Truancy, Attendance, and School Dropout: A Literature Review

Introduction: Attendance, Truancy, and the Scope of the Problem

Attendance is a critical factor in school performance. Poor attendance and truancy have been problems for schools virtually ever since anti-truancy laws were passed. As noted by Tomal, Schilling, and Trybus (2013), however, finding reliable data to accurately evaluate the extent of the problem and the specific groups most severely affected remains a significant challenge, and solving the problem has therefore been vexing for many educators. This paper offers a literature review of different researchers' perceptions of truancy in various contexts, the data they used, and the solutions they derived from that data.

Reid (2003): National Policy and the Search for Solutions

According to Kenneth Reid's 2003 article "The Search for Solutions to Truancy and Other Forms of School Absence," truancy is a significant factor in dropping out for many students. Reid's article focuses primarily on the United Kingdom, where nearly 35% of students leave school without any formal qualification, despite punitive government efforts such as increasing fines and truancy prosecutions as well as positive initiatives such as mentoring programs and the creation of education action zones (Reid, 2003). In Great Britain, and in certain areas of the United States, school-leaving rates are among the highest in the developed world. These rates may even be conservative, since schools have incentives to underreport data and students who change location may simply not register with a new school, effectively staying off the grid of truancy reporting.

Reid's article suggests a national inquiry into both the general reasons students leave school early and a review of the nation's social support system. Welfare officers, educators, and social welfare workers must all work together in a joint effort to combat truancy. There should also be a review of the educational curriculum; in the UK, excessive standardization is seen as a significant impediment to student education and enjoyment of the learning process (Reid, 2003). It is worth noting that in the United States, there has similarly been a drive toward increased standardization, ostensibly to ensure that students are not left behind—yet this may result in students becoming alienated when they are not adequately prepared to meet existing standards.

Some community-based efforts to combat truancy have shown promise. Even when effective, however, Reid argues that these local efforts are not an adequate replacement for a broader federal initiative. "Truancy has far too long thrived on inadequate, piecemeal, and haphazard local solutions" (Reid, 2003, p. 5). In particular, the lack of early interventions at the primary school level has been linked to lingering truancy problems later on; most students who engage in truancy during secondary school began showing signs of disengagement in the primary grades. Reid further recommends that school record-keeping regarding truancy be fully audited—a process that can be facilitated through online technology. Schools could also use online platforms to share and discuss practices that have successfully reduced truancy. Additionally, schools should develop official policies to facilitate the reintegration of students after periods of prolonged absence.

The responsibility of parents in truancy cases should also be reconsidered, according to Reid (2003), although he stops short of advocating that parents bear sole legal responsibility for their child's truancy. While Reid draws on objective sources such as government databases, his proposed solutions are largely theoretical and not necessarily grounded in statistical evidence demonstrating that the initiatives he suggests will work. He acknowledges that because statistics on truancy are difficult to confirm for accuracy, determining whether to target schools, parents, or students themselves remains equally challenging.

Mallett (2016): Truancy as a Social Justice Issue

While Reid (2003) focuses primarily on how to create national policy changes in educational programs, Mallett (2016) approaches truancy as a social problem and focuses on available data regarding who commits the act, not simply how often. "Truancy is a problem for many students, but disproportionately impacts vulnerable and already at-risk children and adolescents," he notes, creating a vicious cycle in which students with little support at home are more likely to develop poor academic records, drop out, become delinquent, and face further social problems as a result (Mallett, 2016, p. 337). Mallett (2016) also observes that the juvenile justice system seems determined to subvert rather than promote the chances of society's most vulnerable members to succeed. One significant statistic is that the majority of incarcerated youths are minority (68%) males, suggesting that the juvenile justice system may have a disproportionate and negative impact on this demographic's educational outcomes (Mallett, 2016). Truancy is also more prevalent among socially marginalized groups such as LGBT teens, presumably due to bullying and other social challenges (Mallett, 2016).

Conclusion: Moving Beyond Punishment

Data is thus vital to ensuring that anti-truancy programs are effective. It is not enough to merely note that truancy is a problem. Specific demographic patterns must be identified to ensure that solutions are targeted and meaningful. Furthermore, after implementing specific programs, collecting data on their efficacy—including where they succeeded and where they fell short—enables schools and governments to adopt approaches that genuinely work, rather than simply imposing harsh sanctions to punish truants and their families.

References

Mallett, C. (2016). Truancy: It's not about skipping school. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 33, 337–347.

Reid, K. (2003). The search for solutions to truancy and other forms of school absence. Pastoral Care, 1–9.

Skola, E., & Williamson, K. (2012). The truancy intervention project: Our tips for success. Family Court Review, 50(3), 405–412.

Tomal, D., Schilling, C., & Trybus, M. (2013). Leading school change. The Concordia University Leadership Series.