thesis

Chapter 1:
Introduction
Absenteeism
The success of the school in carrying out its primary charge of educating and socializing students is contingent on students attending school regularly. In recognition of the importance of regular school attendance to quality education, attendance becomes a priority goal .
Educators have long emphasized the importance of class attendance. Only in the classroom may the student hear the teacher's presentation, participate in class discussions, and enjoy the benefits of spontaneous interactions between the students and teacher. It comes as no surprise that students with high absence rates earn lower grades than students with better attendance .
State
departments of education and school boards across the country have developed policies, procedures, and programs aimed primarily with the objective of reducing and preventing2 student absenteeism.

Statement of the Problem
Is the new attendance policy and attendance program of Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation effective as indicated by statistical analyses of attendance data, students, parents, and teachers perceptions, and programmatic data after one year of implementation at the college level?

Objective of a Study
School divisions must collect and examine data regarding policies and programs that are designed to improve student attendance to provide school boards and administrators with evidence of their effectiveness. The purpose of this study is to conduct an evaluation of Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation. Newly introduced attendance policy and program in order to determine their perceived effects after one year of implementation.

Assumptions
This study addresses the overall research question:
Is the new attendance policy and attendance program of Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation effective as indicated by statistical analyses of attendance data, students, parents, and teachers perceptions, and programmatic data after one year of implementation at the college level?
Hypotheses
The need to collect and analyze attendance data gave impetus to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the
Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation current attendance policy and program. The study helped the superintendent in providing the school board, central office administrators, building level administrators, teachers, parents, students, business leaders, and communities of Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation with evidence that determined the effectiveness of a newly adopted attendance policy and4 attendance program on student attendance.

Significance of the Study
This study attempted to describe whether the Mariners
Polytechnic Colleges Foundation attendance policy and attendance program improves student attendance. The results of this study provided valuable data to Newport News Public Schools and other local school divisions regarding the effectiveness of school attendance policies and attendance programs. This study adds data to the limited research database pertaining to the evaluation of attendance policies and attendance programs.
Scope and Delimitation
One delimitation is that the study focuses on one community. For example, the study concentrates on high school student attendance, effectiveness of Saturday
Redemptive School, and perceptions of high school students, parents, and teachers because the school division decided to allocate and reallocate a majority of the attendance resources and funding from the elementary and middle school attendance program to the high school attendance program. An additional delimitation is that the study is limited to the evaluation and implementation of the attendance policy and program after one year of implementation.

Definition of Terms
Attendance – According Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation, attendance is monitored on a daily basis.
Attendance Policy – According to Rights and Responsibilities
Handbook, Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation is committed to the academic success of all students. It is also committed to the belief that all students must have the opportunity to achieve full development of their potential through the acquisition of values, attitudes, knowledge, and skills essential to becoming productive adults. The school division requires students attend school daily so that they will receive the maximum benefit from the instructional program and develop habits of punctuality, self-discipline, and responsibility.
All parties involved in the educational process attempt to work cooperatively to keep absences and tardies to a minimum. However, student attendance at school is the responsibility of students and parents. In order for parents to fulfill their legal responsibility, the school is required to keep parents informed of student absences. Parents have an obligation to keep the school informed whenever their child is absent. Chapter 2:
Review of Related Literature and Study
Presented in chapter 2 is a synthesis of research that supports the evaluation of the attendance policy and attendance program of Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation.
Included in the chapter is a historical overview of attendance, the importance of attendance, overview of
Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation
Schools, theoretical framework, causes or predictors of student absenteeism, descriptions of related attendance policies/ programs, and a review of perceptions and attitudes about attendance policies/programs as indicated by literature review.