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…

With the student dropout rate being on the rise, it is imperative that corrective measures be taken to encourage graduation among high school seniors This is a major concern in education today, because truancy and dropping out of school by students when they turn the legal drop out age of seventeen have caused the decline in graduations across the…

This monograph is intended as a guide to support self-evaluation of truancy reduction and prevention programs by those involved in their ongoing operations. It is one of four in a series addressing various aspects of truancy, was published by the National Dropout Prevention Center at Clemson University with support from the South Carolina…

Truancy has been identified as one of the top 10 educational problems in the United States and is considered an important predictor of later delinquent behavior. The purpose of this study was to track youth initially referred to the juvenile justice system because of truancy. Data were provided by the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice…

Since the reauthorization of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA; 1997) through the current reauthorization (IDEA 2004), disciplinary procedures and functional behavioral assessment (FBA) have been widely used in school districts to assist in the prevention and amelioration of problem behaviors. Although researchers have…

The Richland Northeast High School in Columbia, South Carolina, finds an after-school detention program and a student supreme court to be successful in handling discipline problems. (JM)

The purpose of this handbook is to stimulate thought, planning, and action. Although few of the alternatives outlined here are "canned" techniques that can be readily applied, the experiences and techniques reported should stimulate the thinking of school officials and citizens so that efforts can be initiated to develop and put into…

One of the South Carolina Department of Education's foremost responsibilities is to initiate attendance improvement programs. Among the services offered to carry out this responsibility is assistance to attendance personnel in developing professional approaches to absenteeism. This guide contains information on the role and function of attendance…

In this publication, six critical components of successful truancy intervention programs have been identified. Each component is discussed based on the research as well as practical considerations. Several program examples are provided at the end of each discussion. Approaches employed by these examples are designated model programs, promising…