions are more ine cient than others, especially with respect to South and Southeast. In the analysis of the determinants of e ciency, the results indicate that the number of teachers with higher education and IDHM contribute positively to greater e ciency, while school dropouts and age/grade distortion impact negatively. By quantile regression, it is evident that the effect of these variables is di erent depending on the quantile distribution e ciency. Additional interpretations of the results are obtained through the partial frontier approaches, with Order-α method. This study suggests that, from a certain level, there is no evidence that higher levels of public spending implies increased learning. A better use of resources can raise the test scores without increasing public spending.

Objective: For this dissertation, I investigated the characteristics of homeless, unaccompanied youth to determine which subgroups of students pursued and obtained financial stipends as an incentive for satisfactory educational outcomes- grades C and above. Method: The study was based on data obtained from a community-based, non-profit, drop-in center that serves homeless, unaccompanied youth enrolled in school. From each participant (n=965), demographic variables (including the student's age, grade, gender, race, and ethnicity) and life experience variables (including the student's reason for homelessness, current living situation, teen parenting status, and program enrollment status- either a new or returning student to the program) were obtained. These variables were used to determine the relationship between the student's characteristics and the outcome measurements: percent of the potential monthly stipends earned and the length of enrollment in the program. Results: The results demonstrated significant mean differences within the student's age, grade, and program enrollment status for both the percent of stipends earned and the length of program enrollment. A student's teenage parenting status also indicated a significant difference for the percent of stipend earned. Three student characteristics were significant predictors for the percent of stipends earned, and five characteristics were significant predictors for the length of program enrollment. Conclusions: Specific subgroups within the unaccompanied, homeless population pursue and obtain financial stipend incentives for educational outcomes at different rates. These results add to the literature needed to better align educational services and programs to the various subgroups within the homeless youth population.

Este artigo analisa a eficiência do gasto público em educação nos municípios brasileiros para o ano de 2011. Utilizaram-se os resultados da Prova Brasil para as disciplinas de matemática e língua portuguesa como medida de produto e foi feita a construção de uma fronteira de eficiência através dos métodos DEA e FDH. Os resultados mostram que a distribuição da eficiência não é uniforme, sendo as regiões Norte e Nordeste menos eficientes que as demais, notadamente em relação ao Sul e ao Sudeste. Na análise dos determinantes da eficiência, os resultados indicam que número de professores com ensino superior e IDHM contribuem positivamente para maior eficiência, ao passo que o abandono escolar e a distorção idade-série impactam negativamente. Via regressão quantílica, evidencia-se que o efeito dessas variáveis é distinto em função dos quantis da distribuição da eficiência. Interpretações adicionais dos resultados são obtidos através do método de fronteira Order-α. O estudo sugere que, a partir de um determinado nível, não há evidência de que maior gasto público implique aumento da aprendizagem. Uma melhor aplicação dos recursos pode elevar a nota das provas sem aumento de gasto público. / This paper analyzes the e ciency of public spending on education in Brazilian municipalities for the year 2011. The results of the Prova Brazil for math and portuguese language were used as product measure and the construction of an e cient frontier was made through DEA and FDH methods. The results show that the distribution of e ciency is not uniform. The North and Northeast regions are more ine cient than others, especially with respect to South and Southeast. In the analysis of the determinants of e ciency, the results indicate that the number of teachers with higher education and IDHM contribute positively to greater e ciency, while school dropouts and age/grade distortion impact negatively. By quantile regression, it is evident that the effect of these variables is di erent depending on the quantile distribution e ciency. Additional interpretations of the results are obtained through the partial frontier approaches, with Order-α method. This study suggests that, from a certain level, there is no evidence that higher levels of public spending implies increased learning. A better use of resources can raise the test scores without increasing public spending.

The purpose of this study is to gauge the influence of local/regional labor market conditions on educational outcomes, using human capital and dual labor markets as guiding theories. To gain an understanding of how growth in multiple labor market tiers and various occupation types influence local human capital development as well as students’ decisions to invest in their own human capital; two modeling approaches are utilized. First, the association between local employment growth by labor market tier and aggregate human capital development is evaluated. Second, occupations found to significantly influence local human capital development are transferred to models gauging the educational attainment of individual respondents. Results indicate primary market employment growth has a positive impact on the number of county residents with a high school, Associate’s, and Bachelor’s degree. At the individual-level, primary market growth increased the likelihood of earning a high school and Associate’s degree but did not influence the odds of earning a Bachelor’s degree.