Fifteen Effective Strategies for Improving Student ...

1 National Dropout Prevention Center/NetworkFifteen Effective Strategies for ImprovingStudent Attendance and Truancy PreventionbyJay Smink, S. Reimer, May 2005, National Dropout Prevention CenterCollege of Health, Education, and Human Development, Clemson University, 209 Martin Street, Clemson, SC 864-656-2599 Strategies for Dropout Prevention ..1 Dropout Prevention: Everyone s Problem .. and Use of Report ..3 School and Community Learning Childhood Literacy Core .. the Most of Learning ..17 Educational and Technical the ofContents Research ReportFifteen Effective Strategies for Improving Student Attendance and Truancy PreventionImproving Student attendance and truancy prevention have al-ways been areas of concern for educators, as well as, commu-nity members, and legislators. students who are not in schoolcannot learn, and frequently drop out.

2 Truant students often en-gage in high-risk behaviors that eventually entangle them in thejuvenile justice No Child Left Behind Act (2002) has placed an increasedemphasis on attendance because it may be used as an additionalindicator for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). In fact, 37 state edu-cation agencies have elected to use attendance measures as part oftheir AYP reporting system. As a result, many states are reviewingand developing new attendance policies. Attendance also affectsthe financial health of schools because budgets are most often basedon average daily attendance. Attendance problems and truancy areusually precursors to dropping out of school. students with atten-dance problems are likely to develop negative social behaviors andpersonal practices not acceptable in the business 1986, the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network(NDPC/N) has conducted and analyzed research, sponsored extensiveworkshops, and collaborated with a variety of practitioners to furtherthe mission of reducing America s dropout rate by meeting the needsof youth in at-risk situations, including students with Strategies forDropout PreventionStudents report a variety of reasons for not attending school,being truant, and dropping out of school; therefore, the solutionsare multidimensional.

3 The NDPC/N has identified Fifteen EffectiveStrategies that have the most positive impact on the high schoolgraduation rate. These Strategies appear to be independent, butactually work well together and frequently overlap. Although theycan be implemented as stand-alone programs ( , mentoring orfamily engagement projects), positive outcomes will result whenschool districts develop a program improvement plan that encom-passes most or all of these Strategies . These Strategies have beensuccessful in all school levels from K-12 and in rural, suburban, orurban the Fifteen Effective Strategies were developed to beused to prevent students from dropping out, they are also pertinentto the issues of attendance improvement and truancy Strategies are grouped into four general categories: school andcommunity perspective, early interventions, basic core Strategies ,and making the most of and Community Perspective students are part of aschool community, but they are also part of the community outside1 Introductionthe school grounds.

4 Schools do not exist in isolation. Effective schoolsare integral parts of their communities and, as a result, have strongbusiness and community support. Attendance and truancy issues,both predictors of dropping out of school, are community prob-lems, not just school , to set the stage for a comprehensive dropout preven-tion initiative, and concurrently improve Student attendance andreduce truancy, there are three critical Strategies that serve as abaseline for the other Strategies . Systemic Renewal School-Community Collaboration Safe Learning EnvironmentsEarly Interventions Research has shown that early identifica-tion of poor attendance patterns of children and the ensuing tru-ancy issue are vital to ensuring a successful school experience. At-tendance problems and truancy usually begin in the elementarygrades.

5 When identified early, attitudes and behaviors can often bechanged before they are deeply entrenched. These Strategies aremost Effective when implemented at birth, but continue through-out a child s school years. Family Engagement Early Childhood Education Early Literacy DevelopmentBasic Core Strategies Many school districts and communitiesare seeking Effective interventions that target middle and high schoolstudents in at-risk situations. The following four interventions havehad an impact at all school levels, but seem to be more easily man-aged in middle and high school. These Student -centered strategiesprovide dynamic and meaningful learning opportunities in alterna-tive, traditional, and community settings, all designed to keep stu-dents in school and on a path toward graduation. mentoring /Tutoring Service-Learning Alternative Schooling After-School OpportunitiesMaking the Most of Instruction What happens in the class-room is at the heart of keeping students in school.

