Milford chronicle., 1920-10-22
BETTER ATTENDANCE
in PUBLIC SCHOOLS
CAMPAIGN BEING CONDUCTED BY SER.
VICE CITIZENS OF DELAWARE, WHO
WILL PROVIDE PREMIUMS.
CARDS AND STATE FLAGS
THE PLAN INCLUDES TWO SERIES OF
AWARD CARDS FOR ATTENDANCE
AND GROUP RECORDS.


attendance in Delaware schools
adopted as a feature of the years pr,
gram at the last meeting of the Stat
Board Of Education, has been al
nounced in a letter ito the teachers {
Delaware" The general plan include
TWO series Of individual award card
Tor children making perfect" an
good attendance records and Della
ware State flags in varying sizes al
marks Of recognition to schools max
ing certain group records. The indf
Vidual award cards, especially design
ed for the children of Delaware. will
convey autographed congratulatory
greetings from prominent men and
women of this State and the nation.
The flags, made on special order. care
fully designed according to descrip-
tion furnished by the State Depart
ment' viii be suitable for school room
decoration.
Aside from the irreparable loss
which irregular school attendance rep
resents in the life Of every child no
one thing contributes more largely to
the low rank accorded the State in all
educational ratings. The attendance
campaign as planned Will afford an
opportunity for every Delawarean. (
without the expenditure of one cent,
TO bear his share in increasing the eff 1
hciency and at the same time the rat
ing of the State school system. The
campaign is being conducted for the
State by the Service Citizens Of Del
aware. The letter to the teachers
follows:
Friends of Delaware children have
asked us to make it easier for YOU
to interest the pupils and their par
ents in campaign for better attend
ance in Delaware schools. A..
Yours is the most important task :
a democratic people ever presumed to
do The obligation you assume of I
drawing the children together daily
for nine months, training them in 7
methods and habits of thinking and u
acting and advancing them in their
studies a grade each year is the heav-
lest duty assumed among us. And n
not the least difficult part of it is to u
get the children in school and to keep
them in regular attendance. II II
"In this task Delaware has not al te
friends think she might succeed. Ac- sc
cording to records in Washington. a'
Delaware's rank among the States. in III
schools and schooling. was 35th in
1918. In the percentage of children sc
Of school age who were in daily at ma
tendance Delaware was only 41st out III
lf the 48 States in that year. Ii is in ma
he average daily attendance of her an
pupils that Delaware makes her low I
'st ranking among the States, and it ma
5 here she can most readily correct WI
herself. dis
According to Leonard P. Ayers, by
ur leading statistician of the war ten
eriod, the United States averages rua
My Sc per cent out of a possible 100 Z
4 daily attendance of pupils of school lhs
ge. The best State, Montana, aver mrs
ges Sc per cent. DelaWare's average sem
As per cent. Al points below Mon by
ina and IL points below the aver IN S
5e for the nation. Our daily aver ave-
&c attendance in 1918 was the same l.
! that for the entire nation in 1894,
per cent in daily attendance at S,.
.hool Delaware was therefore, in 'P
Is II points below the average and
years behind the nation in this
ost vital factor in education. She Al
ust catch up. ~.
~ ~" ~. IslI. - III ~ hale SAM
~ ~. M yTi iUils SUP ~ naiu lie paS' haYi
a. - i le a'ol"se nullDe[ OI uays al for
lSI9 % NJ ~ III Nv oo. was & ~ alu SdIa ao 5o tary
2 number was lis, a gain over 1917 ~.
~ - SCloo ~ OF oys ooS IN Ltelualice lor Stats
State outside of Wilmington. This -
ndsome increase of 28 per cent. - LIS 4, u
de all in the one year of 1919-20. fau s y
y illustrates the possibility and -
phasizes the need. The best record -
the year and the largest increase
S made in Sussex county at Sea- =, 90
d, where each pupil enrolled at ~. ~
ded an average of 157 days. This -, y :
J a gain in Seaford's average of 81 r.iI ~ -
S for 439 children and makes Sea- -'e.'S li,''D.e
Delaware's banner school in at oo 20
lance. The next best average was ~ y y
at the A. 1. du POnt and the third ~ -
at Dover. The best attendance av- q.
se for colored schools was 147 at -, ~ !.
Tark and the second best 139 at al9. ary = !
.crd. In rural schools the increase
marked but it halted at much 49,
sr figures; 126 in New Castle ,,sls.. Uloo
lty. 112 in Kent and q2 in Sns- -'.''.n s
These proudly excel all previous ar,oo .',,o u
res for the counties, but they still aii1.. .'iiO
e the State 5 points below the ,a.'' ,.Do,e
raj average of the nation in 1918. ht''t Gotn
the children are not in school, ~
shall the teacher teach theml If - T.
are there only half the time. how tLo az & .
she advance them with the class W. ny ~ u
promote them at the end of the e.. -. ee
If they are not promoted, how 90 10
they count in the years ad- - 80
e? The finest crop in our State he '',i ~ =
e annual promotion of our pupils so,,sI1 uis
le public schools. Twenty-Five a
sand school children advancing -. o. q !,
full year adds twenty-five thous- 60 SE - !
yearly promotions to the worlds 99oa
igence. If they do not advance. Iii F, F,
we have crop failure in the one -, : -
let that makes civilization possi- =, ~,
wav or degree mako l,1 mn ~ tba La s' Villa
le State Board of Education, at
recent meeting, approved a cam 1. If
for better attendance in Della school
schools They have adopted the ular to
and regulations governing the a Who'll
IS for attendance, copies Of which school
nclosed herein. The premiums flag 2 T
'e provided BY the Service Citi- This
II Delaware. school
e premiums for pupils will be: follow,
Monthly certificate for perfect Is mad,
ance. Awarded and signed by the mo
a.Nma