Evening star., 1938-10-24
SCHOOL TRUANCY
CURBS OFFERED
Methods for Improving
Attendance Offered as
ParIey Opens Here.

School attendance officers are "sales-
men," Missouri officer told the OPEN
ing session of the 28th annual confer
ence of the League to Promote School
Attendance at the Mayhower Hotel
today.
The speaker, John B. Quinn, direc-
tor of attendance of St. Louis, de-
scribed from his own experience the
various appeals and motivations that
can be made on parents, children and
employers to get and keep children in
school as provided by law.
Working in a county with a high
percentage of illiteracy, Mr.. Quinn said
different racial groups responded to
different motivations, and that people
in hilly or mountainous territory are
less tractable than those living in valley
and more congested areas.
He told of one case where he in
fuenced boy to return to school
simply by inspiring pride in his first
Hame of Anderson The boy was
Of English descent.
Mother Is Hostile.
One mother was decidedly hostile
When he presented himself at the door.
"A truant officer!" she exclaimed,
why don't they send a policeman
after my little girl?"
Everything was settled amicably
when Mr.. Quinn explained he was an
attendance officer" and not the old
'truant officer"
In another instance, several children
robbed fruit dealers stand. Finding
them, Mr.. Quinn directed his appeal
to their sympathies for this poor man
and his family. The children, he said,
paid up in little amounts for the things
they had taken.
In cases where employers hired chill
dren who should be In school, Mr..
Quinn said he had considerable sue
cess in pointing out to them the
dangers of suits in case OF injury to
the child.
E. R. Carson, director of attendance
at Pittsburgh. Pa, told the nearly 100
attendance officers present that CO.
operation between the principal and
the attendance department is essential
to promote attendance.
Sarcasm Deplored.
Citing a case where a Pittsburgh
vice principal ruined several weeks
work by the attendance department by
greeting the boy with the sarcastic
remark, We'll, are you back?" he
urged that teachers be especially care
full in the reception they give to re-
turned truants.
Attendance is the mark of an eff
ciently run school, he said, and the
principal is the key to good attend
ance
A third speaker, Miss Leona Buch-
wald, adviser in counseling and place
ments in Baltimore, described the
work of the experimental placement
work undertaken by the Baltimore
schools.
Miss Buchwald amused the gather
ing by citing some of the require
ments filed with her group by en-
ployers.
Some employers specify they must
have blonds," she said, "or that the
girl should not wear horn-rimmed
glasses"
In one case the employer went so
far as to specify the height of a girl
he was to employ. Investigation re-
vealed, Miss Buchwald said, that the
employer was a short man.
Raymond c. Keople Presides.
Raymond C. Keople, director Of at
tendance in Rochester, N. Y. who pre-
sided, told the group that 14-year-
age limit for neWsboys was to go into
operation in New York today.
He cited two well-knoWn weekly
magazines and said he did not know
what they would do under the new
law, adding that one of them has been
'robbing the cradle for years
The group was amused by the report
made by President Martin Him OF
Baltimore. AS read by Mr.. Keople it
was to the effect that the session
began on time. attention fine. practi-