Truancy Numbers Hard to Count

Truancy is a serious concern that affects most school districts in the United States, and school personnel have long recognized that truancy is a major problem. In 2007, the U.S. Department of Education's (ED) National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reported that 31 percent of teachers agreed that tardiness and cutting class interfered with their teaching. This rate jumps to 45 percent among schools with 1,000 or more students.¹ Unfortunately, quantifying the national prevalence of truancy has been difficult due to the lack of a uniform definition of truancy and due to inconsistent tracking and reporting procedures. Nonetheless, both national self-reported truancy data and data from individual schools, districts, cities, and states indicate that truancy is a common behavior.

While the statistics in the text box above demonstrate that truancy is indeed a prevalent behavior, they also demonstrate that state definitions of truancy and reporting procedures vary greatly. Although the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires schools to report truancy rates, at the present time there are no requirements pertaining to the calculation of these rates. The Department of Education, through its NCES, views truancy as a function of attendance and organized an attendance working group to focus on the problem from that perspective. The group began work in late 2007 to review existing attendance codes and calculations in order to create a comprehensive and mutually exclusive list to be used nationally. This work will help clarify the average daily attendance rates, one set of commonly employed statistics that sometimes masks high truancy rates at a school or within a district.

For example, a school can have a high average daily attendance rate and also have a big problem with truancy. Different reporting techniques can paint vastly different pictures of the same attendance rates. The average daily attendance rate does not capture the full picture of students who are chronically absent because it assesses numbers instead of individual patterns of absence. It is entirely possible that 30 percent of a given student population is considered chronically absent even though on an average day 90 percent of the students are in class.

Another complication is the variance in definitions of chronic truancy. Some districts define it as 21 or more days of absence during the school year. Some districts define it as only 10 days missed during the year.

Even with formal guidelines and appropriate reporting strategies, tracking truancy in a meaningful way can be challenging for schools. These concerns, as well as some solutions, are outlined in two reports written by the NCSE in 2005 and 2006.^2,3 Consistency emerges as the most difficult challenge; attendance tracking is often inconsistent between districts, schools, and even classrooms. The NCSE recommends that these problems can be overcome if formal and appropriate definitions of truancy are established, if all districts within a state use the same tracking software, if school staff members are trained on consistent attendance-taking and reporting practices, and if school staff members recognize the importance of collecting and reporting accurate data.

The NCSE also urges school districts to carefully consider the handling of truancy coding for students who are chronically absent or drop out of school. Many schools cease tracking these students after they have accumulated a certain number of absences, a practice that inappropriately deflates the true truancy rate.

In addition to carefully collecting truancy incident data, schools should collect data on remedial actions taken for individual students. These data can help schools identify students or groups of students who have fallen though the cracks and also provide schools with a better understanding of the effectiveness of their truancy prevention efforts.

For example, collected as part of a needs assessment study of the truancy problem in Denver, data from Denver Public Schools during the 2004–05 school year indicate that only a small fraction of even the most serious truants (4 percent of elementary, 16 percent of middle, and 6 percent of high school students who were classified as chronic truants) received any type of intervention beyond a phone call or letter.⁴

As outlined in the text box below, research demonstrates that the consequences of chronic truancy are far reaching, resulting in negative implications for multiple levels of society (e.g., individuals, families, schools, and communities).

One important first step to promote regular school attendance is attainment of an honest and accurate description of the current state of truancy. By taking this crucial step, schools, districts, and states will be better equipped to develop and implement effective truancy prevention strategies.

Citations

1 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2007). Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2007 (Report No. NCES 2008- 021). Washington, D.C.

2 National Center for School Engagement (2005). School attendance tracking: Challenging and effective practices. Denver, CO.

3 National Center for School Engagement (2006a). Guidelines for a national definition of truancy and calculating rates. Denver, CO.

4 National Center for School Engagement (2006b). Truancy in Denver: Prevalence, effects, and interventions. Denver, CO.

	Truancy Predictors Disengagement from school Lack of success in school Association with delinquent peers Personal delinquent values Lack of family attachment	Truancy Outcomes Increased Risk For: Poor academic performance School dropout Delinquency Teenage pregnancy Substance abuse
Source: Journal of Adolescent Health, Vol. 40, Issue 4, Henry, K.L., Huizinga, D.H., 2007

Truancy Research Provides Insights on How to Keep Kids in Class

For the past decade, the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency (OJJDP), in partnership with the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools of the U.S. Department of Education, has overseen and funded several programs under the Truancy Reduction Demonstration Program. Sources at OJJDP answered the questions below based on findings of the program evaluation and related research.

Q1: Why do students engage in truancy?

There are many reasons and the reasons may be as unique and individualized as the children themselves. The causes of truancy are often classified according to personal, family, and school factors. Poor self-esteem, feelings of academic failure, poor relationships with other students, and gang involvement have been correlated with truancy. Mental and physical health problems and bullying also may be contributing factors. Family factors include homelessness, poverty, domestic violence, frequent moves, and other crises. Transportation difficulties are often a factor. Other family factors include elevated levels of family conflict and ineffective and inconsistent parental disciplinary practices. School factors may include poor student-teacher relations, inappropriate academic placement, and ineffective or inconsistently applied attendance policies.

Q2: How many truant days should a student accumulate before the school takes action?

