Introduction Every day, hundreds of thousands of youth are absent from school; many are absent without an excuse

and deemed truant. Truancy has become a growing problem. Truancy has been labeled one of the top ten major problems in this country's schools, negatively affecting the future of our youth. Truancy is any intentional unauthorized absence from compulsory schooling. The term typically describes absences caused by students of their own free will, and usually does not refer to legitimate "excused" absences, such as ones related to medical conditions. The term's exact meaning differs from school to school, and is usually explicitly defined in the school's handbook of policies and procedures. It may also refer to students who attend school but do not go to classes. In some schools, truancy may result in an ineligibility to graduate or to receive credit for class attended, until the time lost to truancy is made up through a combination of detention, fines, or summer school.

Truancy, according to the Department of Education, is the first sign of trouble; the first indicator that a young person is giving up and losing his or her way. When young people start skipping school, they are telling their parents, school officials, and the community at large that they are in trouble and need our help if they are to keep moving forward in life. Research data tells us that students who become truant and eventually drop out of school put themselves at a long term disadvantage in becoming productive citizens. High school dropouts, for example, are two and a half times more likely to be on welfare than high school graduates. In 1995, high school dropouts were almost twice as likely to be unemployed as high school graduates. In addition, high school dropouts who are employed earn much lower salaries. Students who become truant and eventually drop out of high school too often set them up for a life of struggle. Truancy is an important issue in today s society, as it is a clear warning sign for other problems a student may be facing, and also has strong links to delinquency and substance use. Truancy is rated among the major problems facing schools today. Truancy is a deviant behavior practice by many students in most of our schools. However, the level of truancy varies with schools. It is an unacceptable behavior which can cause many social problems in our schools and society. In general, truancy is not an inherited behavior but one that has resulted from

many external factors in a child s life. These can either be personal, parental, community, school or culture.

Background of research and related works There are a lot of factors which affect the student performances in academic areas. One of these is absenteeism. Absenteeism is defined to the students as a deliberate or habitual absence from going to school. Everybody misses a day of school activities and school lessons now and then. But it is a problem if the students will absent to many days in going to school, this will cause serious problems. Absenteeism in students affects their school performances especially when they are in a group or teamwork for their assignments and projects. Since grouping will help develops the students cooperative and ability to share and gain knowledge from their group mates, likewise, the group mates will also miss the opportunity of gaining knowledge from the absent student (Koppenhaver, 2003). (http://www.enterpreneur.com/encyclopedia/term/82042.html). According to Schmidt in 1983, absenteeism affects the students ability to get high scores in examinations which can cause the decreasing of grades or the student may fail and will cause him/her to repeat the same year level. Students who have spent time attending lectures or classes have a significant, positive effect on students performance. Students that participated exhibited higher grades and scores in examinations that the student. Marburger states that the difficulty inferring the effect of absenteeism on performance because, once a student is absent in a class, he or she may miss the opportunity of learning other techniques. He found out that missing in class progresses the likelihood of missing examination material covered that day compared to the students who were present in the class (2001). It indicates that persistent absentees had significantly lower self concept self-esteem, more deprived socioeconomic backgrounds, lower intelligence level, and more educational problems to control groups. Suggest that remedial measures for absenteeism should focus on raising selfconcepts and changing attitudes toward school (Reid k, 1982).

Truancy has been labeled one of the top ten major problems in this country's schools, negatively affecting the future of our youth. In fact, absentee rates have reached as high as 30 percent in some cities. The statistics speak for themselves.
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In New York City, about 150,000 out of 1,000,000 students are absent daily. School officials are unsure what portions of the absences are legitimately excusable.

The Los Angeles Unified School District reports that 10 percent of its students are absent each day. A mere half of these students return with written excuses.

Detroit's forty public school attendance officers investigated 66,440 truant complaints during the 1994-95 school years (Ingersoll and LeBoeuf 1997).

This Digest examines some of the ways truancy affects both individuals and society, and identifies factors that may place students at greater risk of becoming truant. Guidelines for creating effective attendance policies are considered, and various responses to the problem are described, with the goal of making it easier for districts to implement policies that work for them. (http://www.kidsource.com/education/student.truancy.html) Truancy, or unexcused absence from school, has been linked to serious delinquent activity in youth and to significant negative behavior and characteristics in adults. As a risk factor for delinquent behavior in youth, truancy has been found to be related to substance abuse, gang activity, and involvement in criminal activities such as burglary, auto theft, and vandalism (Bell, Rosen, and Dynlacht, 1994; Dryfoos, 1990; Garry, 1996; Huizinga, Loeber, and Thornberry, 1995; Rohrman, 1993). Much of the work in the area of developmental pathways to delinquency shows that these behavioral problems often are followed by progressively more serious behavioral and adjustment problems in adulthood, including an increased propensity for violent behavior. Further, adults who were frequently truant as teenagers are much more likely than those who were not to have poorer health and mental health, lower paying jobs, an increased chance of living in poverty, more reliance on welfare support, children who exhibit problem behaviors, and an increased likelihood of incarceration. Left unaddressed, truancy

during the preteen and teenage years can have significant negative effects on the student, schools, and society. It is important to identify promising strategies to intervene with chronic truants, address the root causes of truancy, and stop youth s progression from truancy into more serious and violent behaviors. This Bulletin highlights some of the major research findings regarding the problem of truancy and demonstrates why it is important that schools and communities work to prevent and reduce its incidence. It also discusses Abolish Chronic Truancy (ACT) Now and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention s (OJJDP s).

