School Truancy Policies and Attendance at a Charter School

Introduction and School Context

Student truancy is a growing problem in the United States. Over the last twenty years, truancy rates have grown nationwide, with the highest rates found in inner cities (Jacob & Lovett, 2017). Research indicates that student truancy leads to potential socially deviant behavior in adulthood (Dronkers, Veerman, & Pong, 2017). Many students who are absent for prolonged periods are more likely to perform poorly academically, risking failure in classes and facing disciplinary action. Characteristics of some schools with high truancy rates include punitive truancy programs, a lack of alternative study options for suspended students, and insufficient counseling and tutoring (Bye, 2010). While high truancy is a serious issue, other schools maintain low truancy rates by giving students options for tutoring, allowing distance learning for suspended students, and adopting a mixture of punitive and non-punitive measures (Duarte & Hatch, 2014).

With a national ranking of 764 and a Florida ranking of 66, and referred to by the pseudonym "Charter Secondary School" (CSS) for the purposes of anonymity, CSS is considered one of the best high schools in the state regarding student attendance rates and overall school participation (Great Schools!, 2017). The school has notably low truancy among minority students, making it an anomaly in the surrounding area (Great Schools!, 2017). First established in 2005, Charter Secondary School is a public charter school built on a suburban university campus (Great Schools!, 2017). Current enrollment stands at over 500 students (Great Schools!, 2017). As an A-rated school, it serves students in grades 6–12 (Charter Secondary School website, 2007).

In its early history, CSS was originally a middle school comprised of portable structures that served as an alternative for students within the area (Charter Secondary School of Miami Shores, 2007). In 2005, the school gained a permanent structure through donations. The school employs several full-time teachers for its semi-large student population, reflecting a student-to-teacher ratio of less than 20:1 (19:1) (USNEWS, 2017). The percentage of economically disadvantaged students is 33%, with minority enrollment at 83%. Although class attendance is high and 81% of students sat for AP exams, only 47% — less than half — passed those exams. English and mathematics proficiency levels stand at 70% and 68% respectively, both above the district and national averages (USNEWS, 2017). With a College Readiness Index above 48, the school still has room for improvement.

While students earn average test scores overall, students who attend CSS perform better than students at other schools in the same district (USNEWS, 2017). The district average for English proficiency is 50% and for mathematics proficiency is 37%, with a district average college readiness score of 44.7. This data represents assessments conducted across 113 schools serving 113,242 students (USNEWS, 2017). With a graduation rate of 98%, Charter Secondary School provides a case worthy of further study.

Understanding the Reasons for Truancy

There are several reasons for truancy, and they are often complex and varied. Research on truancy suggests that a negative school environment, student behavior, family economic status, and mental health problems are key contributors (Dronkers, Veerman, & Pong, 2017; Dembo, Wareham, Schmeidler, Briones-Robinson, & Winters, 2014). A negative school environment can create problems for students who want to learn. Schools in many regions have large classrooms, making it difficult for students to focus and receive the individual attention necessary for understanding the curriculum (Losen, 2015). If a student has questions or needs additional examples for an assignment, the teacher may not have the time or patience to address that student while simultaneously managing 29 others.

Many schools across the country have strict policies regarding disruptive student behavior that can lead to suspension or even expulsion. Several factors can cause disruptive behavior (Losen, 2015). One common reason is poverty. As Hutcheson (2014, p. 1) explains, "high levels of poverty have a negative effect on school behavior. This is attributed largely to the chronic and acute stress experienced by students living in poverty. The exposure is associated with externalizing behaviors that are disruptive in school settings." Students facing poverty may be part of an unstable household, endure problematic or abusive home environments, and lack access to basic resources. Rather than being given an opportunity to learn from their mistakes and receive meaningful support, such students are often suspended or expelled. High rates of suspension can contribute to higher rates of truancy.

As Barghaus et al. (2016, p. 154) note, "the bifactor structure reflected a general factor of Problems in Behavioral Engagement and two group factors: Problems in Social Engagement and Problems in Academic Engagement." Researchers observe that students may not have purely academic problems; instead, they may exhibit asocial or anti-social behaviors. They may not feel comfortable engaging with other students due to fear of judgment or an inability to socialize appropriately. Providing students with the tools to engage both socially and academically can improve the likelihood of positive academic outcomes. Student disinterest in academics may also be a key contributor to truancy (Dronkers, Veerman, & Pong, 2017). Suspensions and expulsions may negatively affect students' willingness to participate in school. When students are suspended, they lose access to schoolwork. Upon returning, depending on the length of the suspension, they may face significant difficulty catching up with classwork (Reid, 2014; Dronkers, Veerman, & Pong, 2017).

