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¶ … American school Counseling Association (ASCA) holds various positions when it comes to professional school counselors and their conduct with students. The paper will look at three of these positions carefully and compare with my own view, opinion and expectations of what school counselors actually do.
The professional school counselor and child abuse and neglect prevention
ASCA position on school counselor and child abuse and neglect prevention is that; it is the professional school counselor's ethical, legal and moral responsibility to ensure that they report any case or suspected case of child abuse/neglect to proper authorities. They are also supposed to recognize that child abuse is not only limited to their homes but corporal punishment by school authorities is as well considered to be child abuse. ASCA is in support of any legislation which bans using corporal punishment as a tool for disciplining students in schools. The rationale behind ASCA's position is that there has been a significant increase of the cases of child abuse and neglect over the years. Though the society believes that it is the right of parents to discipline their children the way they deem appropriate, it becomes a public affair when this discipline turns abusive. Consequences of abuse and neglect are physical and emotional. State laws require that those in helping professions that have a reasonable cause to believe that a child is suffering from abuse should report the situation as required by state laws to the appropriate authorities. Professional school counselors have the mandate of reporting hence they require policies, referral procedures and adequate knowledge. It is only a moral, legal and ethical responsibility of ensuring that one reports any case of child...
Since ASCA recognizes that it is the absolute responsibility of these professional school counselors to make sure they report cases they suspect to be of child abuse and neglect, the Professional school counselors have a commitment of ensuring that they come up with strategies of helping to break the child abuse cycle. I totally agree with this position by ASCA since professional school counselor's act as a link to the network of preventing child abuse. Without these counselors then there would be no way of finding out if there are cases of child abuse/neglect as well. Their role is also important as they assist in coming up with ways of helping and guiding students who have gone through abuse and neglect. However, there must be a reprieve or caveat that can take into account the possibility of an abuse taking place without the proper knowledge of the professional school counselor and this may not be out of neglect or negligence. This then calls for the societal approach to stamping out child abuse within the schools and the American society as a whole.
The professional school counselor and corporal punishment
ASCA position on corporal punishment is that professional counselors oppose the use of corporal punishment. The rational behind this position is that the professional school counselors view the use of corporal punishment as one that is likely to teach children that violence is acceptable when it comes to solving differences. Research has shown that physical punishment is quite an ineffective way of teaching new behaviors in children and also ineffective in teaching skills of solving problems. Professional school counselors are responsible for the protection of students as well as promoting their healthy development and learning. They…
References
American School of Counselor Association, (n.d). ASCA Position Statements.
School A has set up Facebook page courtesy of parents and friends of the school. It has gained several commentators and followers that include several members of the teaching staff. A teacher here referred to as teacher B. who is new on the staff at the beginning of the year has joined the fray. In the second term of the year, the school head bans games and sports activity before
S. were "proficient in reading and math," Pytel explains. These statistics "loudly states that students entering high school" are simply not prepared, Pytel goes on. Moreover, U.S. students do not fare well on the international educational stage. At a time when globalization has brought much closer linkage between cultures, economies, and countries, American school children are lagging behind. The justification for focusing on strategies to keep children interested in school
What is known, though, is that many school counselors continue to be underutilized by the very stakeholders who stand to gain the most benefit from their services, and in many cases the professional services rendered by school counselors is incongruent with the ACSA National Model. For example, in their study, "School Counselors Walking the Walk and Talking the Talk," Scarborough and Luke (2008) emphasize that, "Research has continually found
Outsourcing ZeusCorp is known for its effective and efficient outsourcing practices. The cost of labor is examined to elevate at a very high pace ever since the global inflation has taken roots in the contemporary market place. By comparing the currency rates and the cost of labor the fact become vivid that outsourcing from third world and other developing countries is a cost effective solution to successfully penetrate the market of
…[…… parts of this paper are missing, click here to view or download the entire document ]…EffectivePoliciesandProceduresCanAffectTruancyRate47EFFECTIVEPOLICIESANDPROCEDURESCANAFFECTTRUANCYRATEPoliciesandproceduresperceivedbyschoolleaderstoreducetruancyinapubliccharterschoolAProposalPresentedinPartialFulfillmentOftheRequirementsfortheDegreeofDoctorofEducationUniversityofNewEnglandOctober15,2017Chapter1Introduction:PrevalenceofStudentTruancyStudenttruancyisagrowingproblemintheUnitedStates.Overthelasttwentyyearsthetruancyrateshavegrownnationwidewiththehighestratesininnercities(Jacob&Lovett,2017).Researchindicatesthatstudenttruancyleadstopotentialsociallydeviantbehaviorinadulthood(Dronkers,Veerman,&Pong,2017).Manystudentswhoareabsentforprolongedperiodsaremorelikelytoperformpoorlyacademically,riskingfailureinclassesandfacingdisciplinaryaction.Characteristicsofschoolswithhightruancyratesareuseofonlypunitivetruancyprograms,lackofalternativestudyoptionsforsuspendedstudents,andlackofcounselingandtutoring(Bye,2010).Thereareschoolsthathavebeendoingwellinmaintaininglowtruancyrates,however.Thoseschoolsgivestudentstheoptionfortutoring,allowdistancelearningforsuspendedstudents,andtakeonamixtureofpunitiveandnon-punitivemeasures(Duarte&Hatch,2014).Theselowtruancyratessomeresearcherssuggestcomebecauseofpoverty,crime,andrace(Bye,2010).However,thereareschoolswithnon-whitestudentsthathavelowtruancyrates.Withanationalrankingof764andaFloridarankingof66,DoctorsCharterSchoolisconsideredoneofthebesthighschoolsinthestateregardingstudentattendanceratesandoverallschoolparticipation.Theschoolhasalowtruancyamongstudents,whichisanotableanddistinctivequality.Suchaqualitywillbeanalyzedindepthinthispaperalongwiththevariouspossiblereasonsforthestudents�willingnesstoattendclassregularlyandwhatmethodsareemployedbyschoolstafftokeeptheschoolenvironmentpositive.Firstestablishedin2005,DoctorsCharterSchoolofMiamiShoreisapubliccharterschoolbuiltontheBarryUniversityCampus,sittingon5acresofproperty.ItisinMiamiShore,anareaofFlorida.Thecurrentenrollmentnumberstandsat599andthecampustypeissuburban.TheschoolmascotaretheHawksandtheprincipleisDr.KellyAndrews.Rate�A�asacollegepreparatoryschool,theschoolholdsamunicipalcharterviaVillageofMiamiShoresthatservesstudentsfromgrades6-12(DoctorsCharterSchoolofMiamiShores,2007).ThegradesDoctorsservesarefrom6-12.Initsearlyhistory,DoctorsCharterSchoolwasoriginallyamiddleschoolestablishedin1997underthename,MiamiShores/BarryUniversityCharterSchool.Thenineportablestructuresthatcomprisedtheschool,servedasanalternativeforMiamiShorestudentsthatwouldotherwiseattendHoraceMannMiddleSchool(DoctorsCharterSchoolofMiamiShores,2007).However,after8years,theschoolsecuredmorefundingandin2005,renamedtheschoolitscurrentname.TheschoolgainedapermanentstructurethankstothedonationsgivenbythecitizensofMiamiShoresandadditionalfundsfromtheNorthDadeMedicalFoundation.DCSdrawsfundsfromtwoseparatestreams.OnepartofthefundingcomesfromabondissueapprovedbyVillageresidentsandalargetwo-yeargrantgivenbytheNorthDadeMedicalFoundationforFY2006and2007.DCSraisestheremainderofitsoperatingexpensesfromthestatethroughitsFTEfunding(asetamountforeachstudentintheclassroomperday)andthroughthecollectionofstudentfeesforsuchthingsasmaterialsandtrips(DoctorsCharterSchoolofMiamiShores,2007).Theschoolhas31full-timeteachersforstudentsdisplayingforastudentpopulationof598studentsthatreflectaratiooflessthan20studentsperteacher(19:1)(USNEWS,2017).Thecompletepercentageofeconomicallydisadvantagedstudentsliesat33%withcompleteminorityenrollmentatof83%.Althoughclassattendanceishigh,andthepercentageofstudentswhoAPtestedforAPexamspercentageat(81%),thepercentageofstudentsthatwhopasstheAPexamsstandatis47%,orlessthanhalf.EnglishandMathematicproficiencylevelsliealsohavelowpercentagesat70%and68%respectively,whichisabovethedistrictandnationwideaverage(USNEWS,2017).WithaCollegeReadinessIndexof48.8,theschoolhasroomforimprovement.EvenwiththeWhilestudentsearnaveragetestscores,overall,studentswhoattendDoctorsperformsbetterthanstudentsatotherschoolsinitsdistrict.ThedistrictaverageforEnglishproficiencyis50%andMathematicproficiencyat37%.Thedistrictaverageforcollegereadinessisat44.7andthisisoutof113schoolsand113,242students(USNEWS,2017).Withagraduationrateof98%,DoctorsCharterSchoolofMiamiShoreshasalotgoingforitregardingpositiveaspectsandstudentinterest.Thesekindsofschoolsaimtoprovidethebridgefortruancytobeimproved.However,therearisesaneedtounderstandwhystudentsaretruantinthefirstplace.Parentsworrythattheirchildrenwillbetruantduetocertainbehaviors.However,thesebehaviorscouldbeattributedtoanegativeenvironmentinthehomeoratschool.UnderstandingtheReasonsforTruancyThereareseveralreasonsfortruancyandtheyareoftencomplexandvaried.Somepertaintoanegativeschoolenvironment,studentbehavior,familyeconomicstatus,mentalhealthproblems,tonameafew.Parentsthatputtheirchildreninschoolhaveworriesthattheymaynotreceivethekindofhighqualityeducationtheydeserve.Anegativeschoolenvironmentcancauseproblemsforstudentswishingtolearn.UnlikeDoctorsCharterSchool,classroomsacrosstheMiamioftenhavelargeclassroomsforexample,makingitdifficultforstudentstopayattentioninclassandreceiveattentionnecessaryforunderstandingthecurriculum(Losen,2015).Ifforexample,astudenthasquestionsorneedsexamplesforaspecificassignmentinclass,theteachermaynothavethetimeorpatiencetodealwiththatstudentwhenheorshemustdealwith29otherstudentsallneedingthesamelevelofattention.Manyschoolsacrossthecountryhavestrictpoliciesregardingdisruptivestudentbehaviorthatcouldlandastudentundersuspensionoreven,expulsion.Severalfactorscouldcausedisruptivebehavioramongstudents(Losen,2015).Onecommonreasonispoverty.��highlevelsofpovertyhaveanegativeeffectonschoolbehavior.Thisisattributedlargelytothechronicandacutestressexperiencedbystudentslivinginpoverty.Theexposureisassociatedwithexternalizingbehaviorsthataredisruptiveinschoolsettings�(Hutcheson,2014,p.1).Studentsfacingpovertymaybepartofanunstablehousehold.Theymayendureproblematicandabusiveparents,andhavetodealwithlackofresources.Thesestudentsneedachanceeverynowandthentolearnfromtheirmistakesandreceivethehelpandresourcesthatcouldmakeapositivedifferenceintheirlives.Instead,theyaresuspendedorexpelledandnotgivenachancetoimprove.Highratesofsuspensioncanlendtoahigherrateoftruancy.�ThebifactorstructurereflectedageneralfactorofProblemsinBehavioralEngagementandtwogroupfactors:ProblemsinSocialEngagementandProblemsinAcademicEngagement�(Barghausetal.,2016,p.154).Researchersnotestudentsoftenmaynothaveproblemsacademically,butinsteadsocially.Theymaynotfeelcomfortableengagingwithotherstudents�duetofearofjudgementorinabilitytoproperlysocialize.Providingstudentswiththetoolstobothengagesociallyandacademicallycanallowforahigherpercentageofacademic-basedpositiveoutcomes.Studentinterestmayalsoplayakeyroleintruancy(Dronkers,Veerman,&Pong,2017)..Thisisbecausesuspensionsandexpulsionsmayimpactstudentinterestinanegativeway.Whenstudentsreceivesuspensions,theyhavenoaccesstotheschoolwork.Whenthesuspensionends,dependingonhowlongthetimeoutofschoolwas,theymayhaveincreaseddifficultycatchingupwiththeclass.Ifthereisnooptiontocompleteschoolworkviaonlineaccess,andtheycannotgotoschoolorcontacttheteacherforassignments,thiswhichputsthesekindsofstudentsatanautomaticdisadvantage.Thisisespeciallythecaseiftheyhaveahardtimeacademicallyalready.Tofallbehindinschoolworkwhenthestudenthasexperiencedlowgradescouldsetbackastudentandcouldendupinhavingfailuresinclasses.Byexploringincentivetheoryofmotivationandresearchshowingtheconnectionbetweenexpulsion/suspension,interest,andtruancy,thehopeistoofferclarityinwhytruancyratesarehighandwhatcanbedonetocounteractit.Theseproblems:negativeschoolenvironment,studentbehavior,familyeconomicstatus,mentalhealthproblem(Dronkers,Veerman,&Pong,2017)(Dembo,Wareham,Schmeidler,Briones-Robinson,&Winters,2014)mustbeaddressedfortruancyprogramstobeeffective.ThescopeofthepProblemsassociatedwithtruancyislarge.Forthepurposeofthisstudy,thespecificfocuswillbeschool-basedpoliciesandproceduresthatmaymitigateorreducetruancy.sneedtobeclarified.Withoutapropersynthesisofthereasonssurroundingtheproblem,thereiswillbelimitedunderstandingabouthowtoapproachthestudy.Therefore,itisimportanttostatewhatthiskindthescopeofproblemistodefinethefocusandimprovepotentialexaminationandsynthesis.thequalityofthestudy.StatementoftheProblemTruancyratesintheUnitedStatesareagrowingproblem(Monahan,VanDerhei,Bechtold,&Cauffman,2014).Whetherastudentisabsentduetoasuspensionorbecausetheywillinglychoosetobeabsent,theproblemhasbecomeworthyofresearchandpossibleintervention.Truancyratesarehigherinschoolswithlowsocio-economicstatus(Dembo,Wareham,Schmeidler,Briones-Robinson,&Winters,2014).Mostofthestudentsthatattendtheschoolareofminority.Someofthetruancyproblemsoccurinminoritypopulations(Monahan,VanDerhei,Bechtold,&Cauffman,2014).Whatpolicieshastheschooladoptedtosupportapositiveenvironmentthatmotivatesstudentstoattendschoolandlearn?Theproblemaddressedbythestudyis:Educationalleadersmayhaveimplementedpoliciesandproceduresinpubliccharterschools,butdocumentationaboutwhicharemosteffectiveandwhytheyareislargelyabsent.Actionmustbetakentohelpavoidproblemsinthefuture.Currentpolicieshaveenabledhighertruancyratesduetothezero-toleranceaspectthatenablesharsherandstricterpunishmentofstudentbehavior.�Sincethe1990�s,implementationofzerotolerancepoliciesinschoolshasledtoincreaseduseofschoolsuspensionandexpulsionasdisciplinarytechniquesforstudentswithvaryingdegreesofinfractions�(Monahan,VanDerhei,Bechtold,&Cauffman,2014,p.1110).Whenstudentsaresuspended,orexpelledfortheirbehavior,theymayhaveatoughertimecatchingupinschoolandsucceedingintheiracademicendeavors.Thiscanleadtootherproblemsdownthelineasthestudentsmatureandbecomeadults.Researchsuggeststheexperienceofsuspensionofexpulsioncouldleadtoillegalbehaviorthatisassociatedwithacriminalrecord.�Beingsuspendedorexpelledfromschoolincreasedthelikelihoodofarrestinthatsamemonthandthiseffectwasstrongeramongyouthwhodidnothaveahistoryofbehaviorproblemsandwhenyouthassociatedwithlessdelinquentpeers�(Monahan,VanDerhei,Bechtold,&Cauffman,2014,p.1110).Whenschoolsexpelandsuspendstudents,addingtothetruancyratesoftheschool,negativebehaviorsmayincrease.Thezerotolerancepoliciesofschoolshavebecomethemaincauseforconcerninthesegrowingcasesofsuspensionandexpulsion.Therefore,policiesneedtobechangedtoaddressthisproblem.Todoso,onemustexamineschoolslikeDoctorsCharterSchooltodeterminewhatstepstotaketomakeapositivechange.Althoughtruancydoesnotdirectlyleadtocrime,itoftenhasahighcorrelation.PurposeoftheStudyThepurposeofthestudyistounderstandhowschoolleaders�perspectivesaboutwhethereffectivepoliciesandproceduresycanenableimprovedreducetruancyandimprovestudentattendanceforstudents.ByinterviewingkeystaffinDoctorsCharterSchool,asuccessfulpubliccharterschoolinrelationtowithlowtruancylevels,theremaybeenoughinformationoneffectivepoliciesandprocedurescanbegathered.Thesefindingsmayythatcanprovideabetterunderstandingofwhatschoolleadersincanbedoneinotherschoolscandotoimprovetruancy.Onepotentialaspectofeffectiveschoolpolicyishomeschooling.Schoolswiththeoptionofhomeschoolingmayprovidehopeforthosewhocannotattendschoolorwhoaresuspendedandareunabletoattend.Attendanceplaysalargepartinfacingsuspensionandperformingwellacademically.However,ifschoolshaveanonlineoption,thismayhelpstudentskeepupwithschoolworkandhaveoptions.TheDoctorsCharterSchoolhasastudentportalontheirwebsitethatallowsstudentstoaccessonlineresourcesandevencontactteachersandstaff.ThroughhereResearchabouttruancyreductionsuggestsstudentswithmoreattendanceoptionsmayWhenstudentshavemoreoptions,theycanbeabletoovercomedifficultiesthatcontributetotruancy.theymayfacewithothersorintheirhousehold.Effectiveschoolpoliciesthatimproveattendancemaycontainprocessesandoptionsthatprovidesuchsupportandvariability.Withoutunderstandingsuchaspects,littlehelpcouldbegeneratedandimplementedtohelpstudentsinneedandhelpthemavoidhightruancyrates.Thisareaofresearchwillbeexploredintheinterviewsectionandresults.DoctorsCharterSchoolhasbetterattendanceandbetteracademicperformancecomparedtoalltheotherschoolsinthedistrict(onaverage).Furthermore,mostofthestudentsareminorityornon-white.Thisschoolisaperfectstartingpointforinvestigationintoeffectiveschoolpolicies.Alookintoothersuccessfulschoolsshouldprovideameasureofeffectivenessneededtounderstandbetterwhatstrategiescanimproveattendance.Itcanalsoshowhowotherschoolshandlethingslikeminoritymajorityandlocationofschoollikeanurban,rural,orsuburbansetting.ResearchQuestions1.HowdothepoliciesineffectatDoctorsCharterSchooldiscouragetruancy?Howdoschoolleadersdescribeattendance?Anti-truancy?Policiesandprocedures?2.Whatpoliciesandproceduresareineffectinotherpubliccharterschoolswhereattendanceishigh?andhowcantheycontributetoananti-truancypolicy?Doesthisinformationshowupintheliteraturereview?Ifnot,thenplantokeepaversionofthisquestion.3.TowhatdegreedostaffatDoctorsperceivetheyadheretothewrittenpoliciesandproceduresy?