Search

The truancy problem has become one of the most troubling issues that school administrators face while attempting to reform public education. This paper describes the legal evolution of efforts to reduce school truancy and the economic impact of truancy on society. Solutions range from reducing the number of required years of schooling to eliminating compulsory schooling entirely to raising the allowable exit age. The paper also identifies the social causes of truancy. A conclusion is that the multimodel approach to reduce truancy involving the family, student, and the school has proven to produce the most effective results. The intervention program, according to Brown (1983), should include therapy for conduct disorders or other problems contributing to truancy, extra academic help through tutoring, and incentives for good attendance. (Contains 22 references.) (LMI)

Administrators have many methods at their disposal to use in the struggle to control truancy. This paper describes the kinds of truancy-reduction efforts most commonly used: stringent laws and regulations (such as parental sanctions, zero credit, suspensions, and police intervention), inschool programs (the school-climate-improvement and the effective-school approaches), computer technology tracking systems, and community intervention. The paper concludes that the multimodal approach involving the family, student, and school has produced the most effective results. The student's attitude toward the school is the most important factor in combating truancy. Finally, the school administrator is responsible for creating a school climate that motivates students to attend. (Contains 26 references.) (LMI)