Re-entry after suspension or expulsion creates a pattern in which students have no clear options for completing missed schoolwork. They cannot attend school or contact the teacher for assignments, placing them at a significant disadvantage — especially if they are not academically strong to begin with. Falling further behind, particularly for students who have already experienced low grades, can lead to class failures (Reid, 2014). These interrelated problems — negative school environment, student behavior, family economic status, and mental health — must all be addressed for truancy programs to be effective (Dronkers, Veerman, & Pong, 2017; Dembo et al., 2014).

By exploring the incentive theory of motivation alongside research on the connection between suspension, expulsion, student interest, and truancy, this study aims to offer clarity on why truancy rates are high and what can be done to counteract the problem. Incentive theory of motivation and Family Systems Theory together provide a robust theoretical framework for understanding motive and environment. The complexity of truancy cannot be explained through a single avenue of reasoning. When students are suspended or expelled, they may have a harder time catching up academically, which can lead to further problems as they mature into adulthood.

The specific focus of this study is school-based policies and procedures that may mitigate or reduce truancy. The literature review provides background on the factors that lead to truancy, approaches used by school leaders to address truancy, and identifies successful structures and strategies from existing research. Accordingly, it is important to clearly state the scope of the problem in order to define the focus and improve the quality of the study.

Truancy rates in the United States are growing (Monahan, VanDerhei, Bechtold, & Cauffman, 2014). Whether a student is absent due to suspension or willingly chooses to be absent, the problem has remained worthy of research and possible intervention. The problem addressed by this study is as follows: educational leaders may have implemented policies and procedures in public charter schools, but documentation about school leaders' beliefs about which are most effective and why is largely absent from the literature.

One policy associated with higher rates of truancy is known as "zero-tolerance." Such disciplinary policy enables harsher and stricter punishment of student behavior. "Since the 1990s, implementation of zero-tolerance policies in schools has led to increased use of school suspension and expulsion as disciplinary techniques for students with varying degrees of infractions" (Monahan, VanDerhei, Bechtold, & Cauffman, 2014, p. 1110). If students receive punitive measures rather than a chance to receive help, this may partly explain continued truancy, as students feel compelled to act out further in response to their circumstances (Monahan, VanDerhei, Bechtold, & Cauffman, 2014).

Research suggests the experience of suspension or expulsion can increase the likelihood of illegal behavior. "Being suspended or expelled from school increased the likelihood of arrest in that same month, and this effect was stronger among youth who did not have a history of behavior problems and when youth associated with less delinquent peers" (Monahan, VanDerhei, Bechtold, & Cauffman, 2014, p. 1110). When schools expel and suspend students, school leaders add to truancy rates. This is not to suggest that expulsion and suspension are never necessary; however, negative behaviors associated with truancy may increase when punitive measures outweigh non-punitive ones. The zero-tolerance policies of schools have become the primary cause for concern in these growing cases of suspension and expulsion (Schargel, 2014). Although truancy does not directly cause crime, the two are highly correlated (Schargel, 2014). Therefore, policies need to change, and examining schools like Charter Secondary School is an important step toward identifying what positive changes are possible.

Effective school policies and procedures that improve attendance and reduce truancy may include processes and options that provide support and variability, such as additional study hours and counseling. Without understanding such aspects, little help can be generated for students in need. The purpose of this study is to understand school leaders' perspectives on how policies and procedures reduce truancy and improve student attendance. By interviewing key staff at Charter Secondary School — a public charter school with low truancy levels — school leaders' perspectives on effective policies and procedures can be gathered. These findings may provide a better understanding of what leaders at other schools can do to improve attendance.

Research on truancy reduction suggests that students with more attendance options may be able to overcome difficulties that contribute to truancy (Reid, 2014; Schargel, 2014). Effective school policies that improve attendance may contain processes that provide a structured framework for truancy assistance. Without understanding such aspects, little help can be generated or implemented for students in need.

The topic of school leaders' perspectives on student attendance and retention will be explored through interviews conducted at a school with high levels of attendance. Charter Secondary School demonstrates better attendance and better academic performance compared to all other schools in the district on average, and the majority of students are minority or non-white. This school serves as a starting point for investigating effective school policies. Follow-up examination of CSS policies in the interview section should provide a measure of effectiveness needed to better understand what strategies can improve attendance and how other schools handle factors such as a minority-majority student body and school location — whether urban, rural, or suburban.

