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…Chapter1IntroductionStudenttruancyisagrowingproblemintheUnitedStates.Overthelasttwentyyearsthetruancyrateshavegrownnationwidewiththehighestratesininnercities(Jacob&Lovett,2017).Researchindicatesthatstudenttruancyleadstopotentialsociallydeviantbehaviorinadulthood(Dronkers,Veerman,&Pong,2017).Manystudentswhoareabsentforprolongedperiodsaremorelikelytoperformpoorlyacademically,riskingfailureinclassesandfacingdisciplinaryaction.Characteristicsofsomeschoolswithhightruancyratesarepunitivetruancyprograms,lackofalternativestudyoptionsforsuspendedstudents,andlackofcounselingandtutoring(Bye,2010).Whilehightruancyisanissue,otherschoolsmaintainlowtruancyrates.Thoseschoolsgivestudentstheoptionfortutoring,allowdistancelearningforsuspendedstudents,andtakeonamixtureofpunitiveandnon-punitivemeasures(Duarte&Hatch,2014).Withanationalrankingof764andaFloridarankingof66,andcalledbyapseudonymforthepurposesofanonymity:“CharterSecondarySchool”(CSS),CSSisconsideredoneofthebesthighschoolsinthestateregardingstudentattendanceratesandoverallschoolparticipation(GreatSchools!,2017).Theschoolhaslowtruancyamongminoritystudents,whichisanotableanddistinctivequality,makingitananomalyinthesurroundingarea(GreatSchools!,2017).Firstestablishedin2005,CharterSecondarySchoolisapubliccharterschoolbuiltonasuburbanUniversityCampus(GreatSchools!,2017).Thecurrentenrollmentnumberstandsatover500(GreatSchools!,2017).Asan‘A’ratedschool,itservesstudentsfromgrades6-12(CharterSecondarySchoolwebsite,2007).Initsearlyhistory,CSSwasoriginallyamiddleschool(CharterSecondarySchoolofMiamiShores,2007).Theportablestructuresthatcomprisedtheschoolservedasanalternativeforstudentswithinthearea(CharterSecondarySchoolofMiamiShores,2007).In2005,theschoolgainedapermanentstructurethankstothedonations.Theschoolhasseveralfull-timeteachersforasemi-largestudentpopulationreflectingaratiooflessthan20studentsperteacher(19:1)(USNEWS,2017).Thepercentageofeconomicallydisadvantagedstudentsliesat33%withminorityenrollmentof83%.AlthoughclassattendanceishighandthepercentageofstudentswhotestedforAPexamsat81%,thepercentageofstudentswhopasstheAPexamsis47%,orlessthanhalf.EnglishandMathematicproficiencylevelslieat70%and68%respectively,whichisabovethedistrictandnationwideaverage(USNEWS,2017).WithaCollegeReadinessIndexover48,theschoolhasroomforimprovement.Whilestudentsearnaveragetestscoresoverall,studentswhoattendCSSperformbetterthanstudentsatotherschoolsinthesamedistrict(USNEWS,2017).ThedistrictaverageforEnglishproficiencyis50%andMathematicsproficiencyat37%.Thedistrictaverageforcollegereadinessisat44.7.Thisdatarepresentsassessmentsconductedat113schoolsfor113,242students(USNEWS,2017).Withagraduationrateof98%,CharterSecondarySchoolofMiamiShoresprovidesacaseworthyoffurtherstudy.UnderstandingtheReasonsforTruancyThereareseveralreasonsfortruancyandtheyareoftencomplexandvaried.Researchontruancysuggeststhatanegativeschoolenvironment,studentbehavior,familyeconomicstatus,andmentalhealthproblemsarekeycontributors(Dronkers,Veerman,&Pong,2017)(Dembo,Wareham,Schmeidler,Briones-Robinson,&Winters,2014).Anegativeschoolenvironmentcancauseproblemsforstudentswishingtolearn.Schoolsinthisregionoftenhavelargeclassrooms,makingitdifficultforstudentstofocusinclassandreceiveattentionnecessaryforunderstandingthecurriculum(Losen,2015).Ifforexample,astudenthasquestionsorneedsexamplesforaspecificassignmentinclass,theteachermaynothavethetimeorpatiencetodealwiththatstudentwhenheorshemustdealwith29otherstudentsallneedingthesamelevelofattention.Manyschoolsacrossthecountryhavestrictpoliciesregardingdisruptivestudentbehaviorthatcouldleadtosuspensionorevenexpulsion.Severalfactorscouldcausedisruptivebehavioramongstudents(Losen,2015).Onecommonreasonispoverty.