For their co-op job, six college students were placed in high schools as truancy prevention facilitators. Data collected on 600 high school truants showed that the facilitators were effective change agents in influencing attendance behavior, establishing informal positive relations with truants, and effecting cooperation among truants, their…

Investigated the influence of school context in predicting high school students' risk taking behaviors (e.g., truancy, substance use and sexual behaviors), hierarchically examining school attachment, school involvement, and future orientation as potential predictors of risky behaviors. Surveys indicated that the hierarchical model held true for…

In a survey on attitudes toward skipping class given to 75 undergraduates at a prominent state university in the Midwest, 84% of 38 respondents answered that they have been or may be inclined to skip a class because of reasons associated with "health": they are tired or just not feeling well. All women (n=20) chose this option, while…

This article considers the issues of attendance and non-attendance, the latter of which has been recently linked with "behaviour" in a range of policy initiatives in England. John Dwyfor Davies and John Lee review some of the existing material on non-attendance and then draw on data they have collected in one large English city. The…

The purpose of this research project was to improve the attendance of high school students using teacher initiatives. There were two teachers and about 140 students involved. The interventions used were improving lesson plans, developing better relationships with students and positive incentives. The students at this school had a history of very…

Many minority adolescents in the United States today are at a high risk for truancy, dropout, and academic under-achievement. Truancy is related to a host of preceding and subsequent risks such as delinquency and limited vocational outcomes. Using participatory research methods, this federally funded, 10-month study assessed youths' perceptions of…

Too few studies have assessed the relationship between youth risk behaviors and religiosity using measures which captured the varied extent to which youth are engaged in religion. This study applied three measures of religiosity and risk behaviors. In addition, this study ascertained information about youths' participation in religious activities…

"Kids Count in Colorado!" is an annual publication of the Colorado Children's Campaign, which provides the best available state- and county-level data to measure and track the education, health and general well-being of the state's children. "Kids Count in Colorado!" informs policy debates and community discussions, serving as…

An important aspect of students' access to education is the amount of time actually spent in the classroom. This brief highlights data on the student absentee rate for 1990-91. The data were extracted from "The Condition of Education, 1995," U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics. Findings indicate that…

As one report in a comprehensive study of Illinois state mandates for elementary and secondary education, this study covers the three major areas in the Illinois compulsory attendance law: students' entrance age, their exit age, and the schools' obligation to enfore truancy regulations. After brief histories of compulsory attendance laws in the…

School refusal behavior refers to child-motivated refusal to attend school and/or difficulty attending classes for an entire day (Kearney & Silverman, 1996). As such, the term represents an umbrella construct for many historical ones that have been used to describe youths with problematic absenteeism, including truancy, psychoneurotic truancy,…

Presents statistics on 1,552 students whose absenteeism was considered chronic by attendance teachers and indicates the degree of success achieved by attendance officers through efforts aimed at improving student attendance. Tables indicate percentage of absence before attendance officer contact, percentage of increase after contact, days salvaged…

The Operation Stay-in-School (OSIS) program was developed to reduce truancy before it diminishes the value of the student's education, leads to other problems such as increased burglary, vandalism, and drug abuse, and reduces the school district's attendance revenue. Truants apprehended by police are taken to OSIS reception centers where they are…

This paper includes both an evaluation of group counseling and a manual for training persons in group counseling. Thirty-five full-time graduate trained counselors were given 30 intensive hours of training in interpersonal skills and group work over a five-week period. In addition to this, all trainees operated a student group in conjunction with…

Summarizes workshop discussions on adolescent prejudice; making the most of the media in improving school attendance; services available to children--treatment centers; truancy in Ontario; and discipline. Presented at the 64th annual conference of the International Association of Pupil Personnel Workers, St. Louis, Missouri, 1978. (Author/LPG)