�Thisquestionisamorespecificversionofthethirdquestiontohelpunderstandwhythepolicyimplementedintheseschoolsisineffective.Ifthepoliciespromotestrictadherence,itcouldincreaseratesofsuspensionandexpulsion,increasingratesoftruancy.4.Cantheoptionofonlineeducationreducetruancyratesinschools?Onlineeducationcanbeapowerfultoolforlearning.Asschoolbegintomodernize,theymayofferstudentportalsasseeninDoctorsCharterSchool.However,canonlineclassesbeaviableoptionforstudentsexperiencingproblemsinschool?QualitativeStudiesandInterviewsThestudyisaqualitativeonethatfocusesontheuseofinterviewstocollectqualitativedata.�Theinterviewhastodaybecomeoneofthemostwidespreadknowledge-producingpracticesacrossthehumanandsocialsciencesingeneralandalsoincriticalpsychologymorespecifically�(Brinkmann,2014,p.1008).Interviewscanrangefromformalinterviewsorinformalinterviews.Theycanbedoneface-to-face,overthephone,orovertheinternet.Formalinterviewshaveastructuretothemwheretheresearcherasksaquestionandtheparticipantanswers.However,ininformalinterviews,therecanbediscussionanddoesnothavetosticktothequestionsasked.Themajorityofqualitativeinterviewshavesomestructuretothemandarelabeled,�semi-structured�.�Mostqualitativeinterviews,however,aresemi-structured.Inasemi-structuredinterview,theresearcherprovidessomestructurebasedonherresearchinterestsandinterviewguidebutworksflexiblywiththeguideandallowsroomfortherespondent�smorespontaneousdescriptionsandnarratives�(Brinkmann,2014,p.1008).Thereisaneedtounderstandfromthestafforschoolleader�sperspectivesthatworkatDoctorsCharterSchoolwhythepoliciesattheschoolwork.Tounderstandwhatimprovementshavebeenmadeandwhatkindofschoolenvironmentsuchpoliciespromote,thiscangiveagoodpictureofwhatisbeingdonetoachievepositiveoutcomesforthestudentpopulationattending.Similarstudiesusinginterviewshavegatheredasignificantamountofinsightfulinformationthatallowsfortheabilitytoanswerimportantquestions.Usingfixedeffectsregressionsandcontrollingfortruancypeergroupeffects,weobservethattruancy(measuredasbothadiscretedummyvariableandacontinuouscountmeasure)positivelycorrelatestoearlyschoolleaving.Atruanthasa3.4percentagepointshigherriskofleavingschoolwithoutaqualification(DeWitte&Csillag,2012,p.549).Interviewshelpanswerassumptionsthatcommonlyareassociatedwithattendancerecord.Forexample,highertruancyratescanleadtonegativeacademicoutcomesforstudents.Becausethequalitativestudyisasimpleone,thequestionswillnotbeanalyzedextensively,rather,theywillbeexaminedtoidentifyunderlyingthemes.Thesethemeswillthenbecomparedtothemesfoundintheliteraturereviewtoseeifthereisauniversalthemeorconceptbeingappliedthatleadstosuccessfulacademicperformancebystudentsandgoodattendancerecords.Itisimportanttoallowstudentsandstafferstogivetheiropinionsaswellasenablediscussionofwhatcausedthepositiveornegativeopinion.Thiswillallowforeasieranalysisofresponses.Anotherstudyinterviewedyouthsandtheirexperiencesshowedtheyneededsupportfromtheirparentsandmoreengagementfromtheschooltomotivatethemtocometoschoolmoreandlearn.�Youths�experiencesandrecommendationsillustratethemultiplefactorsthatinfluenceschooltruancyandsuggestpotentialleveragepointsforreducingtruancy,includingmodificationstotheschoolenvironmenttoincreasestudentengagement;amoreeffectiveschoolresponsetoaddresstruancy�(Gase,DeFosset,Perry,&Kuo,2016,p.299).Motivationisanintegralaspectofreducingtruancyamongstudents.(WillkeepinthissectionbecauseIamintroducingtheconceptualframeworkdiscussedinliteraturereview.Thiswasaskedtobeexpandedinpreviouscorrection.)Animportanttheorythatwillbeexploredinthispaperistheincentivetheoryofmotivation.��peoplearepulledtowardsbehaviorsthatofferpositiveincentivesandpushedawayfrombehaviorsassociatedwithnegativeincentives.Theincentivetheorysuggeststhatpeoplearemotivatedtodothingsbecauseofexternalrewards�(Rehman&Haider,2013,p.141).Ifstudentsareincentivizedtoattendclassbyreceivingareward,thismaybeacrucialpartmissinginschoolswithhightruancyratesandmayexplainthedownwardspiralofsomestudentswhentheyarepunishedseverelyforbeingabsent.DoctorsCharterSchoolhasnon-academicawardsthattheygiveouttostudentswhoarerespectfulandhavegoodattendancerecords.Thesecouldbeincentivesforstudentstocontinueattendingclass.Theschool�sattendanceprocedureisstrict,butallowsforevaluationofthereasonsbehindastudent�sabsence.Suchconsiderationforastudentallowsforroomforthestudenttoresolvehisorherproblemsandcontinuegoingtoschool.Oneruleinparticular,isthatifastudentmissesanxamountofdays,theywillhavethesameamountofdaystomakeuptheassignment.Althoughthismaybedifficulttoaccomplish,itdoesleavesomewiggleroomforstudents,thusincreasingtheirmotivationtocontinuefollowingtherulesoftheschool.AssumptionsThemainassumptionthatguidesthisstudyisthattruancypoliciesandproceduresarethecornerstoneforreductionintruancyrates.Otherassumptionsincludethenotionthathigherratesoftruancyleadtopooreracademicperformance.Whenstudentsfailtoattendclassvoluntarily,theyputthemselvesatgreaterriskofperformingpoorlyinschool.Thiscanhappenduetotheirinabilitytokeepupinschoolandlackofmotivationtocompleteassignments.Theymaybeunwillingtoattendschoolduetomentalhealthproblems,anunstablehomelife,orphysicalhealthconditions.Anotherassumptionisthatstudentslivinginpovertyandminoritystudentsmayhaveamoredifficulttimewithschoolduetoaturbulenthomelifeanddealingwithinstitutionalizedracism.Althoughthisisnotatopicthatwillbecoveredin-depthinthispaper,itisimportanttorecognizethedifficultiesthatcomefromlackofresourcesandpotentiallybeingaminority,andseehowthatcouldaffecttruancyrates.Thiscouldlendtocreationandimplementationofevenmoreeffectiveschoolpoliciesthatcanultimatelyreducetruancyratesandmaintainthemlowinthefuture.LimitationsThestudywillbelimitedtoonepubliccharterschool.theDoctorsChartersSchool.Thisisbecauseoftheneedtounderstandwhattheschooldoesandthencomparethatinformationtoothersuccessfulschools.Anotherlimitationisthenumberofpeopletointerviewforthestudy.Becausetheinterviewisqualitativeandin-person,notmanypeoplecanandwillbeavailabletoanswerquestions.ThestudyisalsolimitedtotheschoolswithintheUnitedStates.TheliteraturereviewwillonlyexaminehowAmericanschoolshandletruancyandpolicesthateitherdecreaseorincreasetruancyrates.Thefinallimitationisparents.Althoughparentalopinionmaybehelpful,itwouldbebettertoleavetheinterviewstostudentsandstafferswithparentsgivingpermissiontothestudenttospeak.Nootherlimitationsarenoted.ScopeoftheStudyThestudyisqualitative,andwilluseinterviewswithschoolstafftocollectdata.Interviewtranscriptswillbe-basedandaimstoanalyzedthetoidentifyunderlyingthemesfromrespondentsoftheDoctorsCharterSchool.Byaskingquestionsstafffromtheschool,thehopeistounderstandwhateffectivepoliciesareinplacethatallowsforbetterattendanceratesthanotherschoolsinthedistrict.Interestingly,theschoolalsofaresbetterregardingacademicscoresandhasahighgraduationrate.Iflocationplaysapart(itislocatedinasuburbanarea),thisshouldbeexploredviatheinterviewquestionstogainabetterunderstandingofallaspectsofeffectivepolicywithintheschool.Theliteraturereviewprovidesafoundation,theinterviewsprovidethedata.Asidefromthequalitativeinterviews,theliteraturereviewwillserveasacomparativeguidetonotonlybasesomeofthequestions,butalsocomparethedatagarneredfromtheinterviews.Ifothersuccessfulschoolshavesimilarpoliciesinplace,thiscouldserveasapotentialstandardthatcanappliednationallytohelpdecreasetruancyinallschoolsthroughoutthecountry.Theliteraturereviewwillalsoservetoprovideexamplesofpoliciesinschoolwithhightruancyratestoseewhatshouldnotbedone.Theresultswillalsobediscussedwithinthecontextofpotentialmodificationthatcanbemadetohelpimproveattendanceratesandacademicsuccessofstudentsevenfurther.Ultimately,itisimportanttoacknowledgewhatDoctorsCharterSchoolhastoofferandseewhetherthatcanserveasagaugeforotherschoolsinthedistrict,anymaybe,inthecountry.Althoughthequalitativestudyissmall,onlyincludingsixstudentsandfourstaffmembersfromtheschool,itmayprovidethekindofinsightthatcannotbegatheredelsewhere.Useofdatabasesavailabletohighlightnationwidetruancyratesmayalsobeused,againasacomparativetool.SignificanceThestudycanbeanimportantstepinlearningmoreabouthowretentionpoliciesinfluencedecisionmakinginschools.Thefindingsmayleadtothisschoolandothersstandardizingeffectiveprogramsandpolicies.PublicschoolsacrosstheUnitedStatesneedtoknowthattheycanhavetheknowledgetoimprovetheirstudentpopulationsacademicprogressandattendance.First,however,theyneedtoseetheinformationthatprovescertainpolicyimplementationsworkandareworththetime,money,andeffort.Similartoevidence-basedpracticeinnursing,staffneedtoseeevidenceofpoliciesthathavealreadybeenenabledandimplementedthathaveledtothesuccessofstudentsandtheimprovedratesofattendance.WhileithelpsseeingthestatisticsofasuccessfulschoollikeDoctorsCharterSchool,itisevenmoresignificantifschoolsseethestepsittooktoreachthatlevelofsuccess.Thenthatcollectedinformationcanbecomparedtootherschoolsastoidentifywhatcoreprinciplesandactionshavebeenusedtoachievesuchapositiveresult.Growthandpositiveoutcomescanonlycomefromtestedandapprovedpractices.Thisstudywilldissectsuchpoliciespracticesthroughasoundconceptualframeworkandthenseeifassumptionsandhypothesescanbeprovenordisproven.Researchersneedtocontinuetheirpursuitofinformationandanalysistoofferpotentialguidelinesanddirectionsforschoolsthatneedit.ThegrowingproblemoftruancyintheUnitedStatesrequiresathoughtfulandconsiderateassessmentofongoingissues.Theseissueswillcontinuetoremainprevalentunlessactionistaken.Actioncannotbetakenunlessthereissoundresearchandevidencebehindit.Lastly,studiesliketheonehereoffersananchorpointtoinvestigateotheraspectsofschoollife,schoolenvironment,andstudentbehavioralproblems.Ifstudentshaveproblemsduetostruggleswithsexuality,genderidentity,orevenpoliticalaffiliation,thiscouldalsobeinvestigatedinfuturestudies.Theresultscouldthenbeusedtospearheadchangesinpoliciesinthenearfuture,leadingtocontinueprogressiontowardsasafeandpositiveschoolenvironment.DefinitionofTermsThetermsutilizedinthisstudyaredetailedbelow.TruancyWhenastudentstaysawayfromschoolwithoutasufficientreason;canbealsolabeledasabsenteeism.Dayssuspendedmaybeincludedintruancyrates.CharterSchool(intheUnitedStates)apubliclyfundedindependentschoolestablishedbycommunitygroups,parents,orteachersunderthetermsofacharterwithnational/localauthority.ExpulsionMeaningpermanentwithdrawing/exclusion,whenastudentisbannedorremovedfromaschoolsystem/universityduetoconsistentviolationsofaninstitution'srules.However,itcanalsobeforasingleoffenseoffittingharshnessinextremecases.SuspensionRegardingschools,suspension(a.k.a.temporaryexclusion)isanobligatoryleavegiventoastudentasamethodofpenaltythatcanlastanywherefromasingledaytoaslongasseveralweeks,whereastudentcannotattendschoolorstepfootinsidetheschool(Kaufman&Kaufman,2013).StudentPortalServesasanonlinegatewaywherestudentscanaccesscurriculum,internetresourcesrelatedtothecurriculumandmayhavetheoptiontocommunicateelectronicallywithteachersand/orstudents.ConclusionInconclusion,truancyratesareagrowingprobleminUnitedStatesschools.DoctorsCharterSchoolisoneschoolthataimstoreducetruancyratesandhavedonesoaccordingtorecentstatistics.ByexploringDoctorsCharterSchool�sschoolpoliciesandotherschoolpoliciesthatincreaseordecreasetruancyratesinFloridathestudyhopestounderstandwhatmaycausetruancyinschoolsandwhatreducesit.Ifbetterandimprovedhandlingofstudentissuesisthesolutiontotruancy,itneedstobeexplored.Thenextsectionisaliteraturereview.TheliteraturereviewwillfocusonimportantpoliciesalreadyinplaceinotherschoolsandhowthesepoliciescouldbesimilarordifferenttoDoctorsCharterSchoolalongwiththenegativeeffectsofhightruancyratesandthecauseoftheseratesinschools.Thenextsectionallowsonetoseethroughrecentliterature,thesignificanceoftruancyandhowitconnectsschoolmeasureswithstudentbehavior.Someschoolstakepunitivemeasurestowardstruancy,otherstakenon-punitive,andstillmoretakeamixtureofboth.Whyaresuchmeasuresadopted?Theaimistounderstandthisandwhystudentsaretruant.Thereareseveralfactorsthatcanbeatplayfromenvironmenttomentalhealth,andsoforth.Theliteraturereviewwillbringintocontextmoreoftheseaspects.Withsomanyschoolsthroughoutthecountryexperiencinghightruancyrates,whatdoesDoctorsCharterSchooldothatenableshighattendanceamongitsstudentpopulation?Whatpolicieshastheschooladoptedtosupportapositiveenvironmentthatmotivatesstudentstoattendschoolandlearn?Chapter2LiteratureReviewIntroduction:AddressingSchoolTruancyHighschooltruancyisnottheonlythingbeingaddressedastheschoolinterviewedhaschildrenfrom6-12.Studenttruancyhasbecomeamajorissueschoolstrytotackle.Therefore,toimprovetruancytheneedarisestoresearchandcultivateworthwhilestrategiestoreducenegativebehaviorsthatleadtotruancy.However,thereisalsoaneedtounderstandwhystudentsaretruantinthefirstplace.Povertyandnegativeschoolenvironmentareissuesthathaveraisedconcernforthelikelihoodoftruancyinstudents.Thissectionhopestoilluminatetheissueofstudenttruancy.Itbecomesdifficulttoidentifythecostsofbenefitsofvariousmeasures.Thosethatfallintothepunitivedisciplineisnecessarybecausetraditionalistviewsbelieveadherencetorulesleadstopositiveoutcomes.Thoseinthecampofnonpunitivedisciplinedesiretodemonstratehowgivingstudents�optionscanleadtobetterresultsnotjustintruancyrates,butthepersonalgrowthofthestudent.Withallthestrategiesandmethodsavailable,itcanbedifficultforschoolleadstodeterminewhatmixtureofpunitiveandnonpunitivedisciplinewillwork.Thedesireistoshowthesuccessofprogramsand/orschoolsthathaveenabledareductionintruancyratesaswellaspoliciesineffectthatincreasetruancyratestodemonstratehowtoimprovestudenttruancy.PunitivePunitivemeasuresfortruancycanbeseenthroughtheintroductionofthird-partypolicinginschools.�Third-partypolicingisanapproachtocrimepreventionandcontrolinvolvingthepolicepartneringwithorganizationsorindividualstopreventorreducecrimeproblems�(Nitschke,Mazerolle,&Bennett,2014,p.5211).Relyingonavailablecriminal,regulatory,orcivillawsandrules(legallevers)thatallowthirdpartiestotakeaccountability,partially,forcontrolofcrime,itcreatesanenvironmentwhereapprehensionofproblemstudentsisfeasible.Thismayhelpschoolsdealwiththegrowingdelinquencyinstudents,butmayalsomakeiteasierforstudentstobecomepartofthecriminaljusticesystematanearlyage.Punitivemeasurescanalsobecostlier.Thisisbecausepunitivemeasureslikeexpulsionorsuspensioncanfurtherincreasethelikelihoodofstudentsbeingtruantandperformingpoorlyacademically(Shelton,2014).Studentsmustbeguidedtowardsapositiveoutcomeandthatmeansreducingthebeliefthatpunitivemeasureswillkeepstudentsfrombeingtruant.Althoughshort-termresultsmayindicatereduction,thelong-termeffectscouldbemorenegativeandlong-lasting.Sheltonmentionedthatstudentswhofacepunitivemeasuresmayhaveahigherchanceofcommittingcrimesversusthosewhofacednon-punitivemeasures.Whilesomeresearchsuggestspolice-interventionregardingtruancycanhelpstudentsinthatparentsaremoreawareofwhathappenstothem,therearestillmanyfactorstoconsiderinrelationtoefficacy.Forexample,police-interventionmayleadtohigherparentalawareness,butalsoincreasedpotentialfortruantstudentstoendupinthejuvenilecriminaljusticesystem(Mazerolle,Bennett,Antrobus,&Eggins,2017).Amixtureofbothpunitiveandnon-punitivemeasuresmaybemostbeneficialintacklingtheproblemoftruancy.Non-PunitivePunitivemeasuresfortruancyhavetheirplaceinschools.However,researchshowsnon-punitivemeasuresarealsousefulandofferachanceforstudentstoimproveandremovesomeofthestigmaattachedtopastmistakes.Successfulprotocolsintegrateflexibilityintostandardmethodstohelptheschool,family,andstudent.Suchprogramsunderstandindividualstudent�sneedsanddowhateverisessentialtoassistthefamilyandstudentinvolvedintruancy(Mallett,2015).OnestudyinAustraliaaimedtounderstandtruancyandtheeffectsoftruancytogenerateprogramsthatallowedforeffectivemeasuresatreducingtruancyratesamongstudents(Taylor,Gray,&Stanton,2016).Thisshowsthatwithproperresearch,non-punitiveoptionsarefeasible.However,theymustbedoneinconjunctionwithsignificantresearchthatallowsabetterunderstandingoftheneedsofstudentswhoparticipateintruancy.Theexpectationisthatnon-punitivemeasuresaremoreeffectivethanpunitivemeasures.However,ifthereisnosignificantdifference,non-punitivemeasuresmustbeassessedforefficacy.Haight,Chapman,Hendron,Loftis,&Kearney(2014),demonstratedhownon-punitivemeasureslikeatruancyprogrammaynotworkifakeyprocessisnotimplemented.Meaning,ifthereisnoskill-buildingaspecttotheprogramliketutoring,thechancefortruancytodecreasedeclines.StudentCharacteristicsTruancycanhavealastingimpactonthelifeofastudent.�Schooldropouthasbeenextensivelystudiedintheliteratureasacorrelateofnegativelifeoutcomes.Aprecursortoschooldropoutistruancy,theunexcusedorillegitimatestudentabsencefromschool�(Rocque,Jennings,Piquero,Ozkan,&Farrington,2016,p.592).Studentsmaybeabsentortruantduetoamultitudeofreasons.Researchersidentifiedthroughafewexaminedstudies,thatstudentswhoareoftenmoretruantthanothers,maybemoreinvolvedincrime.Suchinvolvementpointstothenegativecorrelationoftruancyandlaterlifeoutcomeslikedelinquencyandcrime.Theresearchersalsostatetruancycanleadtoproblemdrinking.�Resultsindicatethattruancyhaslong-lastingassociationswithnegativelifeoutcomes,especiallyfornon-violentcrimeandproblemdrinking�(Rocque,Jennings,Piquero,Ozkan,&Farrington,2016,p.592).Ifaddictiveorcriminalbehaviorleadstotruancyandtruancycanfurtherleadtoaddictiveorcriminalbehavior,itseemsacyclethatjustfeedsitselfwithnegativeoverallbehavior.Thisisimportanttoknowbecausestudentsexperiencingaddictionproblemsorbecominginvolvedindelinquentbehaviorcanreceivehelptonotonlykeepthemfromengaginginsuchriskyactionswhilealsopositivelycontributingtoreductionintruancyrates.Essentially,thenotionthatfortheretobeareductionintruancyrates,schoolsmusthelpstudentsdealwiththenegativebehaviorstheyareengagingin,outsideofschool.Thesenegativebehaviorscouldcomebecauseofnegativeexperiences.Frombullyingtopooracademicperformance,studentsoftenexperiencestressthatcouldbedetrimentaltotheiracademicsuccess.Birkett,Russell,&Corliss,(2014)observetherolesexual-orientationdisparitieshaveonstudentsinrelationtoacademicachievementandtruancy.Throughtheutilizationofpoolinformation,theyidentifiedbeingpartoftheLGBTgroupaffectedratesoftruancyandacademicperformance.�LGBT-identifiedyouthsreportedsignificantlyelevatedoddsoftruancyandlowgrades(oddsratios?=?1.6�3.2;allP?
