Whenever professional educators meet today, a topic of conversation very likely to be introduced is their concern about the growing reluctance of young people to learn, especially secondary school students. In the United States a serious related problem dominating the attention of teachers, administrators, and counselors is that of poor school attendance. Not only do many high school students continue to leave school permanently at the earliest possible age, but an increasing proportion absence themselves on occasion for one day or one week at a time. Others go regularly, but do not attend all their classes. New more elaborate and severe attendance policies are doing little to alleviate the problem.
Many are quick to dismiss this phenomenon as one which has always existed and will continue to do so. Disinterest in formalized learning, they believe, is to be expected. Even the growing rate does not surprise them for they point to the high degree of affluence in our world today, the speed by which knowledge becomes outdated, and how material possessions are now valued more highly in many parts of the world than are concepts or ideas, especially in those countries which are heavily industrialized. Interestingly, though students do not always believe that these conditions constitute the best explanation, there is widespread agreement among them that school is boring. Whether male of female, superior or average, college-bound or vocational, boring is the word used most often by secondary school students in the United States to describe how they~eel about school.
Certainly, we have tried to change this prevalent feeling. Educators have worked hard during the past decade or more trying to find the answer to how they can make school more enjoyable, and thus more tolerable again, for their students. Most everything has been tried. We added and dropped courses, lengthened and shortened the school day, emphasized skill development and de-emphasized conceptual understanding, encouraged more student participation and discouraged that by the teacher, adopted pass-fail indicators and set aside the use of more traditional five-step numerical and letter grades. We