Title

Student attendance in supplemental education services: A provision of the No Child Left Behind Act as it relates to parental satisfaction

Date of Completion

January 2006

Keywords

Education, Educational Psychology|Education, Curriculum and Instruction

Degree

Ph.D.

Abstract

Under the provisions of No Child Left Behind of 2001, students of low income families attending Title 1 schools, that are in their second year of "in need of improvement" status, are entitled to receive supplemental educational services (SES). Research on SES programs shows inconsistancies in student attendance. Researchers believe that measuring parental satisfaction as well as student attendance is a way of evaluating the level of success in SES programs (Ross, 2005). Furthermore, the U.S. Department of Education (2004) published a report stating that parental satisfaction was a preliminary sign of the effectiveness of SES programs. However, there is limited information linking parental satisfaction to student attendance. This study analyzed existing data from an SES provider to determine if parental satisfaction was related to student attendance. Satisfaction surveys were distributed to parents of students who were enrolled in the tutoring program during the 2005-2006 school year for purposes of determining overall satisfaction with the program's services. The results indicated that overall parental satisfaction of the SES program was high. The results however did not support the researcher's hypothesis that parental satisfaction was correlated to student attendance in SES programs. Further analysis also did not indicate significant relationships between parental characteristics and attendance. While parental satisfaction with the SES provider is an indicator of program success (US Dept. of Ed 2004) the results of the study did not render any explanation as to what aspects of SES are most important to parents. While there were several identifiable limitations in this study, the implications provided insight into ways in which to move forward with future research.^

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