As few as possible. Research indicates that the earlier the intervention occurs, the better. Unexcused absence in elementary school is a warning sign that parents may need resources or information about education or the education system. Any unexcused absence (in all grades) should be cause for immediate follow-up. Some truant youths may not be skipping full days, but only specific classes. Tracking attendance in a consistent way is the best method to identify areas where intervention may be necessary. The more absences a student accumulates, the more difficult it is to catch up, and the more incentive a student has for continued truancy.

Q3: What challenges do schools face in preventing or reducing truancy?

Schools have the greatest advantage in working with truants because they are the first to know that a student is having problems. The primary challenge that schools face is in developing partnerships with organizations that can assist in ensuring that youths return to and stay in school. It is clear that schools lack resources in many areas. Partnerships with law enforcement, courts, social services, businesses, and faith-based and community organizations can address this lack of resources while engaging greater awareness and support from the community. At the school level, perhaps one of the most important challenges that should be addressed is developing a consistent, accurate method of tracking student attendance. It is impossible to target interventions and activities if it is not clear where the attendance problems are greatest.

Q4: What are the most important steps schools can take to combat truancy?

Dealing with truancy involves both taking early and effective action to get the students back to school, and also taking steps to engage the students at school once they are back. (See question 7 for information about the best strategies for a communitywide truancy prevention and reduction effort.) Some specific steps that can occur at the school level (and within school districts) include: Ending out-of-school suspensions for truancy. Eliminating failing grades and removing attendance as factors in grading. (Use A, B, C, and Incomplete.) Making start times for secondary schools later in the morning. Focus policies on learning and earning credits. (Provide partial credit options for students.) Offer specialized classes, such as Saturday or evening classes, to support students who have fallen behind and need to catch up. Eliminating "push-out policies" that withhold learning opportunities from truant students. For those beginning to tackle truancy issues, OJJDP also strongly recommends the Truancy Case Management Handbook: Advice from the Field. This book provides specific case studies and recommendations from the truancy-reduction program evaluation conducted and published by the National Center for School Engagement (NCSE).

Q5: With what community groups, organizations, or services should schools partner to begin or enhance truancy prevention initiatives?

Schools can partner effectively with law enforcement, juvenile and family courts, local government, local businesses, public health and human services, transportation, child welfare, nonprofits, community centers, and faith-based and community organizations. Parent and student organizations are also important players in truancy prevention.

Q6: What role should parents play in preventing truancy?

Parents should have an understanding of the importance of daily attendance and the relationship between truancy and other negative outcomes. Parents need to have support from the school and feel welcome at the school. Parents are essential to communicating the importance of daily school attendance to their children, but in some cases they are not able to ensure daily attendance without other support. Most of all, the school and the parents need to join forces in a common mission to promote good attendance for the students. It is crucial to avoid the "blame game" in which parents blame the school and the school blames the parents.

Q7: What are the most effective strategies to prevent truancy?

NCSE, the organization that evaluated OJJDP's Truancy Reduction Demonstration Program, established the "three A's" of truancy prevention (attendance, attachment, and achievement) based on findings from that evaluation and related research. Elements of the three A's are summarized as follows: Attendance Clear expectations of students, families, and school staff; System to monitor and reward students with good attendance; Outreach to families and communities on the importance of attendance; and Policies that promote attendance. Achievement High expectations and encouragement for academic achievement of all students; Relevant, rigorous, and culturally competent curriculum; Flexible instruction to address different learning styles (including data-driven instruction to meet the varying education needs of all students); and Multi-measures of success (including goals for students who are not college bound). Attachment Positive relationships (including student- student, student-teacher, teacher-family, and school-community); Safe environments where students, staff, and families feel secure, and issues of bullying and harassment are effectively addressed ; School-based supports and resources (such as after-school programs, family support programs, mentoring, sports, and arts or music) provided in cooperation with community groups; and Welcoming school climates that include office staff that are friendly and familiar with students and families, adults who model respectful communication, and positive peer relationships. Themes across the three A's include: Family involvement that includes opportunities for families to be active in their children's education, parent training, and effective two-way communication between families and schools to share successes and problems; Professional development for educators and school administrators on such topics as school engagement, welcoming school climate, and individualized instruction; and Leadership that includes an advisory council of students, families, and teachers to track school engagement, inclusion of community partners, and inclusive decision-making.

Q8: What are the most effective strategies to reduce truancy once a student begins skipping school?

Spur collaboration among schools, courts, law enforcement, partner agencies, and families to provide the most comprehensive truancy-reduction efforts—offer a continuum of rewards and punishments for families and students. Most truancy goes without consequences until it reaches a very high level (large number of missed days), so immediate action and the consequences and rewards that follow help ensure better engagement. Schools should review their policies to ensure they are not inadvertently using what we term "push-out policies" that actually discourage school attendance, such as automatic failure as a result of missed classes or suspension as a punishment for truancy.

Q9: What are the future directions for truancy prevention and intervention?

OJJDP sees the direction as continuing to research and disseminate best practices (including training and technical assistance) among truancy prevention efforts, identifying the "real" and common definitions of truancy rates in the U.S., and increasing awareness of the extreme importance of keeping children in schools. OJJDP believes that the future direction needs to be built on the three A's of attendance, attachment, and achievement. These work together to promote school success such that students attend regularly, feel engaged in their own learning and in the life of the school, and achieve their academic goals.

For more information about the OJJDP Tool Kit, see the Resources section on page 7. For resources and information about evaluation results of OJJDP's truancy reduction program, visit NCSE online at http://www.schoolengagement.org.

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