The following research questions guide the direction of the study and offer potential avenues for examining truancy rates at CSS and student truancy more broadly.

How do school leaders at a diverse, urban secondary charter school describe the factors that contribute to a high attendance rate and a low truancy rate?

1. How do school leaders characterize the policies and procedures intended to improve and sustain strong attendance rates?

2. What is the role of families and caregivers in implementing and sustaining high levels of attendance?

3. What theoretical framework serves as the foundation for policies at CSS?

The study is qualitative and focuses on the use of interviews to collect leaders' perspectives on attendance and truancy. "The interview has today become one of the most widespread knowledge-producing practices across the human and social sciences in general and in critical psychology more specifically" (Brinkmann, 2014, p. 1008). Interviews can range from formal to informal, and can be conducted face-to-face, over the phone, or over the internet. Formal interviews have a set structure in which the researcher asks a question and the participant answers. In informal interviews, however, there can be open discussion and the interviewer may use follow-up questions in a more conversational approach (Brinkmann, 2014). Most qualitative interviews are semi-structured: "the researcher provides some structure based on her research interests and interview guide but works flexibly with the guide and allows room for the respondent's more spontaneous descriptions and narratives" (Brinkmann, 2014, p. 1008).

There is a need to understand, from the perspectives of Charter Secondary School staff and school leaders, what policies and procedures are in place, what improvements and changes have been made to improve attendance, and what kind of school environment such policies promote. These findings can inform school leaders and others striving to reduce truancy. As one relevant study found: "Using fixed effects regressions and controlling for truancy peer group effects, we observe that truancy positively correlates to early school leaving. A truant has a 3.4 percentage points higher risk of leaving school without a qualification" (De Witte & Csillag, 2012, p. 549).

Themes discovered through the interview process can then be compared with themes found in the literature review to identify whether a universal concept is being applied that leads to successful student academic performance and strong attendance records. It is important to allow staff members to share their opinions and enable discussion about what has caused positive or negative outcomes, facilitating easier analysis of responses.

The idea that truancy is a complex problem allows focus on the various narratives incorporated in attempts to understand and resolve it. Many different avenues point to potential solutions; however, experience reveals both negative and positive outcomes. Therefore, the leaders' vision of the selected school and of successful truancy programs will provide insight into what may be most valuable in reducing student truancy rates. Within the conceptual framework lie two key theoretical components: the incentive theory of motivation and Family Systems Theory.

An important theory explored in this study is the incentive theory of motivation: "people are pulled towards behaviors that offer positive incentives and pushed away from behaviors associated with negative incentives. The incentive theory suggests that people are motivated to do things because of external rewards" (Rehman & Haider, 2013, p. 141). If students are incentivized to attend class by receiving a reward, this motivation may be precisely what is missing in schools with high truancy rates, and it may explain the downward spiral some students experience when they are severely punished for being absent.

Family systems theory is a systems-level theory that allows exploration of a person's life through the context of family and understanding the individual's family as an emotional unit contributing to that person's emotional wellbeing (Breda, 2014). Introduced by Dr. Murray Bowen, the theory posits that families exist as interdependent and interconnected individuals who cannot be understood in isolation from the system (Breda, 2014). In the context of truancy, if a student is performing poorly and is truant, the absence could be linked to family responsibilities such as working to support the family, childcare duties, or caring for an ill parent. Family systems theory enables identification of potential connections within the family that may be causing stress for the student and leading to truant behavior (Breda, 2014).

The main assumption guiding this study is that effective attendance policies and procedures are the cornerstone for school leaders striving to reduce truancy rates. Other assumptions include the notion that higher rates of truancy lead to poorer academic performance. When students fail to attend class voluntarily, they place themselves at greater risk of performing poorly. Poor academic performance may reflect their inability to keep pace with coursework and a lack of motivation to complete assignments (Rollnick, 2016). Students may be unwilling to attend school due to mental health problems, an unstable home life, or physical health conditions. Another assumption is that students living in poverty and minority students may have a more difficult time managing school demands due to a turbulent home life. Some research addresses the prevalence of school-based institutionalized racism, which may influence students' willingness to attend school (Rollnick, 2016).

Although institutionalized racism will not be covered in depth in this paper, it is important to acknowledge its relationship to truancy alongside the broader issues of lack of resources, family-based problems, and the experience of being a minority member of a larger society.