…[…… parts of this paper are missing, click here to view or download the entire document ]…EffectivePoliciesandProceduresCanAffectTruancyRate50PoliciesandproceduresperceivedbyschoolleaderstoreducetruancyinapubliccharterschoolAlixDesulmeB.A(St.ThomasUniversity)2004M.S(St.ThomasUniversity)2006AProposalPresentedinPartialFulfillmentOftheRequirementsfortheDegreeofDoctorofEducationUniversityofNewEnglandOctober15,2017Chapter1IntroductionStudenttruancyisagrowingproblemintheUnitedStates.Overthelasttwentyyearsthetruancyrateshavegrownnationwidewiththehighestratesininnercities(Jacob&Lovett,2017).Researchindicatesthatstudenttruancyleadstopotentialsociallydeviantbehaviorinadulthood(Dronkers,Veerman,&Pong,2017).Manystudentswhoareabsentforprolongedperiodsaremorelikelytoperformpoorlyacademically,riskingfailureinclassesandfacingdisciplinaryaction.Characteristicsofschoolswithhightruancyratesareuseofonlypunitivetruancyprograms,lackofalternativestudyoptionsforsuspendedstudents,andlackofcounselingandtutoring(Bye,2010).Thereareschoolsthathavebeendoingwellinmaintaininglowtruancyrates,however.Thoseschoolsgivestudentstheoptionfortutoring,allowdistancelearningforsuspendedstudents,andtakeonamixtureofpunitiveandnon-punitivemeasures(Duarte&Hatch,2014).Withanationalrankingof764andaFloridarankingof66,CharterSecondarySchoolisconsideredoneofthebesthighschoolsinthestateregardingstudentattendanceratesandoverallschoolparticipation.Theschoolhasalowtruancyamongminoritystudents,whichisanotableanddistinctivequality,makingitananomalyinthesurroundingarea.Suchaqualitywillbeanalyzedindepthinthispaperalongwiththevariouspossiblereasonsforthestudents�willingnesstoattendclassregularlyandwhatmethodsareemployedbyschoolstafftokeeptheschoolenvironmentpositivebecausetruancyratesaresolowcomparedtootherschoolsintheareaandnationwide.Firstestablishedin2005,CharterSecondarySchoolofMiamiShoreisapubliccharterschoolbuiltontheBarryUniversityCampus,sittingon5acresofproperty.ItisinMiamiShore,anareaofFlorida.Thecurrentenrollmentnumberstandsat599andthecampustypeissuburban.TheschoolmascotaretheHawks.Rate�A�asacollegepreparatoryschool,theschoolholdsamunicipalcharterviaVillageofMiamiShoresthatservesstudentsfromgrades6-12(CharterSecondarySchoolofMiamiShores,2007).Initsearlyhistory,CharterSecondarySchoolwasoriginallyamiddleschoolestablishedin1997underthename,MiamiShores/BarryUniversityCharterSchool.ThenineportablestructuresthatcomprisedtheschoolservedasanalternativeforMiamiShorestudentsthatwouldotherwiseattendHoraceMannMiddleSchool(CharterSecondarySchoolofMiamiShores,2007).However,after8years,theschoolsecuredmorefundingandin2005,renamedtheschool.TheschoolgainedapermanentstructurethankstothedonationsgivenbythecitizensofMiamiShoresandadditionalfundsfromtheNorthDadeMedicalFoundation.DCSdrawsfundsfromtwoseparatestreams.OnepartofthefundingcomesfromabondissueapprovedbyVillageresidentsandalargetwo-yeargrantgivenbytheNorthDadeMedicalFoundationforFY2006and2007.DCSraisestheremainderofitsoperatingexpensesfromthestatethroughitsFTEfunding(asetamountforeachstudentintheclassroomperday)andthroughthecollectionofstudentfeesforsuchthingsasmaterialsandtrips(CharterSecondarySchoolofMiamiShores,2007).Theschoolhas31full-timeteachersforastudentpopulationof598studentsthatreflectaratiooflessthan20studentsperteacher(19:1)(USNEWS,2017).Thepercentageofeconomicallydisadvantagedstudentsliesat33%withminorityenrollmentof83%.AlthoughclassattendanceishighandthepercentageofstudentswhotestedforAPexamsat81%,thepercentageofstudentswhopasstheAPexamsis47%,orlessthanhalf.EnglishandMathematicproficiencylevelslieat70%and68%respectively,whichisabovethedistrictandnationwideaverage(USNEWS,2017).WithaCollegeReadinessIndexof48.8,theschoolhasroomforimprovement.Whilestudentsearnaveragetestscores,overall,studentswhoattendDoctorsperformbetterthanstudentsatotherschoolsinitsdistrict.ThedistrictaverageforEnglishproficiencyis50%andMathematicproficiencyat37%.Thedistrictaverageforcollegereadinessisat44.7andthisisoutof113schoolsand113,242students(USNEWS,2017).Withagraduationrateof98%,CharterSecondarySchoolofMiamiShoreshasalotgoingforitregardingpositiveaspectsandstudentinterest.UnderstandingtheReasonsforTruancyThereareseveralreasonsfortruancyandtheyareoftencomplexandvaried.Somepertaintoanegativeschoolenvironment,studentbehavior,familyeconomicstatus,mentalhealthproblems,tonameafew.Anegativeschoolenvironmentcancauseproblemsforstudentswishingtolearn.UnlikeCharterSecondarySchool,classroomsacrosstheMiamioftenhavelargeclassroomsforexample,makingitdifficultforstudentstopayattentioninclassandreceiveattentionnecessaryforunderstandingthecurriculum(Losen,2015).Ifforexample,astudenthasquestionsorneedsexamplesforaspecificassignmentinclass,theteachermaynothavethetimeorpatiencetodealwiththatstudentwhenheorshemustdealwith29otherstudentsallneedingthesamelevelofattention.Manyschoolsacrossthecountryhavestrictpoliciesregardingdisruptivestudentbehaviorthatcouldlandastudentundersuspensionoreven,expulsion.Severalfactorscouldcausedisruptivebehavioramongstudents(Losen,2015).Onecommonreasonispoverty.��highlevelsofpovertyhaveanegativeeffectonschoolbehavior.Thisisattributedlargelytothechronicandacutestressexperiencedbystudentslivinginpoverty.Theexposureisassociatedwithexternalizingbehaviorsthataredisruptiveinschoolsettings�(Hutcheson,2014,p.1).Studentsfacingpovertymaybepartofanunstablehousehold.Theymayendureproblematicandabusiveparents,andhavetodealwithlackofresources.Thesestudentsneedachanceeverynowandthentolearnfromtheirmistakesandreceivethehelpandresourcesthatcouldmakeapositivedifferenceintheirlives.Instead,theyaresuspendedorexpelledandnotgivenachancetoimprove.Highratesofsuspensioncanlendtoahigherrateoftruancy.�ThebifactorstructurereflectedageneralfactorofProblemsinBehavioralEngagementandtwogroupfactors:ProblemsinSocialEngagementandProblemsinAcademicEngagement�(Barghausetal.,2016,p.154).Researchersnotestudentsoftenmaynothaveproblemsacademically,butinsteadsocially.Theymaynotfeelcomfortableengagingwithotherstudents�duetofearofjudgementorinabilitytoproperlysocialize.Providingstudentswiththetoolstobothengagesociallyandacademicallycanallowforahigherpercentageofacademic-basedpositiveoutcomes.Studentinterestmayalsoplayakeyroleintruancy(Dronkers,Veerman,&Pong,2017).Thisisbecausesuspensionsandexpulsionsmayimpactstudentinterestinanegativeway.Whenstudentsreceivesuspensions,theyhavenoaccesstotheschoolwork.Whenthesuspensionends,dependingonhowlongthetimeoutofschoolwas,theymayhaveincreaseddifficultycatchingupwiththeclass.Ifthereisnooptiontocompleteschoolwork,andtheycannotgotoschoolorcontacttheteacherforassignments,itmayputthesekindsofstudentsatanautomaticdisadvantage.Thisisespeciallythecaseiftheyhaveahardtimeacademicallyalready.Tofallbehindinschoolworkwhenthestudenthasexperiencedlowgradescouldsetbackastudentandcouldendupinhavingfailuresinclasses.Byexploringincentivetheoryofmotivationandresearchshowingtheconnectionbetweenexpulsion/suspension,interest,andtruancy,thehopeistoofferclarityinwhytruancyratesarehighandwhatcanbedonetocounteractit.Theseproblems:negativeschoolenvironment,studentbehavior,familyeconomicstatus,mentalhealthproblem(Dronkers,Veerman,&Pong,2017)(Dembo,Wareham,Schmeidler,Briones-Robinson,&Winters,2014)mustbeaddressedfortruancyprogramstobeeffective.Thescopeoftheproblemsassociatedwithtruancyislarge.Forthepurposeofthisstudy,thespecificfocuswillbeschool-basedpoliciesandproceduresthatmaymitigateorreducetruancy.Withoutapropersynthesisofthereasonssurroundingtheproblem,therewillbelimitedunderstandingabouthowtoapproachthestudy.Therefore,itisimportanttostatethescopeofproblemtodefinethefocusandimprovethequalityofthestudy.StatementoftheProblemTruancyratesintheUnitedStatesareagrowingproblem(Monahan,VanDerhei,Bechtold,&Cauffman,2014).Whetherastudentisabsentduetoasuspensionorbecausetheywillinglychoosetobeabsent,theproblemhasbecomeworthyofresearchandpossibleintervention.Truancyratesarehigherinschoolswithlowsocio-economicstatus(Dembo,Wareham,Schmeidler,Briones-Robinson,&Winters,2014).Theproblemaddressedbythestudyis:Educationalleadersmayhaveimplementedpoliciesandproceduresinpubliccharterschools,butdocumentationaboutwhicharemosteffectiveandwhytheyareislargelyabsent.Currentpolicieshaveenabledhighertruancyratesduetothezero-toleranceaspectthatenablesharsherandstricterpunishmentofstudentbehavior.