To determine if school records contain data which would help to identify those children who are most likely to become delinquents, Fakouri and Jerse (1976) obtained names of 108 delinquent children from juvenile court records. Each child was matched according to sex, grade level, and school attended with a non delinquent.
From the cumulative school records, data were then collected on notable change and estimates of academic performance and achievement level, tardiness, attendance pattern and average days absent from school, return of school health record information, the number of residential and school changes, and marital status of parents. The observed differences between the delinquent and nondelinquent group were significant and in the predicted direction. Regarding tardiness, it was found that delinquent youth were significantly more likely to show a pattern of excessive school tardiness than were non-delinquent youth.
Persons (1972) investigated attitudes toward school among Black inner-city second, third, and seventh grade stu
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