1 Best Practices Review: Truancy Reduction Efforts Legislative Audit Bureau November 2008

2 Statutory Framework u Children are required to attend school until age 18 under the compulsory attendance law u School boards are required to establish policies and plans related to attendance and truancy, and to review them periodically u Statutes define habitual truancy as five or more unexcused absences per semester

3 Habitual Truants ( through School Years)

4 Habitual Truancy in Large Districts ( School Year)

5 Role of DPI in Truancy Reduction u Collect attendance and truancy data u Administer Title I funding awards u Provide consultation services

6 Best Practice: District Review of Statutory Compliance u Distribute the attendance policy u Review the truancy plan every two years u Assess policy implementation –Definition of tardy –Personal contact

7 Best Practice: Early Intervention u Statewide, truancy peaks in the 9 th grade u Sanctions for truancy may be effective with younger pupils

8 Best Practice: Alternative Programming u Recognize low academic achievement can hamper attendance of older pupils u Minimize opportunities for pupils to leave the school grounds u Modify the hours pupils are at the school building

9 Best Practice: Involve Parents, Guardians, and the Community u Statutes require notification of parents and guardians u Community resources include law enforcement, university students, and local not-for-profit agencies

10 Best Practice: Consider Available Sanctions u School-based sanctions may include detention time and prohibitions on extracurricular activities u Sanctions under municipal ordinance allow for more immediate enforcement of compulsory attendance law

11 Habitual Truancy Rates in Milwaukee Public Schools u In , 46.3 percent of pupils enrolled in MPS were habitual truants u Community collaboration involves numerous public agencies and varied funding sources u Program effectiveness of targeted efforts has been mixed

12 Best Practices: Assess Effectiveness and Share Results u Districts’ truancy reduction efforts are best assessed at the local level u DPI is well-positioned to facilitate sharing of the results of district-level assessments

13 Best Practices Review: Truancy Reduction Efforts Legislative Audit Bureau November 2008