CHAPTER III

THE SCHOOL AND THE SELF-SUPPORTING BOY

The immediate task before the school regarding the working boy is to
determine whether he can or cannot do his school work. To some
of those interested in the problem, the marks the working boy is given
furnish a basis for condemning or approving employment outside of
school hours. Several investigations along these Unes have been made
by teachers having as their main purpose to determine whether work¬
ing boys are doing their school tasks as well as the non-working
group. In interviews with teachers this same question was raised.
On the part of some, opposition to the co-operative system was based
on a belief that with but half time in school the required school work
could not be covered.

Other interests which the school has in the boy who must work are
the amount of elimination among working boys as compared with
boys who do not work, and the punctuality and regularity in attend¬
ance of the self-supporting group.

School Marks
In the original questionnaire, a copy of which will be found in the
appendix, students were requested to give their most recent school
marks in certain subjects. In order to determine the value of this
data from 5,973 students, its reliabihty was tested in the following
manner: In the interviews with 161 De Witt Chnton boys a request
was made that they give the last mark they had received in the sub¬
jects indicated. This was soon after the midyear marks had been
received. These marks were compared with the marks on the perma¬
nent record card on file in the office of the school. Some of the 161
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