CHAPTER II

THE self-supporting STUDENT

The first study of self-support in New York City high schools covered
5,973 students in the three high schools, De Witt Chnton (a boys'
high school). Eastern District (a co-educational school), and Wad¬
leigh (a girls' school). Each student filled out the questionnaire
card shown in the appendix, and stated whether he had worked with
or without pay the previous week, what kind of work he had done
each day, how long it took him, and how much his daily earnings
were.

Later an intensive study was made of 161 boys in De Witt Chnton
High School covering the two vacation months, July and August, and
the first two months of the school year, September and October.

Number of Students Working

Because of irregular programs, absence, and refusal to co-operate, it
was impossible to secure returns from the total registration of the
schools studied.

In Wadleigh High School returns from the students were especially
poor, and but 53 per cent of the girls in the classes studied gave the
information requested. Special effort would doubtless have resulted
in more complete returns, but the small number of girls working did
;not seem to justify the expenditure of additional time. Of the 1,322
in this school who filled out the cards 58 reported that they were
frorking for money, and 206 that they were working outside of school
hours but were receiving no wages in return for their work. In
Eastern District High School where the students filled out the cards
much more generally than in Wadleigh, the number of girls working
[14]