The programs mentioned over the past few days are simply examples of the scores of programs that schools, courts, and communities have established to try to take a more effective approach to the problem of truancy among youth.

While many programs have collected data and been evaluated, it is not easy to draw definitive conclusions about their effectiveness. Many programs that may help truancy and dropout prevention may not bill themselves that way; they are part of a larger initiative to help children feel connected with school and protect them from a variety of risk factors, including violence, bullying, and gang involvement. These programs may not keep attendance records or other markers to indicate success in truancy prevention and intervention, even though they may well have an impact.

Furthermore, each school district has its own definition of truancy and method for identifying truant students, further complicating the ability to evaluate and compare programs. In accordance with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, state and local recipients of funding under the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (SDFSCA) must develop and implement a Uniform Management Information and Reporting System (UMIRS) to provide information that can help guide the management of programs supported with SDFSCA funding. Truancy rates, which represent one of the many types of data to be collected under the UMIRS, are to be reported at the state level on a school-by-school basis. While each state can construct its own set of definitions, information collection instruments, and data collection protocols related to UMIRS, the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools will be collaborating with states to build a "model" UMIRS system. Truancy rates will be one of the key topics under discussion in that process. Perhaps a greater understanding of how truancy is conceptualized by schools and states, as well as greater consistency in definitions, will emerge from this effort.

While one cannot draw definitive conclusions about the truancy programs, those with the most hopeful results do share some common elements. The Truancy Reduction Demonstration Program (TRDP), mentioned on the first day of this event, has funded seven sites to engage in an integrated, community-wide plan to reduce truancy. The initiative was based on lessons learned from other truancy and risk prevention programs that had shown promising results. According to the Office of Juvenile and Delinquency Prevention, one of the program's funders, the models that show the most promise of reducing truancy and its risk factors include the following key components:

• Parental involvement

• Meaningful sanctions or consequences for truancy

• Meaningful incentives for school attendance

• Ongoing school-based truancy reduction programs

• Involvement of community resources (for example, law enforcement)

As you move forward with plans to assess and address truancy problems among students in your schools and communities, consider making use of the following valuable resources. They are all PDF files, so please be sure to click on your Internet browser's "back" button or hit the "backspace" button on your keyboard when you are ready to return to this event after downloading and/or printing these materials.

• TRDP evaluation model

• Logic model description for the TRDP evaluation

• Logic model example of a results-based truancy program

Additional Resources

There are numerous organizations and materials that can help you and your school dig deeper into the important topic of truancy. On this final day of the event, please complete the following steps:

1. Review the list of additional resources located in the Resources & Links section. You will find links to several on-line publications and organizations with information about the nature and prevention of truancy.

2. Identify one resource that you find interesting, follow the link, and spend some time reviewing the publication or learning about the organization.

   No matter which resource you select, please consider also visiting the National Center for School Engagement and joining the National Truancy Listserv so that you can talk with others in the fields of juvenile justice, education, and human services about issues regarding out-of-school youth.

3. Visit the Discussion Area to share with your fellow participants and the event facilitator the link you followed and any interesting tips you learned.

Please also take some time today to read the summaries of this week's on-line discussion and share any additional thoughts -- either about the topic of truancy or about this on-line event -- in the Discussion Area.

Truancy and school dropout initiatives mentioned in Day 5 materials:

School Dropout Demonstration Assistance Program
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/Biennial/95-96/eval/129-97.pdf

School Dropout Prevention Program
http://www.ed.gov/programs/dropout/index.html

Truancy Reduction Demonstration Project
http://www.truancyprevention.org/programsPage.html

References for Day 5 materials:

Baker, M. L., Sigmon, J. N. and Nugent, M. E. (2001). Truancy reduction: Keeping students in schools. Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Join Together Online. (January 1998). Keeping kids in school. Boston: Author.

National Center for School Engagement Web site: http://www.truancyprevention.org.

Safe Schools and Violence Prevention Office. (2000). School attendance improvement handbook. Sacramento, CA: California Department of Education.

School dropouts: Education could play a stronger role in identifying and disseminating promising prevention strategies. (2002). Washington, DC: United States General Accounting Office.