The study is limited to one public charter school serving as the case for exploring leaders' perceptions of how their school maintains a low truancy rate. Another limitation is the number of people interviewed for the study. Interviews will be conducted with representatives of administration and staff. The findings will not be generalizable to all schools, although they may inform leaders at other similar schools. The literature review examines only how American schools handle truancy and what policies either decrease or increase truancy rates. No other limitations are noted.

The study is qualitative and will use interviews with school staff to collect data. Interview transcripts will be analyzed to identify underlying themes from respondents at Charter Secondary School. By questioning school leaders and parent leaders, the researcher will develop a greater understanding of what effective policies are in place that enable better attendance rates than other schools in the district. The school also fares better in academic scores and maintains a high graduation rate. If location plays a role — the school is in a suburban area — this should be explored through the interview questions to gain a fuller understanding of all aspects of effective policy within the school.

The literature review provides a foundation; the interviews provide the data. Alongside the qualitative interviews, the literature review will serve as a comparative guide — both as a basis for interview questions and as a framework for comparing the data gathered from those interviews. If other successful schools have similar policies in place, this could serve as a potential standard applicable nationally to help decrease truancy across the country. The literature review will also provide examples of policies in schools with high truancy rates to illustrate what should be avoided. Results will be discussed within the context of potential modifications that could further improve attendance rates and academic success.

Ultimately, it is important to recognize what Charter Secondary School offers and determine whether it can serve as a benchmark for other schools in the district and perhaps nationwide. Although the qualitative study is small — including eight participants — it may provide the kind of insight that cannot be gathered elsewhere.

The study can be an important step in learning what is working for a school staff seeking to reduce truancy. Furthermore, findings may lead this school and others like it to adopt and implement effective programs and policies (Zyromski & Mariani, 2016). Public school leaders across the United States need the knowledge required to improve their students' academic progress and attendance. First, however, they need to see evidence that certain policy implementations work and are worth the time, money, and effort. Like evidence-based practice in nursing, staff need to see evidence that already-enacted policies have led to student success and improved attendance rates (Zyromski & Mariani, 2016).

While reviewing the statistics of a successful school like Charter Secondary School is helpful, it is even more significant when other schools can see the specific steps leaders took to reach that level of success. That collected information can be compared across schools to identify the core principles and actions responsible for such positive results. Growth and positive outcomes can only come from tested and approved practices.

Researchers need to continue finding and documenting policies and procedures that work and offering guidelines for school staff seeking to improve attendance and reduce truancy (Zyromski & Mariani, 2016). The growing problem of truancy in the United States requires thoughtful assessment of schools that have successfully reduced it. Many of the factors that lead to truancy will remain prevalent. School leaders cannot rectify all of those factors, but they can take meaningful action at their own sites — and action cannot be taken without sound research and evidence behind it (Zyromski & Mariani, 2016).

Studies like this one also provide an anchor point for investigating other aspects of school life, school environment, and student behavioral problems. If students have problems stemming from struggles with sexuality, gender identity, or political affiliation, their experiences are relevant to understanding truancy-related behaviors. These social dynamics could be investigated in future studies, with results potentially spurring policy changes that lead to a safer and more positive school environment.

Truancy: When a student stays away from school without a sufficient reason; also labeled as absenteeism. Days spent on suspension may be included in truancy rates.

Charter School (in the United States): A publicly funded independent school established by community groups, parents, or teachers under the terms of a charter with national or local authority.

Expulsion: The permanent withdrawal or exclusion of a student from a school system or institution due to consistent violations of the institution's rules, or in some cases a single offense of sufficient severity.

Suspension: In the school context, a mandatory leave given to a student as a disciplinary measure that can last anywhere from a single day to several weeks, during which the student cannot attend school (Kaufman & Kaufman, 2013).

Literature Review: School-Based Programs and Student Characteristics

One way schools have worked to decrease truancy rates is through truancy reporting. Truancy reporting allows students to be assessed to identify whether they are high-risk (De Witte & Csillag, 2012). Because truancy can have a profoundly negative long-term effect on students, schools have become more stringent about truancy reporting. "A truant has a 3.4 percentage points higher risk of leaving school without a qualification" (De Witte & Csillag, 2012, p. 549). By providing a means of identifying potential problems early on, truancy reporting functions as a preventative measure with positive effects on students at risk. "The idea is straightforward: if students are better monitored with respect to truancy, schools can identify more easily students at risk. The results indicate that improved truancy reporting significantly reduces school dropout by 5 percentage points" (De Witte & Csillag, 2012, p. 549).

