Ellison High School in Kileen, Texas, withholds credit for any course in which the student has been absent excessively. (JM)

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina, school system has instituted a program to improve attendance based on a year-long Danforth Foundation study of national attendance improvement measures. (JM)

The addition of an attendance clerk and the implementation of a system that stresses the importance of attendance have worked well to reduce absenteeism at North Harford Senior High School in Pylesville, Maryland. (Author/MLF)

Since the 1990s, truancy has become administrators' most persistent problem. This article examines student absenteeism trends, characteristics of nonattenders, and current attendance policies. While schools can encourage attendance, final responsibility rests with students and parents. Includes four references. (MLH)

Truancy can be traced to four causes: an unsupportive school environment, lack of community support, chaotic family life, and personal deficits. School-based responses feature either academic incentives for good attendance, administrative consequences for nonattendance, academic consequences for nonattendance, or supportive services. Counseling…

A new attendance policy is outlined that is credited with significantly reducing unauthorized absences at Hauppauge High School in New York. (Author/MLF)

Describes an attendance policy that, although initially successful in cutting absences, was widely disliked. Details the modifications that, without impeding effectiveness, made the program more respected. (JM)