Absenteeism is frequently cited as the most troublesome day-to-day problem for secondary school administrators. There are no perfect answers to the problem. A strong stand on absenteeism usually results in only partial success, but a permissive policy often produces many more absences. A report on absenteeism by Educational Research Service found…

This paper contains a study of student attendance problems in the New York City school system. The goals of the study were to determine the degree to which the chancellor's attendance program had been implemented at the school level, to explore some attendance-related issues, and to make recommendations for action by the board of education.…

The problem of truancy and irregular school attendance is widespread in urban, suburban, and rural school districts. The media have interesting and far-reaching capabilities for combating this problem. Possible uses of the print media in this area include posters, bumper stickers, billboards, leaflets and flyers, handouts, buttons, T-shirts,…

Truancy is a growing problem for both individual pupils and school systems in general. Traditionally, truancy has been thought of as a "symptom" of other problems faced by the student. The advent of behavior modification offers a new way of viewing truancy as a discrete behavior capable of modification by the application of scientifically-derived…

The attendance policy outlined in this document succeeded in increasing attendance in Napa High School, California. The program focused on student absences due to truancy, not illness, although many of the illness absences reported were due to other, not-so-legitimate causes. The attendance program utilized a direct relationship between the…

This paper argues that in addition to grade retardation, fear of going to school--a fear shared by most parents--might well be if not the crucial factor in the determination to drop out for appreciable numbers of students. (Author/AM)

This article summarizes the results of a survey measuring attitudes of Tennessee secondary school principals toward student absenteeism. The author offers six suggestions intended to help alleviate this serious problem. (DS)

Investigates the enforcement of the compulsory attendance law by taking court action against parents of chronic absentees in extreme cases. Results indicate this type of enforcement can improve attendance for some students. (Author/HMV)

Article stresses change from past in today's truancy patterns. Districts with high truancy also show high daytime crime and drug-taking. Suggests ways for teachers to recognize potential truant, as well as community efforts to combat problem. Goodman's experimental approaches to motivate bored students are outlined. (PD)

Interviews with pupils and parents showed that persistent absentees were living in multiply disadvantaged circumstances compared with regular attendees. Absentees who had been referred for specialist advice tended to present more behavior problems and were more socially isolated outside the home than nonreferred absentees and reqular attenders.…

Perceptions toward school of 15 behavior problem truant girls were examined and compared to those of 15 nontruant girls and 15 truant boys (all junior high). Consistently, the truant girls showed less negative perceptions and less asocial behavior than the boys. The girls were more variable in behavior and attitudes. (Author)

Evaluates a program in the New York City schools that uses employment as a method of reducing absenteeism and truancy in the high schools. The program has met with a measure of success although results are not statistically significant. (Author/IRT)

"Encounter," a guidance program developed for the urban high school classroom, is designed to deal with both the personal crises of adolescence and the structural problems that arise in crowded, racially mixed urban schools. (GC)

Describes a program intended to improve the school attendance of truant students, called the Mentoring and Tutoring Help (MATH) program. Discusses the importance of mentors and their roles in the MATH program, and presents the 18 most critical organizational steps for truancy intervention in the program. (SR)