“…highlevelsofpovertyhaveanegativeeffectonschoolbehavior.Thisisattributedlargelytothechronicandacutestressexperiencedbystudentslivinginpoverty.Theexposureisassociatedwithexternalizingbehaviorsthataredisruptiveinschoolsettings”(Hutcheson,2014,p.1).Studentsfacingpovertymaybepartofanunstablehousehold.Theymayendureproblematicandabusiveparentsandlackbasicresources.Studentswhoexhibitpoorbehaviorneedopportunitiestolearnfromtheirmistakesandreceivethehelpandresourcesthatcouldmakeapositivedifferenceintheirlives.Instead,theyareoftensuspendedorexpelledandnotgivenachancetoimprove.Highratesofsuspensioncanlendtoahigherrateoftruancy.“ThebifactorstructurereflectedageneralfactorofProblemsinBehavioralEngagementandtwogroupfactors:ProblemsinSocialEngagementandProblemsinAcademicEngagement”(Barghausetal.,2016,p.154).Researchersnotestudentsmaynothaveacademicproblems,butinsteadpresenta-socialoranti-socialbehaviors.Theymaynotfeelcomfortableengagingwithotherstudentsduetofearofjudgementoraninabilitytoproperlysocialize.Providingstudentswiththetoolstobothengagesociallyandacademicallycanallowforahigherpercentageofacademic-basedpositiveoutcomes.Studentdisinterestinacademicsmayalsoplayakeyroleintruancy(Dronkers,Veerman,&Pong,2017).Theymaynotengageinschool-basedlearningbecausesuspensionsandexpulsionsmayimpacttheirwillingnesstoparticipateinschoolinanegativeway.Whenstudentsreceivesuspensions,theyhavenoaccesstotheschoolwork.Whenthesuspensionends,dependingonhowlongthetimeoutofschoolwas,theymayhaveincreaseddifficultycatchingupwithclasswork(Reid,2014)(Dronkers,Veerman,&Pong,2017).Re-entryaftersuspensionorexpulsionsetsupapatternofnooptionstocompleteschoolwork.Studentscannotgotoschoolorcontacttheteacherforassignments,placingthematadisadvantage(Reid,2014).Thisisespeciallythecaseiftheyarenotstrongacademically.Tofallbehindinschoolworkwhenstudentshaveexperiencedlittlesuccessandlowgradescouldfurthersetthembackandleadtofailuresinclasses(Reid,2014).Theseproblems:negativeschoolenvironment,studentbehavior,familyeconomicstatus,mentalhealthproblem(Dronkers,Veerman,&Pong,2017)(Dembo,Wareham,Schmeidler,Briones-Robinson,&Winters,2014)mustbeaddressedfortruancyprogramstobeeffective.Suspension/expulsionandtheassociatedre-entryproblemscouldbefurtherunderstoodthroughtheoreticalframework.Byexploringincentivetheoryofmotivationandresearchshowingtheconnectionbetweenexpulsion/suspension,interest,andtruancy,thehopeistoofferclarityinwhytruancyratesarehighandwhatcanbedonetocounteractit.IncentivetheoryofmotivationandFamilySystemsTheoryofferarobusttheoreticalframeworkfromwhichtounderstandmotiveandenvironment.Thecomplexityoftruancyissomethingthatcannotbeansweredthroughoneavenueorreasoning.Thescopeoftheproblemsassociatedwithtruancyislarge.Whenstudentsaresuspendedorexpelledfortheirbehavior,theymayhaveatoughertimecatchingupinschoolandsucceedingintheiracademicendeavors.Thiscanleadtootherproblemsdownthelineasstudentsmatureandbecomeadults.Forthepurposeofthisstudy,thespecificfocuswillbeschool-basedpoliciesandproceduresthatmaymitigateorreducetruancy.Theliteraturereviewwillprovidebackgroundoffactorsthatleadtotruancy,approachesusedbyschoolleaderstoaddresstruancy,andidentifysuccessfulstructuresandstrategiesfromanexaminationofexistingresearch.Afterprovidingapropersynthesisofthereasonssurroundingtheproblem,therewillbegreaterunderstandingabouthowtoapproachthestudy.Therefore,itisimportanttostatethescopeofproblemtodefinethefocusandimprovethequalityofthestudy.StatementoftheProblemTruancyratesintheUnitedStatesaregrowing(Monahan,VanDerhei,Bechtold,&Cauffman,2014).Whetherastudentisabsentduetoasuspensionorbecausetheywillinglychoosetobeabsent,theproblemhasremainedworthyofresearchandpossibleintervention.Theproblemaddressedbythestudyis:Educationalleadersmayhaveimplementedpoliciesandproceduresinpubliccharterschools,butdocumentationaboutschoolleaders’beliefsaboutwhicharemosteffectiveandwhyislargelyabsentfromtheliterature.Onepolicyassociatedwithhigherratesoftruancyisknownas“zero-tolerance.”Suchadisciplinarypolicyenablesharsherandstricterpunishmentofstudentbehavior.