Targeted truancy interventions
Program basics
- Interventions seek to address truancy, including remedial academic work, academic tutoring, career and technical education, case management and counseling services, parent outreach, and enhanced attendance monitoring practices
- In-school policies seek to modify existing procedures that exacerbate truancy, such as suspensions
- Common alternatives include in-school suspension, detention, and alternative schooling programs
- Court-based programs generally coordinate services for youth, often involving a social worker or case manager
Strength of evidence
Evidence level: Proven (highest tier)
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Proven (highest tier)
Ranked as having the highest level of evidence by the National Institute of Justice
Target population
All school-aged children
Program cost
Not available
Implementation locations
- Nationwide
Dates active
Not available
Outcomes and impact
- Across sixteen studies, targeted truancy interventions improved attendance by an average of 4.7 days, though post-intervention absenteeism still remained above desirable levels
- After implementing anti-truancy programs, such as ACT Now, some schools recorded a 64% decrease in the number of truancies
- Intervention programs have shown success in decreasing dropout rates in addition to truancy rates
- Programs which are culturally sensitive and include academic enrichment techniques show more success in lowering truancy rates for all students
Keys to successful implementation
- Note: This content is under review
- Analyze root causes of a student’s poor school attendance, determining if family, school, economic, mental health, or community-based obstacles are contributing most to attendance challenges before implementing specific interventions.
- Encourage active partnerships between school districts, specific school leadership, law enforcement, and community-based organizations in addressing truancy issues.
- Schools should closely monitor attendance and advise parents immediately of unexcused absences and negative consequences stemming from chronic absence.
- Clearly state goals and objectives to parents and community stakeholders; provide consistent, written guidelines on program procedures, like the minimum number of absences before action is taken.
- Ensure that communications with parents are conducted in the family's native tongue.
- Provide annual training for key school administrators and allocate staff to work with schools and justice system agencies to coordinate community-wide responses to truancy.
- Foster an environment grounded in mutual trust and respect between students, families, and the truancy intervention program.