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March 2006 Dear Readers,
Routinely the National Center for School Engagement (NCSE) receives inquiries from the public and media about truancy. This edition of NCSE-News addresses two of the most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on truancy. FAQ 1: How many students are truant each year? NCSE Response: This question is difficult to definitively answer because there is not an abundance of national truancy data. Part of the challenge has been the lack of a national standard for how states define truancy and compile truancy statistics. We are, however, making progress in quantifying the problem. This year, in compliance with the No Child Left Behind act, states are required to collect and report truancy data to establish a truancy rate indicator. See the featured article in this edition of NCSE-News, which offers guidelines for calculating truancy rates. For more information on Truancy: The extent of the problem, click here. FAQ 2: What can schools do to prevent and reduce truancy?
NCSE Response: There are several things that schools can do, but it is important to recognize that truancy is not just a school problem. It is a community problem. Research shows that truancy is one of the early warning signs that a student is headed for potential delinquent activity, social isolation, or educational failure. The community is directly impacted with an increase in daytime crime and a lack of a skilled workforce. In a recent interview with Education World, NCSE offered the following suggestions on what school administrators can do to address truancy. See Hot Topics for additional tips and considerations. TIPS 1. Assess school policies that address truancy to determine if they encourage attendance or indirectly push out students. For example: do not suspend students for truancy 2. Set up Student Attendance Review Boards - These boards ensure a community-based approach to identify and address root causes of truancy. California has taken a lead nationally in instituting this approach to attendance problems. To review the full article "Triumph Over Truancy: Tips for Improving Student Attendance," in Education World, click here.
NCSE would like to learn more about what schools and communities are doing to communicate that school attendance is important. See the featured article, NCSE Announces National Truancy Prevention Poster Contest, and consider entering your poster today. Thank you, Judith Martinez
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Guidelines for Defining Truancy and Calculating Rates Most educators and court personnel define truancy as an unexcused absence from school. Beyond this general understanding is a myriad of state and local permutations that qualify and quantify truancy. New federal requirements make state education agencies determine school-by-school truancy rates. The first step is for the state department of education to decide what it means by "truancy" and then develop a formula for a rate. The following is a generic definition of truancy that fits many states' policies: Unexcused Absence/Truancy- If a student is absent without an excuse by the parent/guardian that is approved by the school administration, or if the student leaves school or a class without permission of the teacher or administrator in charge, it will be considered to be an unexcused absence and the student shall be considered truant. This definition raises questions:
1. Is truancy any absence excused by a parent, or only an absence excused neither by a parent nor a school official?
2. Does truancy apply if only part of the day is unexcused? 3. Is truancy determined only if the case is officially reviewed by school officials? 4. Is truancy a term reserved only for cases that have crossed the threshold at which court referral is possible? 5. Does truancy apply only to students between the ages of compulsory attendance? Beginning with the 2005-06 school year, state education agencies will be required to report truancy "rates" on a school-by-school basis to the U.S. Department of Education. The specific federal requirements appear in: No Child Left Behind Act of 2001: Title IV, Part A, Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities; SEC. 4112. RESERVATION OF STATE FUNDS FOR SAFE AND DRUG-FREE SCHOOLS. Much of the following information about rates was adapted from or provided directly by the Colorado Department of Education. The Colorado model of defining truancy and setting a rate system was presented at the 1st National Conference on Truancy Prevention, held in Washington, DC in December 2004, by Janelle Krueger, Principle Consultant. Suggested Truancy Rate Calculation (Colorado Department of Education)
Student Total Days Attended Student Total Unexcused Absence Days _________________________________ = Truancy Rate Student Total Days Possible The key to this formula is basing Student Total Days Possible on the actual number of days that each individual student is really enrolled at the school. If one assumes that each student who was ever enrolled at any point in the school year could have attended every day of the year will over-estimate the Total Days Possible and guarantee an underestimate of the real truancy rate. The higher the mobility rate at a given school, the greater the discrepancy. Every state will wrestle with the definitional complexities and the calculation. However, for the first time, we will have a reasoned estimate that will inform public policy. Special thanks to Jodi Heilbrunn, NCSE Senior Research and Policy Analyst for her contributions to this article. NCSE Announces National Truancy Prevention Poster Contest Promoting a community standard for school attendance is critical. One way to establish this expectation is through posters or media products. NCSE is hosting a national truancy prevention poster contest. To be eligible to apply, the poster or printed materials must already be in use or developed. We are not asking groups to design new posters or materials; we want to learn more about what people are currently using. Prizes and awards will be given in three categories: Community campaign, School district/area-wide campaigns, and individual school campaigns. Click here for application. Please submit your poster today. Contest entry are due by April 21, 2006
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Hot Topics School attendance policies and best practices in truancy reduction were the recent topics of conversation on the Truancy Listserv. Here is an example of what people shared. Best Practices: School policies and rules related to excused and unexcused absences and tardies were discussed. Listserv participants from Iowa and Kansas were advocates of "Zero Tardy" campaigns, which focus on increasing awareness of the importance of getting to class on time and include rewards such as ribbons and trophies. Based on an "attendance audit" of over 50 Oregon schools, the following practices have been identified as essential in addressing truancy issues: Strong "universal" attendance support systems. These are things that teachers and schools could have in place for all students within the school. These are things that teachers and schools could have in place for all students within the school. Consequence systems. They need to be fair, clear and consistently applied. They need to be fair, clear and consistently applied. Individualized planning and positive, proactive supports. This includes assessing barriers to attendance (functional behavioral analysis) - mentoring - individual attendance contracting - alternative educational options - etc. . This includes assessing barriers to attendance (functional behavioral analysis) - mentoring - individual attendance contracting - alternative educational options - etc... Community truancy support systems – includes legal intervention and other community involvement & support. – includes legal intervention and other community involvement & support. Family Trips: There was much discussion on how to address absences associated with vacations and family trips. Several listserv participants focused on the nature and timing of the trip. They also considered the educational and familial importance of the trip in determining if the absences should be excused. Those with this view made the case that students should be excused as long as they do the agreed upon assignments and/or make up the work missed. In contrast, others stated it is always inappropriate for students to miss school for vacations and trips. They emphasized that these absences are disruptive to coursework and send a message that school is not a priority. It was also noted that families should try to plan their trips in accordance with the school calendar, which designates holiday and break times. Several people mentioned that their schools allow for up to ten days of absences that do not have to be supported with any form of documentation, thus allowing some flexibility. |
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Grants.gov Nonprofit Works |
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Resources and Research Helping America's Youth National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges National Dropout Prevention Center/Network The National Truancy Prevention Association |
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Call for Presentations The National Conference of the Hamilton Fish Institute on School and Community Violence - 2006 Conference: Call for Workshops and Papers The conference is intended to be an informed and creative conversation and debate about the state of school violence research, while encouraging partnerships among public, private, and not-for-profit enterprises. In addition, the conference is intended to elevate awareness among policy-makers and the general public concerning violence in schools. The Virginia Juvenile Justice Association (VJJA) - "Call for Presentations" for the 2006 VJJA Fall Institute Conferences American Humane Association's 2006 Conference and Skills Building Institutes on Family Group Decision-Making (FGDM) - "We Belong to Each Other" National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
69th Annual Conference
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