“Sincethe1990’s,implementationofzerotolerancepoliciesinschoolshasledtoincreaseduseofschoolsuspensionandexpulsionasdisciplinarytechniquesforstudentswithvaryingdegreesofinfractions”(Monahan,VanDerhei,Bechtold,&Cauffman,2014,p.1110).Ifstudentsreceivepunitivemeasuresratherthanachancetoreceivehelp,thismayprovidesomecontextsurroundingcontinuedtruancy.Becausecontinuedtruancyispartofthetruancydilemmaasstudentsfeeltheneedtoactoutmorerelatedtotheircircumstances(Monahan,VanDerhei,Bechtold,&Cauffman,2014).Forexample,researchsuggeststheexperienceofsuspensionorexpulsioncouldleadtoillegalbehaviorthatisassociatedwithacriminalrecord.“Beingsuspendedorexpelledfromschoolincreasedthelikelihoodofarrestinthatsamemonthandthiseffectwasstrongeramongyouthwhodidnothaveahistoryofbehaviorproblemsandwhenyouthassociatedwithlessdelinquentpeers”(Monahan,VanDerhei,Bechtold,&Cauffman,2014,p.1110).Whenschoolsexpelandsuspendstudents,schoolleadersaddtothetruancyratesoftheschool.Thisisnottosaythatexpulsionandsuspensionarenotnecessaryinaschoolsetting.However,negativebehaviorsassociatedwithtruancymayincreasewhenpunitivemeasuresoutweighnon-punitivemeasures.Thezerotolerancepoliciesofschoolshavebecomethemaincauseforconcerninthesegrowingcasesofsuspensionandexpulsionbecausetheyareconsideredpunitivemeasures(Schargel,2014).Therefore,policiesneedtochangetoaddressthisproblem.Althoughtruancydoesnotdirectlyleadtocrime,itoftenhasahighcorrelation(Schargel,2014).Todoso,onemustexamineschoolslikeCharterSecondarySchooltodeterminewhatstepstotaketomakeapositivechange.PurposeoftheStudyEffectiveschoolpoliciesandproceduresthatimproveattendanceandreducetruancymaycontainprocessesandoptionsthatprovidesupportandvariabilitylikeadditionalstudyhoursandcounseling.Withoutunderstandingsuchaspects,littlehelpcouldbegeneratedandimplementedtohelpstudentsinneedandhelpthemavoidhightruancyrates.Thepurposeofthestudyistounderstandschoolleaders’perspectivesabouthowpoliciesandproceduresreducetruancyandimprovestudentattendance.ByinterviewingkeystaffinCharterSecondarySchool,apubliccharterschoolwithlowtruancylevels,schoolleaders’perspectivesabouteffectivepoliciesandprocedurescanbegathered.Thesefindingsmayprovideabetterunderstandingofwhatschoolleadersinotherschoolscandotoimprovetruancy.Forexample,attendanceplayingalargepartinperformingwellacademically.Researchabouttruancyreductionsuggestsstudentswithmoreattendanceoptionsmaybeabletoovercomedifficultiesthatcontributetotruancy(Reid,2014)(Schargel,2014).Effectiveschoolpoliciesthatimproveattendancemaycontainprocessesandoptionsthatprovideastructurefortruancyassistance.Withoutunderstandingsuchaspects,littlehelpcouldbegeneratedandimplementedtohelpstudentsinneedandhelpthemavoidhightruancyrates.Thetopicofschoolleaders’perspectivesonstudentattendanceandretentionwillbeexploredbywayofinterviewsataschoolwithhighlevelsofattendance.CharterSecondarySchoolhasbetterattendanceandbetteracademicperformancecomparedtoalltheotherschoolsinthedistrict(onaverage).Furthermore,mostofthestudentsareminorityornon-white.Thisschoolisonestartingpointforinvestigationintoeffectiveschoolpolicies.Followupstudiesintheliteraturereviewandexaminationoftheirpoliciesintheinterviewsectionshouldprovideameasureofeffectivenessneededtounderstandbetterwhatstrategiescanimproveattendance.Itcanalsoshowhowotherschoolshandlethingslikeminoritymajorityandlocationofschoollikeanurban,rural,orsuburbansetting.ResearchQuestionsResearchquestionspointtothedirectionofthestudy.ThesequestionsbelowofferpotentialavenuesofresearchandexaminationregardingtruancyratesforCSSandstudenttruancyingeneral.Howdoschoolleadersatadiverse,urbansecondarycharterschooldescribethefactorsthatcontributetoahighattendancerateandalowtruancyrate?1.Howdoschoolleaderscharacterizethepoliciesandproceduresintendedtoimprove?Sustain?Strongattendancerates?2.Whatistheroleoffamiliesandcaregiversinimplementing?Sustaining?Highlevelsofattendance?3.WhattheoreticalframeworkservesasthefoundationforpoliciesatCSS?Thestudyisqualitativeandfocusesontheuseofinterviewstocollectleaders’perspectivesonthetopicofattendanceandtruancy.