(Article Title: Truancy Reduction: Keeping Students in School by Myriam L. Baker, Jane Nady Sigmon, and M. Elaine Nugent; September 2001)

Research data tells us that students who become truant and eventually drop out of school put themselves at a long term disadvantage in becoming productive citizens. High school dropouts, for example, are two and a half times more likely to be on welfare than high school graduates. In 1995, high school dropouts were almost twice as likely to be unemployed as high school graduates. In addition, high school dropouts who are employed earn much lower salaries. Students who become truant and eventually drop out of high school too often set them up for a life of struggle. No national data on the extent of truancy exists; we know that in some cities unexcused absences can number in the thousands each day. Here are some statistics that have been gathered:
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Studies have shown that two-thirds of male juveniles arrested while truant tested positive for drug use.

According to one confidential survey, nearly 1 in ten 15 year olds were truant at least once a week.

During a recent sample period in Manila more than 71 percent of 13 to 16 year-olds prosecuted for criminal violations had been truant.

In Pittsburgh, each day approximately 3,500 students or 12 percent of the pupil population is absent and about 70 percent of these absences are unexcused.

In Philadelphia, approximately 2,500 students a day are absent without an excuse.

In Milwaukee, on any given school day, there are approximately 4,000 unexcused absences.

(Truancy: Introduction by Denise Witmer http://parentingteens.about.com/cs/troubledteens/a/truancy.htm) Situational Analysis Truancy is defined as any absence from an educational institution that is not excused by authenticated medical or personal reasons (e .g. strep throat, a death in the family etc. This has become a serious problem in the public school system during the last several years. Truancy from school can occur in one of three ways. First, the child may refuse to attend school at all. Second, a child may leave school grounds without school permission at some point during school hours. Truancy can also occur when a parent refuses to send a child to school without filing the appropriate paperwork that will allow them home school the child . There can be many reasons behind a student s truancy from school. Many students come from homes in which both parents work , and often parents do not see when something is going wrong their child . Many children have parents that are involved in alcohol or drugs, leaving older children responsible for taking care of the younger ones rather than attending school. Finally, a child may have psychological issues, or addictive disorders that cause them to be absent from school on a frequent basis .The major problem lies in the fact that educators only spend a limited amount of time with children each day. If a child does not wish to discuss their problems with an educator, problems only become noticeable when frequent absences without leave become noticed by the school. There are many solutions for truancy including, counseling, alternative schooling methods, as well as using teaching methods that maintain a child s interest in schooling despite outside problems. Student nonattendance is a problem that extends much further than the school. It affects the student, the family, and the community. The Department of Education identifies truancy as the most powerful predictor of delinquency. Police departments across the nation report that many

students not in school during regular hours are committing crimes, including vandalism, shoplifting, and graffiti. Absenteeism is detrimental to students' achievement, promotion, graduation, self-esteem, and employment potential. Clearly, students who miss school fall behind their peers in the classroom. This, in turn, leads to low self-esteem and increases the likelihood that at-risk students will drop out of school. In a longitudinal study of African-American males, Robins and Ratcliff (1978) found that of those students who were often truant in elementary school and truant in high school, 75 percent failed to graduate. Failure to graduate, in turn, is associated with diminished earning potential in adulthood and other poor outcomes. In one survey, students cited boredom and loss of interest in school, irrelevant courses, suspensions, and bad relationships with teachers as the major factors in their decision to skip school. On the other hand, most of the school staff believed truancy to be related primarily to student problems with family and peers Children who run away from school to do other things (truancy) rather than stay home usually have different problems from those who don t want to go to school. They may want to get attention, trying to impress their friends or they may be angry because of school or home problems. Truancy may happen when there are learning problems. Children who truant a lot sometimes go on to break the law as they get older. Children who truant usually try not to let their parents find out. Truancy sometimes happens when parents are not very interested in the child getting a good education, and perhaps don t get on very well with the school themselves. Time Frame This action research would take a lifetime

