Anti-truancy efforts are not new, but there are powerful new incentives which are now spurring school officials' interest in keeping students in class and their school. Not only does the "No Child Left Behind" Act require schools to boost student attendance and lower dropout rates, schools will never be able to succeed in meeting the law's Annual…

This article begins with a cursory discussion on rates and causes of school exclusion as well as curriculum initiatives intended to minimise exclusion risks and improve school attendance. Focus is then placed upon an evaluation of an innovative programme designed to provide support to those at risk of exclusion from secondary schools.…

This article begins by examining the Scottish Executive's published figures on exclusion from school to argue that while they show small reductions in the use of temporary exclusions from year to year, there is as yet no evidence of a substantial reduction. In addition it argues that the published data fail to give an accurate picture of the…

The Task Force to Develop Standards and Goals for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention was initiated in the Spring of 1975 by the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) of the U.S. Department of Justice. The efforts of this task force resulted in nine reports, each one dealing with one aspect of the Juvenile Justice System. This…

This paper presents some results from a group of St. Louis born black males aged 31-36 who were systematically interviewed during the year 1965-66. The sample in this report is deemed a high risk population because the fathers are at very high risk for alcoholism and the children are at high risk for unfavorable school and legal outcomes…

The problem of truancy in the elementary and junior high schools of California's Yolo County was investigated during the 1980-81 academic year by means of questionnaires completed by 16 school principals and interviews with 30 people representing schools, school district offices, law enforcement agencies, the Department of Social Services, and the…

Absenteeism has personal as well as institutional causes. It is increasingly impossible for schools to function as custodians of their student, given changing social attitudes toward both youth and authority. Therefore, schools must respond to students' needs by curricular revision, for example, in order to cut down on absenteeism. Hazell…

Highlights and excerpts from public hearings in Cook County, Illinois, on student truancy, suspension and expulsion are presented. The hearings represent an attempt to determine how many youths out of school due to truancy, expulsion or suspension are provided with an alternative education program by their schools and whether the out-of-school…

A computerized automatic dialing system that phones parents during the evening has raised the attendance rate at a Texas school to 97 percent. The system documents the numbers called, calls answered, and those unanswered, redials busy signals and unanswered numbers, and is capable of recording parent response. (MLF)

This book offers guidance on dealing with the problem of truancy and non-attendance. It provides examples of the latest ways that schools, teachers, education welfare officers, and local education authorities in the United Kingdom have worked to overcome their attendance problems, identifying 120 short-term solutions and several long-term…

The primary areas in which Broward County, Florida visiting teachers (one for about 6000 children) serve the schools are student welfare and attendance. Student welfare problems usually fall into one or more of these categories; financial, emotional, scholastic, health. Student attendance problems fall into two categories: truancy and…

Presents the complexities involved in deciding the need and direction for compulsory education. (RK)

Reviews the literature on flexible scheduling (FS), with particular emphasis on flexible modular schedules (FMS), in secondary schools. Analyzes problems with FMS that might have contributed to its declining popularity in the 1970s. An extensive bibliography is appended. (AOS)

In Elizabethton (Tennessee) a separate program with one teacher keeps some high school students from dropping out and helps improve their attendance. (Author/MLF)

Describes the delinquency-reduction program in Bath, New York. A juvenile aide officer serves as a liaison between the school and criminal justice system to informally resolve less serious incidents. (LMI)