“Theinterviewhastodaybecomeoneofthemostwidespreadknowledge-producingpracticesacrossthehumanandsocialsciencesingeneralandincriticalpsychologymorespecifically”(Brinkmann,2014,p.1008).Interviewscanrangefromformalinterviewstoinformalinterviews.Theycanbedoneface-to-face,overthephone,orovertheinternet.Formalinterviewshaveastructuretothemwheretheresearcherasksaquestionandtheparticipantanswers.However,ininformalinterviews,therecanbediscussionandtheinterviewercanusefollowupquestionsinmoreconversationalapproach(Brinkmann,2014).Allqualitativeinterviewshavesomestructuretothem.“Mostqualitativeinterviews,however,aresemi-structured.Inasemi-structuredinterview,theresearcherprovidessomestructurebasedonherresearchinterestsandinterviewguidebutworksflexiblywiththeguideandallowsroomfortherespondent’smorespontaneousdescriptionsandnarratives”(Brinkmann,2014,p.1008).ThereisaneedtounderstandfromtheCharterSecondarySchoolstafforschoolleader’sperspectiveswhatpoliciesandproceduresareinplace,whatimprovementsandchangeshavebeenmadetoimproveattendance,andwhatkindofschoolenvironmentsuchpoliciespromote.Thesefindingscaninformschoolleadersandothersstrivingtoreducetruancy.Findingswilladdressschoolleaders’beliefsaboutwhatisbeingdonetoachievepositiveoutcomesforthestudentpopulation.Similarstudiesusinginterviewshavegatheredasignificantamountofinsightfulinformationthataddressesimportantquestions.Usingfixedeffectsregressionsandcontrollingfortruancypeergroupeffects,weobservethattruancy(measuredasbothadiscretedummyvariableandacontinuouscountmeasure)positivelycorrelatestoearlyschoolleaving.Atruanthasa3.4percentagepointshigherriskofleavingschoolwithoutaqualification(DeWitte&Csillag,2012,p.549).Thepoliciessurroundingtruancyprogramsandhowacademicstaffreactallowforthemesdiscoveredthroughtheinterviewprocesstothenbecomparedtothemesfoundintheliteraturereviewtoseeifthereisauniversalthemeorconceptbeingappliedthatleadstosuccessfulacademicperformancebystudentsandgoodattendancerecords.Itisimportanttoallowstudentsandstafferstogivetheiropinionsaswellasenablediscussionofwhatcausedthepositiveornegativeopinion.Thiswillallowforeasieranalysisofresponses.ConceptualframeworkIwillnotchangethis.Thisistheconceptualframeworkanditiscoveredinliteraturereview.Thisisanintroductiontoit.Theideathattruancyisacomplexproblemallowsforfocusonthevariousnarrativesincorporatedinattemptsatunderstandingandresolvingtheproblem.Somanydifferentavenuespointtopotentialsolutions,however,experiencedenotesnegativeorpositiveoutcomes.Therefore,theleaders’visionoftheselectedschoolandofsuccessfultruancyprograms,willallowforascopeofwhatmaybevaluabletowardsreductionofstudenttruancyrates.Withintheconceptualframeworkliesthetheoreticalframework,incentiveandmotivationandfamilysystemstheory.Animportanttheorythatwillbeexploredinthisstudyistheincentivetheoryofmotivation.