6 Strategies thataddress the different learning styles of students , increase the knowl-edge and skills of teachers, and harness the power of technologycan increase learning and attendance. These school-based interven-tions are particularly Effective with students in at-risk situations. Professional Development Active Learning Educational Technology Individualized Instruction Career and Technical Education (CTE) Research Report2 Dropout Prevention:Everyone s ProblemFifteen Effective Strategies for Improving Student Attendance and Truancy Prevention3 Dropout Prevention: Everyone s ProblemThe illustration on the next page depicts the relationship of thefour categories of the Effective Strategies . Early Interventions, BasicCore Strategies , and Instructional Practices are depicted on the back-ground of Systemic Renewal, in conjunction with a Safe LearningEnvironments and ongoing School-Community Collaboration.

7 Ad-ditional information about these Strategies may be found in Smink,J., & Schargel, F. P. (Eds.). (1991). Helping students Graduate: A Stra-tegic Approach to Dropout Prevention. Larchmont, NY: Eye on as there is no one answer to dropout prevention, improvingattendance and reducing truancy requires a multimodal each of the 15 Effective Strategies for increasing the gradu-ation rate can stand alone, an Effective program will use several, ifnot all of the best practices to improve attendance and reduce tru-ancy have been identified: collaboration, use of incentives and sanc-tions, family involvement, establishment of a supportive context,and assessment and evaluation of the program. Effective programswill exhibit the elements of best practices and the 15 Effective strat-egies. The collection of resources provided may help improve exist-ing programs , or facilitate the establishment of new programs toimprove Student attendance and reduce and Use of ReportThe following pages provide a general definition of each strategy,a quote tying the strategy to attendance improvement and truancy,publications, model programs , and Web sites.

8 Many of the modelprograms are listed in the National Center for School Engagement(NCSE) Truancy Program Registry ( ) and/or The National Dropout Prevention Center/Network Model ProgramsDatabase located at ( ).School and community leaders are urged to review the informa-tion related to each of the Effective Strategies and use them to guidelocal attendance and truancy policies and practices. Local leadersmay also want to contact the coordinators of the model programsidentified with each strategy. Research Report4 Fifteen Effective Strategies for Improving Student Attendance and Truancy Prevention5 School andCommunityPerspectiveSystemic RenewalGeneral DefinitionSystemic renewal calls for a continuing process of evaluatinggoals and objectives related to school policies, practices, andorganizational structures as they impact a diverse group oflearners.

9 To prevent and correct serious attendance problems, schoolsneed to change the way they are structured, improve the quality ofcourses, and intensify interpersonal relationships between studentsand teachers (Epstein & Sheldon, 2002, p. 309). Research has identified a Student s attitude towards the schoolis the single most important factor in combating truancy. It is thenthe responsibility of the school administrator to fashion a schoolwhere children want to attend as opposed to having to attend (Gullatt & Lemoine, 1997, p. 18). Systemic solutions to attendance problems will originate froma system that is made up of teachers and administrators who un-derstand the connectedness of a supporting climate, significant re-lationships, engaging and challenging content and instruction, rules,policies and procedures (Wagstaff, Combs, & Jarvis, 2000, p.)

10 29).PublicationsDynarski, M., Gleason, P., Rangarajan, A., & Wood, R. (1998). Im-pacts of school restructuring initiatives. Retrieved March 17, 2005,from , J. R., & Epp, W. (2001). Easy exit: School policies and studentattrition. Journal of Education for students Placed at Risk, 6(3), , J. L., & Sheldon, S. B. (2002). Present and accounted for: Improving Student attendance through family and communityinvolvement. The Journal of Educational Research, 95(5), , D. E., & Lemoine, D. A. (1997). Assistance for the schooladministrator concerned about Student truancy. (ERIC DocumentReproduction Service No. ED409653)Lee, V. E., & Burkam, D. T. (2003). Dropping out of high school: Therole of school organization and structure. American EducationalResearch Journal, 40(2), 353 , J. (2004). By request .. Increasing Student attendance: Strategies from research and practice.