To begin helping students, schools must find ways to connect them to their community. A preventative measure used to identify at-risk youth can lead to interventions with positive educational outcomes (De Witte & Csillag, 2012). Schools like CSS already have a robust truancy reporting protocol in place — one that stipulates students cannot be absent more than a few days before the school contacts the student's household (De Witte & Csillag, 2012).

More research should be dedicated to how preventative measures can expand to include additional indicators of at-risk behavior, such as habitual lateness and missed homework assignments (Reid, 2017). If such indicators could be systematically tracked, this might allow for earlier and more accurate identification of potential truancy problems. Applying research to practice is popular in healthcare; perhaps it can become equally common in education as more information emerges on topics like student truancy (Reid, 2017).

Punitive measures for truancy can be seen through the introduction of third-party policing in schools. "Third-party policing is an approach to crime prevention and control involving the police partnering with organizations or individuals to prevent or reduce crime problems" (Nitschke, Mazerolle, & Bennett, 2014, p. 5211). By relying on available criminal, regulatory, or civil laws and rules that assign partial accountability to third parties for crime control, this approach creates an environment in which problem students can be more readily apprehended (Nitschke, Mazerolle, & Bennett, 2014). While this may help schools address growing delinquency, it may also make it easier for students to enter the criminal justice system at an early age.

Punitive measures can also be costlier overall (Nitschke, Mazerolle, & Bennett, 2014). Measures such as expulsion or suspension can further increase the likelihood of students being truant and performing poorly academically (Shelton, 2014). Students must be guided toward positive outcomes, which means challenging the assumption that punitive measures will prevent truancy. Although short-term results may show a reduction, the long-term effects could be more negative and lasting (Shelton, 2014). Shelton found that students who face punitive measures may have a higher chance of committing crimes compared with those who face non-punitive measures.

While some research suggests police intervention regarding truancy can raise parental awareness, it also increases the potential for truant students to enter the juvenile criminal justice system (Mazerolle, Bennett, Antrobus, & Eggins, 2017). A mixture of both punitive and non-punitive measures may therefore be most beneficial in tackling the truancy problem.

While punitive measures have their place in schools, non-punitive measures are also useful and offer students a chance to improve while removing some of the stigma attached to past mistakes (Reid, 2017). Successful protocols integrate flexibility into standard methods to help the school, family, and student. Such programs understand individual student needs and do whatever is necessary to assist the family and student involved in truancy (Mallett, 2015).

One study in Australia aimed to understand truancy and its effects in order to develop programs allowing for effective reduction of truancy rates among students (Taylor, Gray, & Stanton, 2016). This demonstrates that with proper research, non-punitive options are feasible. However, they must be developed in conjunction with significant research that builds a better understanding of the needs of truant students (Mallett, 2015). While the expectation is that non-punitive measures are more effective than punitive ones, if no significant difference exists, non-punitive measures must still be assessed for efficacy. Haight, Chapman, Hendron, Loftis, & Kearney (2014) demonstrated that a non-punitive truancy program may not work if a key component — such as skill-building through tutoring — is absent. Without that element, the likelihood of truancy decreasing is reduced.

Truancy can have a lasting impact on a student's life. "School dropout has been extensively studied in the literature as a correlate of negative life outcomes. A precursor to school dropout is truancy, the unexcused or illegitimate student absence from school" (Rocque, Jennings, Piquero, Ozkan, & Farrington, 2016, p. 592). Students may be absent or truant for a wide variety of reasons. Several studies indicate that students who are more frequently truant may also be more involved in criminal behavior (Shelton, 2014; Shute & Cooper, 2014; Virtanen, Lerkkanen, Poikkeus, & Kuorelahti, 2014).

Such involvement points to the negative correlation between truancy and later-life outcomes, including delinquency and crime (Rocque et al., 2016). Rocque et al. (2016) also note that truancy can lead to problem drinking: "Results indicate that truancy has long-lasting associations with negative life outcomes, especially for non-violent crime and problem drinking" (p. 592). If addictive or criminal behavior leads to truancy, and truancy in turn leads to further addictive or criminal behavior, a self-reinforcing negative cycle emerges. This is important to recognize because students experiencing addiction problems or becoming involved in delinquent behavior can receive help that simultaneously reduces their involvement in risky behaviors and contributes to reduced truancy rates (Rocque et al., 2016). The implication is that to reduce truancy, schools must help students address the negative behaviors they engage in outside of school.