“…peoplearepulledtowardsbehaviorsthatofferpositiveincentivesandpushedawayfrombehaviorsassociatedwithnegativeincentives.Theincentivetheorysuggeststhatpeoplearemotivatedtodothingsbecauseofexternalrewards”(Rehman&Haider,2013,p.141).Ifstudentsareincentivizedtoattendclassbyreceivingareward,thismaybeacrucialpartmissinginschoolswithhightruancyratesandmayexplainthedownwardspiralofsomestudentswhentheyarepunishedseverelyforbeingabsent.Thisisanintroduction.Iwillnotaddcounter-examplesasthiswillbedoneinchapter2.Familysystemstheoryisasystems-leveltheorythatallowsexplorationofaperson’slifethroughthecontextofthefamilyandunderstandingtheindividual’sfamilyasanemotionalunitcontributingtotheemotionalwellbeingoftheperson(Breda,2014).AtheoryintroducedbyDr.MurrayBowen,thetheorypostsfamiliesexistasinterdependentandinterconnectedindividualsthatcannotbeunderstoodinisolationfromthesystem(Breda,2014).Inthecaseoftruancy,ifastudentisperformingpoorlyinschoolandistruant,thisabsencecouldbeduetofamilyresponsibilitiesathomesuchasworkingtoprovideforthefamily,childcareresponsibilities,ortakingcareofanillparent.Familysystemstheoryallowsforidentificationofpotentialconnectionswithinthefamilythatcouldbecausingstressforthestudentleadingtotruantbehavior(Breda,2014).AssumptionsThemainassumptionthatguidesthisstudyisthateffectiveattendancepoliciesandproceduresarethecornerstoneforschoolleadersstrivingtoreducetruancyrates.Otherassumptionsincludethenotionthathigherratesoftruancyleadtopooreracademicperformance.Whenstudentsfailtoattendclassvoluntarily,theyputthemselvesatgreaterriskofperformingpoorlyinschool.Pooracademicperformancemayreflecttheirinabilitytokeepupinschoolandlackofmotivationtocompleteassignments(Rollnick,2016).Theymaybeunwillingtoattendschoolduetomentalhealthproblems,anunstablehomelife,orphysicalhealthconditions.Anotherassumptionisthatstudentslivinginpovertyandminoritystudentsmayhaveamoredifficulttimemanagingschoolduetoaturbulenthomelife.Someresearchaddressestheprevalenceofschool-basedinstitutionalizedracismwhichmayinfluencestudents’willingnesstoattendschool(Rollnick,2016).Althoughthisisnotatopicthatwillbecoveredin-depthinthispaper,itisimportanttorecognizetherelationshiptotruancyoflackofresources,family-basedproblems,andbeingaminoritymemberofthelargersociety.LimitationsThestudywillbelimitedtoonepubliccharterschoolthatwillserveasthecasetoexploreleaders’perceptionsofhowtheirschoolmaintainsalowtruancyrate.Anotherlimitationisthenumberofpeopletointerviewforthestudy.Interviewswillbeconductedwithrepresentativesofadministrationandstaff.Thefindingswillnotbegeneralizabletoallschools,althoughthefindingsmayinformleadersatother,similarschools.TheliteraturereviewwillonlyexaminehowAmericanschoolshandletruancyandpolicesthateitherdecreaseorincreasetruancyrates.Nootherlimitationsarenoted.ScopeoftheStudyThestudyisqualitativeandwilluseinterviewswithschoolstafftocollectdata.InterviewtranscriptswillbeanalyzedtoidentifyunderlyingthemesfromrespondentsoftheCharterSecondarySchool.Byaskingquestionsofschoolleadersandparentleaders,theresearcherwilldevelopgreaterunderstandingaboutwhateffectivepoliciesareinplacethatallowforbetterattendanceratesthanotherschoolsinthedistrict.Interestingly,theschoolalsofaresbetterregardingacademicscoresandhasahighgraduationrate.Iflocationplaysapart(itisinasuburbanarea),thisshouldbeexploredviatheinterviewquestionstogainabetterunderstandingofallaspectsofeffectivepolicywithintheschool.Theliteraturereviewprovidesafoundation,theinterviewsprovidethedata.Asidefromthequalitativeinterviews,theliteraturereviewwillserveasacomparativeguidetonotonlybasesomeofthequestions,butalsocomparethedatagarneredfromtheinterviews.Ifothersuccessfulschoolshavesimilarpoliciesinplace,thiscouldserveasapotentialstandardthatcanappliednationallytohelpdecreasetruancyinallschoolsthroughoutthecountry.Theliteraturereviewwillalsoservetoprovideexamplesofpoliciesinschoolwithhightruancyratestoseewhatshouldnotbedone.Theresultswillalsobediscussedwithinthecontextofpotentialmodificationthatcanbemadetohelpimproveattendanceratesandacademicsuccessofstudentsevenfurther.Ultimately,itisimportanttoacknowledgewhatCharterSecondarySchoolhastoofferandseewhetherthatcanserveasagaugeforotherschoolsinthedistrict,anymaybe,inthecountry.Althoughthequalitativestudyissmall,onlyincludingsixstudentsandfourstaffmembersfromtheschool,itmayprovidethekindofinsightthatcannotbegatheredelsewhere.SignificanceThestudycanbeanimportantstepinlearningwhatisworkingforaschoolstaffseekingtoreducetruancyamongstudents.Furthermore,findingsmayleadthisschoolandotherslikeittoadoptandimplementeffectiveprogramsandpolicies(Zyromski&Mariani,2016).PublicschoolleadersacrosstheUnitedStatesneedtohavetheknowledgetoimprovetheirstudents’academicprogressandattendance.First,however,theyneedtoseetheinformationthatprovescertainpolicyimplementationsworkandareworththetime,money,andeffort.Likeevidence-basedpracticeinnursing,staffneedtoseeevidenceofpoliciesthathavealreadybeenenabledandimplementedthathaveledtothesuccessofstudentsandtheimprovedratesofattendance(Zyromski&Mariani,2016).WhileithelpsseeingthestatisticsofasuccessfulschoollikeCharterSecondarySchool,itisevenmoresignificantifschoolsseethestepsleaderstooktoreachthatlevelofsuccess.Thatcollectedinformationcanbecomparedtootherschoolstoidentifywhatcoreprinciplesandactionshavebeenusedtoachievesuchpositiveresults.Growthandpositiveoutcomescanonlycomefromtestedandapprovedpractices.Researchersneedtocontinuetheirpursuitoffindinganddocumentingpoliciesandproceduresthatworkandofferguidelinesanddirectionforschoolstaffsthatseektoimproveattendanceandreducetruancy(Zyromski&Mariani,2016).ThegrowingproblemoftruancyintheUnitedStatesrequiresathoughtfulandconsiderateassessmentofthoseschoolsthathavereducedtruancy.Thesefactorsthatleadtotruancywillremainprevalent.Schoolleaderscan’trectifymanyofthosefactors,buttheycantakeactionsattheirsites.Actioncannotbetakenunlessthereissoundresearchandevidencebehindit(Zyromski&Mariani,2016).Lastly,studiesliketheonehereoffersananchorpointtoinvestigateotheraspectsofschoollife,schoolenvironment,andstudentbehavioralproblems.Ifstudentshaveproblemsduetostruggleswithsexuality,genderidentity,orevenpoliticalaffiliation,theirexperiencesmatterregardingunderstandingoftruancy-relatedbehaviors.Thesesocialdynamicscouldalsobeinvestigatedinfuturestudies.Theresultscouldthenbeusedtospearheadchangesinpoliciessoon,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)Thedefinitionswerefinebefore.Iwillnotbeaddingmore.ConclusionInconclusion,truancyratesareagrowingprobleminUnitedStatesschools.CharterSecondarySchoolisoneschoolthataimedtoreducetruancyratesandhasdonesoaccordingtorecentstatistics.ByexploringCharterSecondarySchool’sschoolpoliciesandproceduresthatincreaseordecreasetruancyratesinFlorida,theresearcherhopestounderstandschoolleaders’perspectivesonhowtheirapproachestoschooldisciplinehasimprovedattendance.Thenextsectionisaliteraturereview.Theliteraturereviewwillfocusoncausesoftruancy,importantpoliciesalreadyinplaceinotherschoolstoimproveattendance,andhowthesepoliciescouldbesimilarordifferenttoCharterSecondarySchoolTherecentliteraturedocumentsthesignificanceoftruancyandhowitconnectsschoolmeasureswithstudentbehavioraloutcomes.Someschoolstakepunitivemeasurestowardstruancy,otherstakenon-punitivemeasures,andstillmoreuseamixtureofboth.Whyaresuchmeasuresadopted?Theaimofthestudyistounderstandpolicymeasures,whetherandhowtheyaresuccessful,andthemanyfactorsthatleadtotruancy.Thereareseveralfactorsthatcanbeatplayfromfamilysituations,community,environment,mentalhealth,andpoverty.Theliteraturereviewwilladdressthesetopics.Withsomanyschoolsthroughoutthecountryexperiencinghightruancyrates,whatdoesCharterSecondarySchooldothatenableshighattendanceamongitsstudentpopulation?Whatpolicieshastheschooladoptedtosupportapositiveenvironmentthatmotivatesstudentstoattendschoolandlearn?Chapter2LiteratureReviewRoadmap:Thisliteraturereviewwillfocusonseveralkeytopicsbecausemanyreasonscontributetotruancy.Theseare:addressingschooltruancy,school-basedprograms,punitive/non-punitivetruancyprograms,studentandfamilycharacteristics,parentalengagement,tacklingtheschooltruancyproblem,typesofprogramslikeschool-basedprograms,problemswithcurrenttruancyprograms,characteristicsofsuccessfultruancyprograms,andtheoreticalframework:IncentiveTheoryofMotivationandFamilySystemsTheory.Thehopeistoilluminatethewaytowardsunderstandingtheproblemofschooltruancyandwaystoreduceit.Introduction:AddressingSchoolTruancyStudenttruancyhasbecomeamajorissueschoolstrytotackle(Rollnick,2016).Therefore,toimprovetruancytheneedarisestoresearchandcultivateworthwhilestrategiestoreducenegativebehaviorsthatleadtotruancy.However,thereisalsoaneedtounderstandwhystudentsaretruantinthefirstplace.Povertyandnegativeschoolenvironmentareissuesthathaveraisedconcernforthelikelihoodoftruancyinstudents(Reid,2014).Thissectionhopestoilluminatetheissueofstudenttruancy.Itbecomesdifficulttoidentifythecostsofbenefitsofvariousmeasures.Thosethatfallintothepunitivedisciplineisnecessarybecausetraditionalistviewsbelieveadherencetorulesleadstopositiveoutcomes(Rollnick,2016).Thoseinthecampofnonpunitivedisciplinedesiretodemonstratehowgivingstudents’optionscanleadtobetterresultsnotjustintruancyrates,butthepersonalgrowthofthestudent(Rollnick,2016).Withallthestrategiesandmethodsavailable,itcanbedifficultforschoolleadstodeterminewhatmixtureofpunitiveandnonpunitivedisciplinewillwork.Thedesireistoshowthesuccessofprogramsand/orschoolsthathaveenabledareductionintruancyratesaswellaspoliciesineffectthatincreasetruancyratestodemonstratehowtoimprovestudenttruancy.School-basedProgramsAsidefromcreatingastrongerconnectiontocommunity,anotherwayschoolscanandhavehelpeddecreasetruancyratesisthroughtruancyreporting.Truancyreportingallowsstudentstobeassessedtoseeiftheyarehigh-risk(DeWitte&Csillag,2012).Becausetruancycanhaveaprofoundlynegativeeffectonstudentsinthelongterm,schoolshavebegunbecomingmorestringentontruancyreporting.“Atruanthasa3.4percentagepointshigherriskofleavingschoolwithoutaqualification”(DeWitte&Csillag,2012,p.549).Becausetruancyreportingallowsforbetterassessmentofat-riskyouth,itcanprovideameansofidentifyingpotentialproblemswithstudentsearlyon(DeWitte&Csillag,2012).Thismakestruancyreportingapreventativemeasure.Suchapreventativemeasureappearstohavepositiveeffectsonstudentsatrisk.“.Theideaisstraightforward:ifstudentsarebettermonitoredwithrespecttotruancy,schoolscanidentifymoreeasilystudentsatrisk.Theresultsindicatethatimprovedtruancyreportingsignificantlyreducesschooldropoutby5percentagepoints”(DeWitte&Csillag,2012,p.549).Tojumpstarttheprocessofhelpingstudents,schoolsmustfigureoutwaystohelpstudentsconnecttotheircommunity.Apreventativemeasureusedtohelpidentifyat-riskyouth,canhaveinterventionsthatleadtopositiveeducationaloutcomes(DeWitte&Csillag,2012).Schoolsliketheoneusedforthisstudyandthoselikeit,alreadyhaveinplacearobusttruancyreportingprotocol.Theruleswithinthisprotocolshowthatstudentscannotbeabsentmorethanafewdaysortheschoolwillbeinvolvedandwillcontactthestudent’shousehold(DeWitte&Csillag,2012).Moreresearchshouldbededicatedtohowpreventativemeasurescanexpandtoincludeotherwaystoassessforat-riskbehavior.Thiscanincludelatenessforclass,missedhomeworkassignments,andsoforth(Reid,2017).Ifthiscanbedone,thismayfurtherallowforagreaterassessmentofpotentialtruancyproblemsinthefuture.Applyingresearchtopracticeispopularinhealthcare,perhapsitcanalsobecomepopularineducationasmoreinformationcomesoutonhotbuttontopicslikestudenttruancy(Reid,2017).PunitivePunitivemeasuresfortruancycanbeseenthroughtheintroductionofthird-partypolicinginschools.