Newark post., 1920-10-13
MAKE DRIVE
FOR BETTER SCHOOL
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
Service Citizens to Award
Prizes to Schools and
Individuals

IeacherS ana pupils IN tne local
public schools are intensely inter
ested in the better attendance
campaign launched last week. No
partisan politician with an axe to
grind is more eager for victory
than are the pupils in the various
rooms who will work hard for the
flags and certificates to be pro-
vided by the Service Citizens of
Delaware.
The details of this campaign
were worked out and presented at
the last meeting of the State
Board of Education.
The general plan includes two
series of individual award cards
for children making perfect" and
"good" attendance records, Dela-
ware State flags in varying sizes
as marks Of recognition to schools
making certain group records. The
individual award cards, especially
designed for the children of Della
ware, will convey autographed
congratulatory greetings from
prominent men and women of the
State and nation. The flags will
be suitable for schoolroom decora-
tion.
This campaign will give an op-
portunity for everyone to do his
part in increasing the efficiency of
the public schools and putting
Delaware among the leaders in
education instead of down with
the tailenders.
The letter to the teachers re-
garding the campaign is in part
as follows.
"Yours is the most important
task democratic people ever pre-
sumed to do. The obligation you
assume of drawing the children
together daily for nine months,
training them in methods and
habits of thinking and acting and
advancing them in their studies a
grade each year is the heaviest
duty assumed among us. And not
the least difficult part Of it is to
get the children in school and to
keep them in regular attendance.
SIN this task Delaware has not
always succeeded as we'll as her
best friends think she might sue
ceed. According to records in
Washington, Delaware's rank
among the States, in schools and
schooling, was 35th in 1918. In
the percentage of children of
school age who were in daily at
tendance, Delaware was only 41st
out of the 48 states in that year
1t is in the average daily attend
ance of her pupils that Delaware
makes her lowest ranking among
the states, and it is here she can
most readily correct herself.
According to Leonard P. Aver,
our leading statistician of the wal
period, the United States averages
only Sc per cent. out of a possible
100 in daily attendance of pupils
of school age. The best state
Montana, averages SO per cent
Delaware's average is 45 pei
cent, a points below Montana and
IL points below the avearge for
the nation. Our daily average at
tendance in 1918 was the same as
that for the entire nation in 1895
as per cent. in daily attendance al
school. Delaware was therefore
in 1918, II points below the aver
age and "a years behind the ma
tion in this most vital factor in
education. She must catch up.
Attendance in State Improving
School attendance in Delaware
took one long step forward the
past year. The average number OF
days attended by each pupil en-
rolled in rural Delaware in 1917-1s
was 92 and in 1918'19 was only
80; but in 1919-20 the number was
118, a gain over 1918 of 26
school days in attendance for
each one of $4,000 pupils enrolled
in the State outside of Whining
ton. This handsome increase OF
% per cent, made all in the one
year Of 1919-20, only illustrates
the possibility and emphasizes the
need.
"The best record for the year
and the largest increase was made
in Sussex county at SeaforC
where each pupil enrolled attend
ed an average of 157 days. This
was a gain in Seaford's average
of 81 days for 439 children anC
makes Seaford Delaware's banne,
school in attendance. The mex
best average was 153 at the A.
du Pont, and the third 152 al
nOyor