Dealing With Chronic Absenteeism and Its Related Consequences: The Process and Short-Term Effects of a Diversionary Juvenile Court Intervention

Abstract

School administrators, teachers, parents, and juvenile justice officials have long been concerned about the problem of truancy in schools, especially since truancy has been linked to problem behaviors, including academic failure, school dropout, and delinquency. Thus, the prevention of truancy and programs designed to break the cycle of chronic absenteeism are assumed to have beneficial effects far into the future. Here, multiple methods are used to determine the process and effects of an innovative program designed to deal with chronic absenteeism. Qualitative and quantitative data are presented to show how the program operates and its effects on attendance following the intervention

Evaluation of a truancy court intervention in four middle schools

“…This Þnding is generally consistent with previous research that found a limited impact of truancy court beyond the semester of intervention (Fantuzzo, Grim, & Hazan, 2005;Mueller et al, 2006;Munoz, 2001). The Þnding is also consistent with those of Shoenfelt and Huddleston (2006), who evaluated another program based on the TCDP in Bowling Green, Kentucky.…”

“…Given the wide range of truancy severity among the students in our study, we also investigated the impact of the intervention on students with differing levels of truancy severity at baseline. In an evaluation of a similar program designed to deal with chronic absenteeism in elementary-school students, Mueller, Giacomazzi, and Stoddard (2006) observed that the intervention was most successful in ameliorating absenteeism for those students who have accumulated a large number of absences, although they did not do any statistical analyses to conÞrm this observation. To our knowledge, no study to date has considered whether a truancy court intervention focused on middle-school students, such as the one undertaken in SpringÞeld, would differentially affect students with varying levels of truancy severity.…”

Student Absenteeism in Secondary Education, Absenteeism-Related School Practices and Recommended Policies

“…Öğrencilerin ilerlemeleri, üniversiteye girmeleri, çalışma potansiyelleri (De Kalb, 1999) ve kendilerine olan özsaygılarının gelişmesi de bu durumdan etkilenmektedir (Reid, 1999). Suça yönelme, uyuşturucu kullanma, gençlik çetelerine katılma, hırsızlık, şiddet gibi davranışlarla okuldan kaçma ve devamsızlık arasında yüksek bir ilişki bulunmaktadır (Aydın, 2003;Barlow ve Fleischer, 2011;Mueller ve Giacomazzi, 2006). Devamsızlığın, uzun vadede öğrencileri üretken bir insan olma konusunda dezavantajlı hale getirdiği, okula devam etmeme alışkanlığı edinen öğrencilerin okulu terk etme eğiliminin arttığı (DeSocio vd., 2007;ERG, 2015;Hunt vd., 2002;Lloyd, El Tawila, Clark ve Mensch, 2003;Pehlivan, 2006;Somers, Owens ve Piliawsky, 2009) ve bu öğrencilerin eninde sonunda okuldan ayrıldıkları bildirilmektedir (Rodriguez ve Conchas, 2009).…”

An Interdisciplinary Model of School Absenteeism in Youth to Inform Professional Practice and Public Policy

“…Levels of interventionIncrease diversity of school faculty and increase communication with ethnically diverse families within a school district Quinary level (child+parent+family+peer+school+community-oriented absenteeism) Primary and secondary and tertiary and quaternary level strategies Wide-ranging, research-based interventions such as multisystemic therapy Link school-based teams to outside resources such as police, court, social services, churches, and community organizations that address diverse youth Police sweeps and special administrative units within schools for students with chronic absenteeism Place absenteeism or truancy courts within school settings Legal consequences that still require attendance within a sanctioned academic setting; consequence examples include detention, in-school suspension, school-based community service, and other methods allowing for easier transition to a regular classroom setting Pertinent references:Barnet et al 2004;Broussard 2003;DeSocio et al 2007;Epstein and Sheldon 2002;Fantuzzo et al 2005;Garrison 2006;Gibson and Bejinez 2002;Jones 2004;Kearney 2008b;Kearney and Albano 2007a;Kearney et al 2001;Lehr et al 2003;Lever et al 2004;McCluskey et al 2004;Mueller and Stoddard 2006;Oros et al 2000;Portwood et al 2005;Reid 2006Reid , 2007Reynolds et al 2001;Richtman 2007;Shoenfelt and Huddleston 2006;Sinclair et al 2005;Southwell 2006;Teasley 2004;White et al 2001.…”