Procedure As educators, we must work to prevent truancy since it is not advantageous for any child to miss out on their education. However, in order to truly lower truancy rates in the schools, we must seek to help students who are having problems outside of school. We cannot solve truancy problems in the public schools until we solve the problems that cause children to become truant in the first place. Going to school regularly is important to your child s future. For example, children who miss school frequently can fall behind with their work and do less well in exams. Good attendance shows potential employers that your child is reliable. Research suggests that children who attend school regularly could also be at less risk of getting involved in antisocial behavior or crime. You can help prevent your child skipping school by:
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making sure they understand the importance of good attendance and punctuality taking an interest in their education - ask about school work and encourage them to get involved in school activities

discussing any problems they may have at school - inform their teacher or head teacher about anything serious

not letting them take time off school for minor ailments - particularly those which would not prevent you from going to work

Arranging appointments and outings after school hours, at weekends or during school holidays will help to prevent disruption to your child s education and to the school. Under normal circumstances, you should not expect the school to agree to your child going on holiday during term time. If your child is missing school without good reason, one option the school or local authority might suggest is a parenting contract. A parenting contract is a voluntary written agreement between you and either the local authority or the school s governing body. Parenting contracts aren t a punishment - they re used to help you and the school or local authority work together

to improve your child s attendance, and get you access to practical support. Under the contract you agree to do certain things - for example, ensure that your child arrives at school punctually every day. It s easy to underestimate the seriousness of truancy, after all it is called playing truant. But skipping school is certainly no game. It s often a warning sign of a deeper, more worrying problem. So what should you do if your child has been playing truant? The five key steps to remember are as follows: y Don't delay Truancy must be addressed quickly. The longer it goes on, the less chance the problem can be easily resolved, and the greater risk of your child getting into even more trouble. y Stay calm It's a natural reaction to fly off the handle when you find out your son or daughter has been skipping school. But shouting and screaming wont help you get to the bottom of the problem. You need to stay calm to try to identify the reason why your child doesn t want to go to school. y Listen to what they have to say Addressing truancy means addressing the reasons behind it. And the only way you ll find out these reasons is through your child. Sit him down and ask him calmly why he s not going to school. Tell him you won t be angry with what he tells you, and reassure him that you ll help him get through the problem, whatever it is. y Let him know how you feel Although it s important not to lose your temper with child, you must tell him know how upset you are. But at the same time be careful not to make them feel too guilty about it. Remember there may be a valid reason why your child doesn t want to go to school. y Work with the school The more you cooperate with your child s school, the better chance you have of

resolving the underling problem, as well as avoiding too harsh a punishment. Teachers and headmasters appreciate parents working with them rather than against them.

Potential Importance In many ways, whether in a tiny scale or in a wide range scale the findings of this research will benefit the following individuals in their own respective fields: The Student. Once an individual will know the impact of his doings, he or she will find ways and means to lessen the damage done. It will let this individual know the scope of his abilities and the right way of directing things especially when he would realize the effect of his habitual absences to the school body. To those students who do not have the knowledge on this aspect, they will be given chance to think, and may join the population which influences the declining of absences ratio. The Teachers. The teachers who serve as the parent when a child is in school will be able to formulate ideas on how to reduce the number of students who skip classes or who habitually commit to absences. They will be the keys of motivation and inspiration of their students. The School Administrator. Knowing the effects of absenteeism to a student, the school administration is the one primarily affected. Their concerns can then be discussed with the student body and so as the student body sharing their troubles to the administration. Through a conference the administration might be able to arrive to solutions which can be applicable o different situations. The DepEd Authorities. The Department of Education main goal is to be able to produce productive citizens of the community. Absenteeism is one of the factors that disturb the stableness of this goal. When the results are evident, the DepEd authorities together with the different school administration may arrive to a step by step planning to kill the rodents of absenteeism.

The Parent. The parents are the direct and the baseline in communication in relation to their child s regular truancy. Knowing the impact of absenteeism to their child s learning performance, a parent will be at the concerns of convincing their child to attend school and protect them from the primary causes of their absences. Expected Result By following the guidelines, the student is more likely to keep up with the daily lessons and assignments, and take quizzes and tests on time. There are other benefits as well: (a)Students were more likely to pass reading and math assessments than students who didn't attend school regularly. (b)They would have a chance to learn more about college and scholarship opportunities, and to take the important exams they need to build a successful academic record. (c) The student was able to learn how to be a good citizen by participating in the school community, learning valuable social skills, and developing a broader world view. (d)Your commitment to school attendance will also send a message that education is a priority for your family, going to school every day is a critical part of educational success, and that it's important to take your responsibilities seriously including going to school.

References https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/188947.pdf Berg, I. "School refusal and truancy", in Archives of Disease in Childhood, Feb. 1997, Vol 76(2). Bartlett, Larry, and others. "Absences: A Model Policy and Rule." Iowa State Department of Public Instruction, Des Moines, September 1978. ED 162 433.

Wilson, Kara Gae. "Tough on Truants." American School Board Journal 180 (April 1993): 43, 46. EJ 461 151.