In a high school a problem existed in which 43 students in grades 9 through 12 received failing grades for the first semester due to excessive absenteeism. A target group of students with excessive school absences was identified by the school faculty. Intervention counseling sessions were held with these students. Of the 46 students, only 12 were…

A dropout prevention program was developed to address the needs of middle school alternative students, those students who have been labeled as severely disruptive and who fall into the high-risk category for potential dropouts. Many of the students have a history of physical violence, abusive language, truancy, and police arrests or juvenile…

This paper describes an American Indian reservation's alternative secondary school which was designed to improve high risk students' attendance, basic skills, and self-image in preparation for transition to the public high school. Students: (1) had been expelled from public or boarding school; (2) had been referred by a social service agency; (3)…

For decades, educators have been concerned with the problem of truancy. Accordingly, this report focuses on an absentee improvement program at a rural, lower-middle class, predominantly white elementary school with 722 students that had a history of high truancy, as verified by teachers, the administration, the school counselor, staff, and…

This practicum describes the development of a weekly peer group program for students who were at risk for truancy status. Participants were culturally diverse middle school students from low to middle class families. Interviews were conducted to determine reasons for missing school. Responses included illness, lack of motivation mostly from…

This practicum report describes a 12-week project to decrease truancy and improve motivation and academic performance of three students (ages 12 to 18) hospitalized with severe emotional disturbances. A visible and powerful reward system using a menu strategy was developed and implemented in which students participated daily in establishing goals…