Truancy can have a detrimental impact on student outcomes. Risk assessments are used to identify behavioral and emotional problems associated with school truancy. Although imperative for informing decisions about student's welfare, risk assessments generally lack substantial validity evidence. Specifically, supporting score interpretation across…

The Washington Assessment of Risk and Needs of Students (WARNS) is a brief self-report measure designed for schools, courts, and youth service providers to identify student behaviors and contexts related to school truancy. Empirical support for WARNS item invariance between ethnic groups is lacking. This study examined differential item…

The report contains real-world, proven school climate strategies to guide policymakers in building a comprehensive and coherent state-wide approach for improving school climate. It features 12 recommendations linked to existing state policy examples policymakers can use to build a comprehensive, coherent state-wide approach for improving school…

Because the relationship between school disciplinary models and truancy outcomes is unknown, it is difficult for school leaders to understand the costs and benefits of punitive versus nonpunitive discipline. To achieve the State of Georgia's stated policy objectives of lowering truancy and its negative outcomes, this knowledge gap needs to be…

Excessive student absenteeism among ninth graders was a major problem within a metropolitan Georgia high school. In order to solve the attendance problem and several other academic concerns, the school administration implemented a smaller learning community for ninth grade students. The Ninth Grade Academy concept implemented at the beginning of…

This study addressed the problem of poor attendance adversely affecting grades and learning. Current school policies do not address problematic attendance for all school-aged children, perpetuating trends of academic failure. The research objective was to determine if unexcused absences had a greater negative impact on a high-stakes test compared…

This study addressed the problem of poor attendance adversely affecting grades and learning. Current school policies do not address problematic attendance for all school-aged children, perpetuating trends of academic failure. The research objective was to determine if unexcused absences had a greater negative impact on a high-stakes test compared…

In 1999, the De Kalb (Georgia) Truancy School was created, with cooperation from the county board of education, the superintendent, and the county juvenile court. The school gives chronically truant students an educational setting focused on their individual circumstances and needs. Average daily attendance for 51 students is 97 percent. (MLH)

This report examines how New York counties can systematically and programmatically improve approaches to managing persons in need of supervision (PINS), describing approaches to truancy prevention and diversion that have been instituted nationwide and may be applicable to the PINS operating system. Researchers surveyed truancy-specific programs…