 Addressing School Attendance Problems
According to The National Center for
School Engagement, truancy is one of the
top 10 problems facing schools. The
challenge is that there is no one
solution to address truancy. Effective
methods are as unique as each individual
family. Due to the fact that truancy
rates are going up, it is important to
address truancy and to create effective
and lasting partnerships between
everyone involved with the common goal
of reaching kids that have disconnected
from schools. In exploring best
practices, it is important to create
programming that has the following
components:
- Parental involvement
- Collaboration with community
resources
- School commitment to addressing
truancy
- Meaningful incentives and
consequences
- Ongoing evaluation
Addressing truancy is vital to the
success of young people due to the fact
that truancy is a gateway to crime.
Often, mounting unexcused absences are
the first sign that a young person is
losing his or her way. Furthermore,
communities that are successful in
deterring truancy have seen a decline in
overall delinquency and an increase in
overall student achievement.
The Education Service Network
Attendance Assistance Program has
developed informational resources to
help parents and school staff improve
their understanding of truancy and ways
to address it. Here are several topics:
More information about truancy can
also be found at the following web
sites:
- International
Association for Truancy and Dropout
Prevention
http://www.truancypreventionassociation.com
National Center for
School Engagement
http://www.truancyprevention.org
Interactive Illinois
Report Card
http://www.iirc.nin.edu
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