�Sincethe1990�s,implementationofzerotolerancepoliciesinschoolshasledtoincreaseduseofschoolsuspensionandexpulsionasdisciplinarytechniquesforstudentswithvaryingdegreesofinfractions�(Monahan,VanDerhei,Bechtold,&Cauffman,2014,p.1110).Whenstudentsaresuspended,orexpelledfortheirbehavior,theymayhaveatoughertimecatchingupinschoolandsucceedingintheiracademicendeavors.Thiscanleadtootherproblemsdownthelineasstudentsmatureandbecomeadults.Researchsuggeststheexperienceofsuspensionofexpulsioncouldleadtoillegalbehaviorthatisassociatedwithacriminalrecord.�Beingsuspendedorexpelledfromschoolincreasedthelikelihoodofarrestinthatsamemonthandthiseffectwasstrongeramongyouthwhodidnothaveahistoryofbehaviorproblemsandwhenyouthassociatedwithlessdelinquentpeers�(Monahan,VanDerhei,Bechtold,&Cauffman,2014,p.1110).Whenschoolsexpelandsuspendstudents,addingtothetruancyratesoftheschool,negativebehaviorsmayincrease.Thezerotolerancepoliciesofschoolshavebecomethemaincauseforconcerninthesegrowingcasesofsuspensionandexpulsion.Therefore,policiesneedtobechangedtoaddressthisproblem.Todoso,onemustexamineschoolslikeCharterSecondarySchooltodeterminewhatstepstotaketomakeapositivechange.Althoughtruancydoesnotdirectlyleadtocrime,itoftenhasahighcorrelation.PurposeoftheStudyThepurposeofthestudyistounderstandschoolleaders�perspectivesaboutwhethereffectivepoliciesandproceduresreducetruancyandimprovestudentattendance.ByinterviewingkeystaffinCharterSecondarySchool,apubliccharterschoolwithlowtruancylevels,informationoneffectivepoliciesandprocedurescanbegathered.Thesefindingsmayprovideabetterunderstandingofwhatschoolleadersinotherschoolscandotoimprovetruancy.Attendanceplaysalargepartinfacingsuspensionandperformingwellacademically.Researchabouttruancyreductionsuggestsstudentswithmoreattendanceoptionsmaybeabletoovercomedifficultiesthatcontributetotruancy.Effectiveschoolpoliciesthatimproveattendancemaycontainprocessesandoptionsthatprovidesuchsupportandvariability.Withoutunderstandingsuchaspects,littlehelpcouldbegeneratedandimplementedtohelpstudentsinneedandhelpthemavoidhightruancyrates.Thisareaofresearchwillbeexploredintheinterviewsectionandresults.CharterSecondarySchoolhasbetterattendanceandbetteracademicperformancecomparedtoalltheotherschoolsinthedistrict(onaverage).Furthermore,mostofthestudentsareminorityornon-white.Thisschoolisaperfectstartingpointforinvestigationintoeffectiveschoolpolicies.Alookintoothersuccessfulschoolsshouldprovideameasureofeffectivenessneededtounderstandbetterwhatstrategiescanimproveattendance.Itcanalsoshowhowotherschoolshandlethingslikeminoritymajorityandlocationofschoollikeanurban,rural,orsuburbansetting.ResearchQuestions1.Whatmaybethecauseoftruancyinstudents?2.Howdoesincentivetheoryplayaroleinunderstandingschooltruancy?3.Whataretheeffectsofpunitiveornon-punitivetruancyprogramsonstudents?4.Whataresuccessfultruancyprogramsdoingthathasledtoreductionintruancy?5.Whyaresometruancyprogramsunsuccessfulatreducingtruancy?Theresearchneedstodelveintounderstandingthereasonsbehindtruancy.Fortheretobesolutionstothenationwidetruancyproblem,researchmustbedirectedtowardsevidencethatexplainsmotivationsbehindtruancybehaviorandwhataspectsoftruancyprogramshelpeliminatesuchbehavior.Bydevelopingaclearideaofschooltruancyandwhystudentsbecometruant,thehopeistodevelopevidence-basedpracticesthatreduceschooltruancyinstudents.Amyriadofschoolprogramsexistsfortruancy,buttherealityis,notmanyareeffective.QualitativeStudiesandInterviewsThestudyisaqualitativeonethatfocusesontheuseofinterviewstocollectqualitativedata.�Theinterviewhastodaybecomeoneofthemostwidespreadknowledge-producingpracticesacrossthehumanandsocialsciencesingeneralandincriticalpsychologymorespecifically�(Brinkmann,2014,p.1008).Interviewscanrangefromformalinterviewsorinformalinterviews.Theycanbedoneface-to-face,overthephone,orovertheinternet.Formalinterviewshaveastructuretothemwheretheresearcherasksaquestionandtheparticipantanswers.However,ininformalinterviews,therecanbediscussionanddoesnothavetosticktothequestionsasked.Mostqualitativeinterviewshavesomestructuretothemandarelabeled,�semi-structured�.�Mostqualitativeinterviews,however,aresemi-structured.Inasemi-structuredinterview,theresearcherprovidessomestructurebasedonherresearchinterestsandinterviewguidebutworksflexiblywiththeguideandallowsroomfortherespondent�smorespontaneousdescriptionsandnarratives�(Brinkmann,2014,p.1008).Thereisaneedtounderstandfromthestafforschoolleader�sperspectivesthatworkatCharterSecondarySchoolwhythepoliciesattheschoolwork.Tounderstandwhatimprovementshavebeenmadeandwhatkindofschoolenvironmentsuchpoliciespromote,thiscangiveagoodpictureofwhatisbeingdonetoachievepositiveoutcomesforthestudentpopulationattending.Similarstudiesusinginterviewshavegatheredasignificantamountofinsightfulinformationthatallowsfortheabilitytoanswerimportantquestions.Usingfixedeffectsregressionsandcontrollingfortruancypeergroupeffects,weobservethattruancy(measuredasbothadiscretedummyvariableandacontinuouscountmeasure)positivelycorrelatestoearlyschoolleaving.Atruanthasa3.4percentagepointshigherriskofleavingschoolwithoutaqualification(DeWitte&Csillag,2012,p.549).Thepoliciessurroundingtruancyprogramsandhowacademicstaffreactallowforthemesdiscoveredthroughtheinterviewprocesstothenbecomparedtothemesfoundintheliteraturereviewtoseeifthereisauniversalthemeorconceptbeingappliedthatleadstosuccessfulacademicperformancebystudentsandgoodattendancerecords.Itisimportanttoallowstudentsandstafferstogivetheiropinionsaswellasenablediscussionofwhatcausedthepositiveornegativeopinion.Thiswillallowforeasieranalysisofresponses.Conceptualframework:Organizationalstructuresandleaders�visionTheideathattruancyisacomplexproblemallowsforfocusonthevariousnarrativesincorporatedinattemptsatunderstandingandresolvingtheproblem.Somanydifferentavenuespointtopotentialsolutions,however,experiencedenotesnegativeorpositiveoutcomes.Therefore,theleaders�visonoftheselectedschoolandofsuccessfultruancyprograms,willallowforascopeofwhatmaybevaluabletowardsreductionofstudenttruancyrates.Withintheconceptualframeworkliesthetheoreticalframework,incentiveandmotivation.Animportanttheorythatwillbeexploredinthispaperistheincentivetheoryofmotivation.