“Third-partypolicingisanapproachtocrimepreventionandcontrolinvolvingthepolicepartneringwithorganizationsorindividualstopreventorreducecrimeproblems”(Nitschke,Mazerolle,&Bennett,2014,p.5211).Relyingonavailablecriminal,regulatory,orcivillawsandrules(legallevers)thatallowthirdpartiestotakeaccountability,partially,forcontrolofcrime,itcreatesanenvironmentwhereapprehensionofproblemstudentsisfeasible(Nitschke,Mazerolle,&Bennett,2014).Thismayhelpschoolsdealwiththegrowingdelinquencyinstudentsbutmayalsomakeiteasierforstudentstobecomepartofthecriminaljusticesystematanearlyage.Punitivemeasurescanalsobecostlier(Nitschke,Mazerolle,&Bennett,2014).Punitivemeasureslikeexpulsionorsuspensioncanfurtherincreasethelikelihoodofstudentsbeingtruantandperformingpoorlyacademically(Shelton,2014).Studentsmustbeguidedtowardsapositiveoutcomeandthatmeansreducingthebeliefthatpunitivemeasureswillkeepstudentsfrombeingtruant.Althoughshort-termresultsmayindicatereduction,thelong-termeffectscouldbemorenegativeandlong-lasting(Shelton,2014).Sheltonmentionedstudentswhofacepunitivemeasuresmayhaveahigherchanceofcommittingcrimesversusthosewhofacednon-punitivemeasures.Whilesomeresearchsuggestspolice-interventionregardingtruancycanhelpstudentsinthatparentsaremoreawareofwhathappenstothem,therearestillmanyfactorstoconsiderinrelationtoefficacy.Forexample,police-interventionmayleadtohigherparentalawareness,butalsoincreasedpotentialfortruantstudentstoendupinthejuvenilecriminaljusticesystem(Mazerolle,Bennett,Antrobus,&Eggins,2017).Amixtureofbothpunitiveandnon-punitivemeasuresmaybemostbeneficialintacklingtheproblemoftruancy.Non-PunitivePunitivemeasuresfortruancyhavetheirplaceinschools.However,non-punitivemeasuresarealsousefulandofferachanceforstudentstoimproveandremovesomeofthestigmaattachedtopastmistakes(Reid,2017).Successfulprotocolsintegrateflexibilityintostandardmethodstohelptheschool,family,andstudent.Suchprogramsunderstandindividualstudent’sneedsanddowhateverisessentialtoassistthefamilyandstudentinvolvedintruancy(Mallett,2015).OnestudyinAustraliaaimedtounderstandtruancyandtheeffectsoftruancytogenerateprogramsthatallowedforeffectivemeasuresatreducingtruancyratesamongstudents(Taylor,Gray,&Stanton,2016).Thisshowsthatwithproperresearch,non-punitiveoptionsarefeasible.However,theymustbedoneinconjunctionwithsignificantresearchthatallowsabetterunderstandingoftheneedsofstudentswhoparticipateintruancy(Mallett,2015).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(Shelton,2014)(Shute&Cooper,2014)(Virtanen,Lerkkanen,Poikkeus,&Kuorelahti,2014).Suchinvolvementpointstothenegativecorrelationoftruancyandlaterlifeoutcomeslikedelinquencyandcrime(Rocque,Jennings,Piquero,Ozkan,&Farrington,2016).Rocque,Jennings,Piquero,Ozkan,&Farrington(2016)alsostatetruancycanleadtoproblemdrinking.“Resultsindicatethattruancyhaslong-lastingassociationswithnegativelifeoutcomes,especiallyfornon-violentcrimeandproblemdrinking”(Rocque,Jennings,Piquero,Ozkan,&Farrington,2016,p.592).Ifaddictiveorcriminalbehaviorleadstotruancyandtruancycanfurtherleadtoaddictiveorcriminalbehavior,itseemsacyclethatjustfeedsitselfwithnegativeoverallbehavior.Thisisimportanttoknowbecausestudentsexperiencingaddictionproblemsorbecominginvolvedindelinquentbehaviorcanreceivehelptonotonlykeepthemfromengaginginsuchriskyactionswhilealsopositivelycontributingtoreductionintruancyrates(Rocque,Jennings,Piquero,Ozkan,&Farrington,2016).Essentially,thenotionthatfortheretobeareductionintruancyrates,schoolsmusthelpstudentsdealwiththenegativebehaviorstheyareengagingin,outsideofschool.Thesenegativebehaviorscouldcomebecauseofnegativeexperiences.Frombullyingtopooracademicperformance,studentsoftenexperiencestressthatcouldbedetrimentaltotheiracademicsuccess.Birkett,Russell,&Corliss,(2014)observetherolesexual-orientationdisparitieshaveonstudentsinrelationtoacademicachievementandtruancy.Throughtheutilizationofpoolinformation,theyidentifiedbeingpartoftheLGBTgroupaffectedratesoftruancyandacademicperformance.“LGBT-identifiedyouthsreportedsignificantlyelevatedoddsoftruancyandlowgrades(oddsratios?=?1.6–3.2;allP?
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