Youth with disabilities are at a higher risk for involvement in the juvenile justice system. Why is this true, and what should parents and caregivers know about this issue? This series of five briefs answers these questions and provides parents with steps for protecting their children's rights in both the education and the court systems.

School discipline is a core indicator of school effectiveness. Learner management is crucial and educational researchers need to focus on factors leading to indiscipline in schools. Guided by Planned Behaviour Theory that explores on guidance, counseling and good classroom management the study used the survey research design to sample 91 teachers…

The belief that intelligence is malleable has important consequences for achievement and motivation (Blackwell et al. "Child Development," v78, p246-263. 2007; Dweck, 1999; Robins & Pals, "Self and Identity," v1, p313-336, 2002). However, believing that it is possible to improve intelligence does not necessarily mean…

School attendance is a rising issue in public schools. Students regularly absent from school can end up involved in destructive behaviors and dropout of school. Family characteristics are strong determining factors in students' school attendance. This presents the question, "Can family involvement improve public school students'…

Truancy laws have an interesting history in America. In the past, truancy laws were rarely enforced and resulted in the student's removal from school rather than troubleshooting the bigger issues that led to their absenteeism. Today, legislators are holding the families of truant students accountable and requiring school districts to keep a close…

There is little data on whether school discipline or juvenile justice sanctions are directed disproportionately toward sexual minority youth (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, or questioning; LGBQ) compared with heterosexual youth and even less on factors that may relate to such disparities. We tested for sexual orientation-based disparities in school…

School absenteeism and truancy confront educators on a daily basis. While public school districts in the U.S. experience daily rates of absenteeism, in the Los Angeles Unified school District (LAUSD), over 26,000 students miss school each day, totaling over 130,500 student absences each week. Regardless of whether these absences are excused (e.g.,…

Chronic absence is a national crisis, dragging down achievement for students across the country. Attendance Works defines chronic absence as missing 10 percent or more of school days for any reason--excused or unexcused as well as suspensions. The purpose of this brief is examine the role of state policy and action in ensuring chronic absence is…

This paper is a project report of a policy analysis of state attendance information available to public schools. Current state attendance information rarely expands beyond compulsory attendance law. It is vague, non-existent or difficult to find. Research provides strong links between student attendance and achievement. Informed school leaders…

Truancy issues are longstanding and the desires to develop programs that are effective have been just as enduring. More striking is the lack of evidence of a truancy program evaluation process that includes collaboration with the clients that it serves. Truancy intervention programs have a wide range of effects on participants from multiple ethnic…

Truant youths are likely to engage in a number of problem behaviors, including sexual risky behaviors. As part of a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded, prospective intervention project, a sample of truant youths' sexual risk behavior was tracked over five time points. Analyses of the data was informed by four objectives: (a) determine…

Recent research highlights the role of peer victimization in students' adjustment across a variety of domains (e.g., academic, social), but less often identifies potential mediating variables. In the current study, we tested for direct effects from peer victimization to adolescents' academic behavior and alcohol use, as well as indirect effects…

Although truancy has been studied extensively, less attention has been given to the actual voices of the truants themselves. The current study helps fill that gap by examining recollections from a sample of 34 emerging adults (ages 18-25) who experienced various levels of high school truancy across different geographical settings. A qualitative…

Many schools are faced with the prospect of soaring absenteeism rates, despite the use of traditional truancy courts and other legal interventions. A recent trend in the literature has been to explore alternative, hybrid, and multidisciplinary approaches to address the underlying obstacles to school attendance. These programs are often integrated…

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…