��peoplearepulledtowardsbehaviorsthatofferpositiveincentivesandpushedawayfrombehaviorsassociatedwithnegativeincentives.Theincentivetheorysuggeststhatpeoplearemotivatedtodothingsbecauseofexternalrewards�(Rehman&Haider,2013,p.141).Ifstudentsareincentivizedtoattendclassbyreceivingareward,thismaybeacrucialpartmissinginschoolswithhightruancyratesandmayexplainthedownwardspiralofsomestudentswhentheyarepunishedseverelyforbeingabsent.CharterSecondarySchoolhasnon-academicawardsthattheygiveouttostudentswhoarerespectfulandhavegoodattendancerecords.Thesecouldbeincentivesforstudentstocontinueattendingclass.Theschool�sattendanceprocedureisstrict,butallowsforevaluationofthereasonsbehindastudent�sabsence.Suchconsiderationforastudentallowsforroomforthestudenttoresolvehisorherproblemsandcontinuegoingtoschool.Onerule,isthatifastudentmissesanxamountofdays,theywillhavethesameamountofdaystomakeuptheassignment.Althoughthismaybedifficulttoaccomplish,itdoesleavesomewiggleroomforstudents,thusincreasingtheirmotivationtocontinuefollowingtherulesoftheschool.AssumptionsThemainassumptionthatguidesthisstudyisthattruancypoliciesandproceduresarethecornerstoneforreductionintruancyrates.Otherassumptionsincludethenotionthathigherratesoftruancyleadtopooreracademicperformance.Whenstudentsfailtoattendclassvoluntarily,theyputthemselvesatgreaterriskofperformingpoorlyinschool.Thiscanhappenduetotheirinabilitytokeepupinschoolandlackofmotivationtocompleteassignments.Theymaybeunwillingtoattendschoolduetomentalhealthproblems,anunstablehomelife,orphysicalhealthconditions.Anotherassumptionisthatstudentslivinginpovertyandminoritystudentsmayhaveamoredifficulttimewithschoolduetoaturbulenthomelifeanddealingwithinstitutionalizedracism.Althoughthisisnotatopicthatwillbecoveredin-depthinthispaper,itisimportanttorecognizethedifficultiesthatcomefromlackofresourcesandpotentiallybeingaminority,andseehowthatcouldaffecttruancyrates.Thiscouldlendtocreationandimplementationofevenmoreeffectiveschoolpoliciesthatcanultimatelyreducetruancyratesandmaintainthemlowinthefuture.LimitationsThestudywillbelimitedtoonepubliccharterschool.theDoctorsChartersSchool.Thisisbecauseoftheneedtounderstandwhattheschooldoesandthencomparethatinformationtoothersuccessfulschools.Anotherlimitationisthenumberofpeopletointerviewforthestudy.Becausetheinterviewisqualitativeandin-person,notmanypeoplecanandwillbeavailabletoanswerquestions.ThestudyisalsolimitedtotheschoolswithintheUnitedStates.TheliteraturereviewwillonlyexaminehowAmericanschoolshandletruancyandpolicesthateitherdecreaseorincreasetruancyrates.Thefinallimitationisparents.Althoughparentalopinionmaybehelpful,itwouldbebettertoleavetheinterviewstostudentsandstafferswithparentsgivingpermissiontothestudenttospeak.Nootherlimitationsarenoted.ScopeoftheStudyThestudyisqualitative,andwilluseinterviewswithschoolstafftocollectdata.InterviewtranscriptswillbeanalyzedtoidentifyunderlyingthemesfromrespondentsoftheCharterSecondarySchool.Byaskingquestionsthehopeistounderstandwhateffectivepoliciesareinplacethatallowsforbetterattendanceratesthanotherschoolsinthedistrict.Interestingly,theschoolalsofaresbetterregardingacademicscoresandhasahighgraduationrate.Iflocationplaysapart(itisinasuburbanarea),thisshouldbeexploredviatheinterviewquestionstogainabetterunderstandingofallaspectsofeffectivepolicywithintheschool.Theliteraturereviewprovidesafoundation,theinterviewsprovidethedata.Asidefromthequalitativeinterviews,theliteraturereviewwillserveasacomparativeguidetonotonlybasesomeofthequestions,butalsocomparethedatagarneredfromtheinterviews.Ifothersuccessfulschoolshavesimilarpoliciesinplace,thiscouldserveasapotentialstandardthatcanappliednationallytohelpdecreasetruancyinallschoolsthroughoutthecountry.Theliteraturereviewwillalsoservetoprovideexamplesofpoliciesinschoolwithhightruancyratestoseewhatshouldnotbedone.Theresultswillalsobediscussedwithinthecontextofpotentialmodificationthatcanbemadetohelpimproveattendanceratesandacademicsuccessofstudentsevenfurther.Ultimately,itisimportanttoacknowledgewhatCharterSecondarySchoolhastoofferandseewhetherthatcanserveasagaugeforotherschoolsinthedistrict,anymaybe,inthecountry.Althoughthequalitativestudyissmall,onlyincludingsixstudentsandfourstaffmembersfromtheschool,itmayprovidethekindofinsightthatcannotbegatheredelsewhere.Useofdatabasesavailabletohighlightnationwidetruancyratesmayalsobeused,againasacomparativetool.SignificanceThestudycanbeanimportantstepinlearningwhatisworkableforschoolsaimedatreducingtruancyamongstudentsandwhatisnot.Furthermore,findingsmayleadtothisschoolandothersstandardizingeffectiveprogramsandpolicies.PublicschoolsacrosstheUnitedStatesneedtoknowthattheycanhavetheknowledgetoimprovetheirstudentpopulationsacademicprogressandattendance.First,however,theyneedtoseetheinformationthatprovescertainpolicyimplementationsworkandareworththetime,money,andeffort.Likeevidence-basedpracticeinnursing,staffneedtoseeevidenceofpoliciesthathavealreadybeenenabledandimplementedthathaveledtothesuccessofstudentsandtheimprovedratesofattendance.WhileithelpsseeingthestatisticsofasuccessfulschoollikeCharterSecondarySchool,itisevenmoresignificantifschoolsseethestepsittooktoreachthatlevelofsuccess.Thenthatcollectedinformationcanbecomparedtootherschoolsastoidentifywhatcoreprinciplesandactionshavebeenusedtoachievesuchapositiveresult.Growthandpositiveoutcomescanonlycomefromtestedandapprovedpractices.Theconceptualframeworkwillworkasaguidetoseeandunderstandifassumptionsandhypothesescanbeprovenordisprovenviacomparisonandanalysis.Researchersneedtocontinuetheirpursuitofinformationandanalysistoofferpotentialguidelinesanddirectionsforschoolsthatneedit.ThegrowingproblemoftruancyintheUnitedStatesrequiresathoughtfulandconsiderateassessmentofongoingissues.Theseissueswillcontinuetoremainprevalentunlessactionistaken.Actioncannotbetakenunlessthereissoundresearchandevidencebehindit.Lastly,studiesliketheonehereoffersananchorpointtoinvestigateotheraspectsofschoollife,schoolenvironment,andstudentbehavioralproblems.Ifstudentshaveproblemsduetostruggleswithsexuality,genderidentity,orevenpoliticalaffiliation,thiscouldalsobeinvestigatedinfuturestudies.Theresultscouldthenbeusedtospearheadchangesinpoliciesinthenearfuture,leadingtocontinueprogressiontowardsasafeandpositiveschoolenvironment.DefinitionofTermsThetermsutilizedinthisstudyaredetailedbelow.TruancyWhenastudentstaysawayfromschoolwithoutasufficientreason;canbealsolabeledasabsenteeism.Dayssuspendedmaybeincludedintruancyrates.CharterSchool(intheUnitedStates)apubliclyfundedindependentschoolestablishedbycommunitygroups,parents,orteachersunderthetermsofacharterwithnational/localauthority.ExpulsionMeaningpermanentwithdrawing/exclusion,whenastudentisbannedorremovedfromaschoolsystem/universityduetoconsistentviolationsofaninstitution\\\'srules.However,itcanalsobeforasingleoffenseoffittingharshnessinextremecases.SuspensionRegardingschools,suspension(a.k.a.temporaryexclusion)isanobligatoryleavegiventoastudentasamethodofpenaltythatcanlastanywherefromasingledaytoaslongasseveralweeks,whereastudentcannotattendschoolorstepfootinsidetheschool(Kaufman&Kaufman,2013).ConclusionInconclusion,truancyratesareagrowingprobleminUnitedStatesschools.CharterSecondarySchoolisoneschoolthataimstoreducetruancyratesandhavedonesoaccordingtorecentstatistics.ByexploringCharterSecondarySchool�sschoolpoliciesandotherschoolpoliciesthatincreaseordecreasetruancyratesinFloridathestudyhopestounderstandwhatmaycausetruancyinschoolsandwhatreducesit.Ifbetterandimprovedhandlingofstudentissuesisthesolutiontotruancy,itneedstobeexplored.Thenextsectionisaliteraturereview.TheliteraturereviewwillfocusonimportantpoliciesalreadyinplaceinotherschoolsandhowthesepoliciescouldbesimilarordifferenttoCharterSecondarySchoolalongwiththenegativeeffectsofhightruancyratesandthecauseoftheseratesinschools.Thenextsectionallowsonetoseethroughrecentliterature,thesignificanceoftruancyandhowitconnectsschoolmeasureswithstudentbehavior.Someschoolstakepunitivemeasurestowardstruancy,otherstakenon-punitive,andstillmoretakeamixtureofboth.Whyaresuchmeasuresadopted?Theaimistounderstandthisandwhystudentsaretruant.Thereareseveralfactorsthatcanbeatplayfromenvironmenttomentalhealth,andsoforth.Theliteraturereviewwillbringintocontextmoreoftheseaspects.Withsomanyschoolsthroughoutthecountryexperiencinghightruancyrates,whatdoesCharterSecondarySchooldothatenableshighattendanceamongitsstudentpopulation?Whatpolicieshastheschooladoptedtosupportapositiveenvironmentthatmotivatesstudentstoattendschoolandlearn?Chapter2LiteratureReviewRoadmap:Thisliteraturereviewwillfocusonseveralkeytopicsbecausemanyreasonscontributetotruancy.Theseare:addressingschooltruancy,school-basedprograms,punitive/non-punitivetruancyprograms,studentandfamilycharacteristics,parentalengagement,tacklingtheschooltruancyproblem,typesofprogramslikeschool-basedprograms,problemswithcurrenttruancyprograms,characteristicsofsuccessfultruancyprograms,andtheoreticalframework:IncentiveTheoryofMotivation.Thehopeistoilluminatethewaytowardsunderstandingtheproblemofschooltruancyandwaystoreduceit.