These negative behaviors can arise from negative experiences. From bullying to poor academic performance, students often experience stress that can be detrimental to their academic success. Birkett, Russell, & Corliss (2014) examined the role of sexual-orientation disparities in relation to academic achievement and truancy. Drawing on pooled data, they found that being part of an LGBT-identified group affected truancy rates and academic performance. "LGBT-identified youths reported significantly elevated odds of truancy and low grades (odds ratios = 1.6–3.2; all P < .05). Additionally, both genders noting uncertainty about their sexual identity showed increased odds of truancy" (Birkett, Russell, & Corliss, 2014, p. 1124).

The negative correlation between truancy and academic performance among LGBT-identified or questioning students led the researchers to examine victimization indicators and the challenges of identifying as a sexual minority (Birkett, Russell, & Corliss, 2014). They also noted the connection between early disparities and lifetime behavioral risks. "As early disparities in academic achievement and school engagement have indicated a lifetime of increased health and behavioral risk factors, early intervention targeting school victimization is necessary" (Birkett, Russell, & Corliss, 2014, p. 1124). For there to be meaningful improvement in the lives of these students, the first step is helping them move out of the role of victim and equipping them with the resources needed to combat these stressors.

Future research can help identify additional causes of truancy. For example, transgender students may be more prone to mental health issues (Birkett, Russell, & Corliss, 2014), and mental health issues in general can lead to negative behaviors such as school absenteeism (Reid, 2017). Exploring these connections would help close the gap in literature that often fails to focus on the true causes of truancy among students.

Aragon, Poteat, Espelage, & Koenig (2014) examined the educational outcomes for LGBTQ students compared with non-LGBTQ students. Through a survey of over eleven thousand students, they found that LGBTQ students experienced academic disparities and were more likely to be victimized. "Victimization partially mediated these differences between LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ youth. These results highlight the role of victimization in partially accounting for academic disparities between LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ youth" (Aragon et al., 2014, p. 1).

Victimization can originate within the family or from people outside of it. For example, if a student experiences physical abuse at home, this may negatively affect the student's mental wellbeing, which can then be expressed through negative behaviors like truancy (Aragon et al., 2014). Family characteristics are therefore also pertinent to understanding truancy among students.

Conclusion

There are several reasons for truancy, and they are often complex and varied. To better understand why Charter Secondary School has a low truancy rate and what strategies school leaders deem effective, a qualitative case study will be used to collect the necessary data and answer the research questions. This case study will examine the perceptions and perspectives of eight school leaders as to why CSS does not have an attendance problem. The case study will use structured interview questions and will provide informed consent throughout the interview process.

In conclusion, truancy rates are a growing problem in United States schools. Charter Secondary School is one school that has worked to reduce truancy rates and, according to recent statistics, has succeeded. By exploring CSS's school policies and procedures that increase or decrease truancy rates in Florida, the researcher aims to understand school leaders' perspectives on how their approaches to school discipline have improved attendance. The recent literature documents the significance of truancy and how it connects school measures with student behavioral outcomes. Some schools take punitive measures toward truancy; others take non-punitive measures; still others use a mixture of both. The aim of the study is to understand what policy measures are in place, whether and how they are successful, and the many factors that contribute to truancy — from family situations and community environment to mental health and poverty. With so many schools throughout the country experiencing high truancy rates, the question remains: what does Charter Secondary School do that enables high attendance among its student population, and what policies has the school adopted to support a positive environment that motivates students to attend school and learn?

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Understanding the Reasons for Truancy

Student truancy has become a major issue that schools continually try to address (Rollnick, 2016). To improve truancy rates, schools must research and cultivate worthwhile strategies to reduce the negative behaviors that lead to truancy. However, there is also a need to understand why students are truant in the first place. Poverty and a negative school environment are issues that have raised concern as contributors to the likelihood of truancy (Reid, 2014). It can be difficult to weigh the costs and benefits of various measures. Those who favor punitive discipline believe that adherence to rules leads to positive outcomes (Rollnick, 2016). Those who favor non-punitive discipline aim to demonstrate how giving students options can lead to better results — not just in truancy rates but in the personal growth of the student (Rollnick, 2016). With all available strategies and methods, it can be difficult for school leaders to determine the optimal mixture of punitive and non-punitive discipline. The goal is to highlight the success of programs and schools that have reduced truancy rates, as well as identify policies that increase truancy rates, in order to demonstrate how student truancy can be improved overall.