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

2. 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. 3 Habitual Truants (1998-99 through 2006-07 School Years)

4. 4 Habitual Truancy in Large Districts (2006-07 School Year)

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

6. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 11 Habitual Truancy Rates in Milwaukee Public Schools u In 2006-07, 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. 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. 13 Best Practices Review: Truancy Reduction Efforts Legislative Audit Bureau November 2008