(Ican�tincludenaturaldisastersasIfeelthatisitsowntopicandtooextensivetojustbrieflycover.)Introduction:AddressingSchoolTruancyStudenttruancyhasbecomeamajorissueschoolstrytotackle.Therefore,toimprovetruancytheneedarisestoresearchandcultivateworthwhilestrategiestoreducenegativebehaviorsthatleadtotruancy.However,thereisalsoaneedtounderstandwhystudentsaretruantinthefirstplace.Povertyandnegativeschoolenvironmentareissuesthathaveraisedconcernforthelikelihoodoftruancyinstudents.Thissectionhopestoilluminatetheissueofstudenttruancy.Itbecomesdifficulttoidentifythecostsofbenefitsofvariousmeasures.Thosethatfallintothepunitivedisciplineisnecessarybecausetraditionalistviewsbelieveadherencetorulesleadstopositiveoutcomes.Thoseinthecampofnonpunitivedisciplinedesiretodemonstratehowgivingstudents�optionscanleadtobetterresultsnotjustintruancyrates,butthepersonalgrowthofthestudent.Withallthestrategiesandmethodsavailable,itcanbedifficultforschoolleadstodeterminewhatmixtureofpunitiveandnonpunitivedisciplinewillwork.Thedesireistoshowthesuccessofprogramsand/orschoolsthathaveenabledareductionintruancyratesaswellaspoliciesineffectthatincreasetruancyratestodemonstratehowtoimprovestudenttruancy.School-basedProgramsAsidefromcreatingastrongerconnectiontocommunity,anotherwayschoolscanandhavehelpeddecreasetruancyratesisthroughtruancyreporting.Truancyreportingallowsstudentstobeassessedtoseeiftheyarehigh-risk.Becausetruancycanhaveaprofoundlynegativeeffectonstudentsinthelongterm,schoolshavebegunbecomingmorestringentontruancyreporting.�Atruanthasa3.4percentagepointshigherriskofleavingschoolwithoutaqualification�(DeWitte&Csillag,2012,p.549).Theresearchersnotethatbecausetruancyreportingallowsforbetterassessmentofat-riskyouth,itcanprovideameansofidentifyingpotentialproblemswithstudentearlyon.Thismakestruancyreportingapreventativemeasure.Suchapreventativemeasureappearstohavepositiveeffectsonstudentsatrisk.�.Theideaisstraightforward:ifstudentsarebettermonitoredwithrespecttotruancy,schoolscanidentifymoreeasilystudentsatrisk.Theresultsindicatethatimprovedtruancyreportingsignificantlyreducesschooldropoutby5percentagepoints�(DeWitte&Csillag,2012,p.549).Tojumpstarttheprocessofhelpingstudents,schoolsmustfigureoutwaystohelpstudentsconnecttotheircommunity.Then,apreventativemeasureusedtohelpidentifyat-riskyouth,sotheycanhaveinterventionsthatcanleadtopositiveeducationaloutcomes(DeWitte&Csillag,2012).Schoolsliketheoneusedforthisstudyandthoselikeit,alreadyhaveinplacearobusttruancyreportingprotocol.Theruleswithinthisprotocolshowthatstudentscannotbeabsentmorethanafewdaysortheschoolwillbeinvolvedandwillcontactthestudent�shousehold.Moreresearchshouldbededicatedtohowpreventativemeasurescanexpandtoincludeotherwaystoassessforat-riskbehavior.Thiscanincludelatenessforclass,missedhomeworkassignments,andsoforth.Ifthiscanbedone,thismayfurtherallowforagreaterassessmentofpotentialtruancyproblemsinthefuture.Applyingresearchtopracticeispopularinhealthcare,perhapsitcanalsobecomepopularineducationasmoreinformationcomesoutonhotbuttontopicslikestudenttruancy.PunitivePunitivemeasuresfortruancycanbeseenthroughtheintroductionofthird-partypolicinginschools.�Third-partypolicingisanapproachtocrimepreventionandcontrolinvolvingthepolicepartneringwithorganizationsorindividualstopreventorreducecrimeproblems�(Nitschke,Mazerolle,&Bennett,2014,p.5211).Relyingonavailablecriminal,regulatory,orcivillawsandrules(legallevers)thatallowthirdpartiestotakeaccountability,partially,forcontrolofcrime,itcreatesanenvironmentwhereapprehensionofproblemstudentsisfeasible.Thismayhelpschoolsdealwiththegrowingdelinquencyinstudents,butmayalsomakeiteasierforstudentstobecomepartofthecriminaljusticesystematanearlyage.Punitivemeasurescanalsobecostlier.Thisisbecausepunitivemeasureslikeexpulsionorsuspensioncanfurtherincreasethelikelihoodofstudentsbeingtruantandperformingpoorlyacademically(Shelton,2014).Studentsmustbeguidedtowardsapositiveoutcomeandthatmeansreducingthebeliefthatpunitivemeasureswillkeepstudentsfrombeingtruant.Althoughshort-termresultsmayindicatereduction,thelong-termeffectscouldbemorenegativeandlong-lasting(Shelton,2014).Sheltonmentionedthatstudentswhofacepunitivemeasuresmayhaveahigherchanceofcommittingcrimesversusthosewhofacednon-punitivemeasures.Whilesomeresearchsuggestspolice-interventionregardingtruancycanhelpstudentsinthatparentsaremoreawareofwhathappenstothem,therearestillmanyfactorstoconsiderinrelationtoefficacy.Forexample,police-interventionmayleadtohigherparentalawareness,butalsoincreasedpotentialfortruantstudentstoendupinthejuvenilecriminaljusticesystem(Mazerolle,Bennett,Antrobus,&Eggins,2017).Amixtureofbothpunitiveandnon-punitivemeasuresmaybemostbeneficialintacklingtheproblemoftruancy.Non-PunitivePunitivemeasuresfortruancyhavetheirplaceinschools.However,researchshowsnon-punitivemeasuresarealsousefulandofferachanceforstudentstoimproveandremovesomeofthestigmaattachedtopastmistakes.Successfulprotocolsintegrateflexibilityintostandardmethodstohelptheschool,family,andstudent.Suchprogramsunderstandindividualstudent�sneedsanddowhateverisessentialtoassistthefamilyandstudentinvolvedintruancy(Mallett,2015).OnestudyinAustraliaaimedtounderstandtruancyandtheeffectsoftruancytogenerateprogramsthatallowedforeffectivemeasuresatreducingtruancyratesamongstudents(Taylor,Gray,&Stanton,2016).Thisshowsthatwithproperresearch,non-punitiveoptionsarefeasible.However,theymustbedoneinconjunctionwithsignificantresearchthatallowsabetterunderstandingoftheneedsofstudentswhoparticipateintruancy.Theexpectationisthatnon-punitivemeasuresaremoreeffectivethanpunitivemeasures.However,ifthereisnosignificantdifference,non-punitivemeasuresmustbeassessedforefficacy.Haight,Chapman,Hendron,Loftis,&Kearney(2014),demonstratedhownon-punitivemeasureslikeatruancyprogrammaynotworkifakeyprocessisnotimplemented.Meaning,ifthereisnoskill-buildingaspecttotheprogramliketutoring,thechancefortruancytodecreasedeclines.StudentCharacteristicsTruancycanhavealastingimpactonthelifeofastudent.�Schooldropouthasbeenextensivelystudiedintheliteratureasacorrelateofnegativelifeoutcomes.Aprecursortoschooldropoutistruancy,theunexcusedorillegitimatestudentabsencefromschool�(Rocque,Jennings,Piquero,Ozkan,&Farrington,2016,p.592).Studentsmaybeabsentortruantduetoamultitudeofreasons.Researchersidentifiedthroughafewexaminedstudies,thatstudentswhoareoftenmoretruantthanothers,maybemoreinvolvedincrime.Suchinvolvementpointstothenegativecorrelationoftruancyandlaterlifeoutcomeslikedelinquencyandcrime.Theresearchersalsostatetruancycanleadtoproblemdrinking.�Resultsindicatethattruancyhaslong-lastingassociationswithnegativelifeoutcomes,especiallyfornon-violentcrimeandproblemdrinking�(Rocque,Jennings,Piquero,Ozkan,&Farrington,2016,p.592).Ifaddictiveorcriminalbehaviorleadstotruancyandtruancycanfurtherleadtoaddictiveorcriminalbehavior,itseemsacyclethatjustfeedsitselfwithnegativeoverallbehavior.Thisisimportanttoknowbecausestudentsexperiencingaddictionproblemsorbecominginvolvedindelinquentbehaviorcanreceivehelptonotonlykeepthemfromengaginginsuchriskyactionswhilealsopositivelycontributingtoreductionintruancyrates.Essentially,thenotionthatfortheretobeareductionintruancyrates,schoolsmusthelpstudentsdealwiththenegativebehaviorstheyareengagingin,outsideofschool.Thesenegativebehaviorscouldcomebecauseofnegativeexperiences.Frombullyingtopooracademicperformance,studentsoftenexperiencestressthatcouldbedetrimentaltotheiracademicsuccess.Birkett,Russell,&Corliss,(2014)observetherolesexual-orientationdisparitieshaveonstudentsinrelationtoacademicachievementandtruancy.Throughtheutilizationofpoolinformation,theyidentifiedbeingpartoftheLGBTgroupaffectedratesoftruancyandacademicperformance.�LGBT-identifiedyouthsreportedsignificantlyelevatedoddsoftruancyandlowgrades(oddsratios?=?1.6�3.2;allP?