Truancy has been referred to as a “first step to a lifetime of problems” for youth. Truant students have a higher risk than nontruant students of involvement in drug and alcohol use, violence and gang activity.
Police departments across the nation report that many students who are not in school during regular hours are committing crimes, including vandalism, shoplifting, and graffiti. Some 44 percent of violent juvenile crime occurs between 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Thus, student nonattendance is a problem that extends much further than the school. Truancy affects the student, the family and the overall community.
What are the possible reasons that students may choose to be truant? Statistics have shown that a student’s decision to skip or drop out of school might be the product of many factors, including family problems, drug and alcohol abuse, illiteracy, and teenage pregnancy. According to the U.S. Department of Education, when young people start skipping school, they are telling their parents, their school, and the community at large that they are in trouble and need our help if they are to keep moving forward in life.
The self-reported reasons for truancy vary considerably. Four dropouts in 10 said that they left school because they were failing or they did not like school, and males and females reported in roughly equal numbers that they were leaving school because of personality conflicts with teachers. More males than females dropped out of school because of school suspension or expulsion. The dropout rate among 16- to 24-year-olds who had repeated more than one grade was 41 percent, compared with 17 percent of those who had repeated only one grade and 9 percent of those who had not repeated any grades. Dropout rates were highest among those who had repeated grades 7, 8 or 9. Although most dropouts reported school-related reasons for leaving school, most female dropouts reported family-related reasons. Among dropouts, 21 percent of females and 8 percent of males dropped out because they had become parents.
Not all indicators of truancy point to students’ personal or family problems. In fact, students and school staff often disagree on the reasons for truancy. In one survey, students cited boredom, loss of interest in school, irrelevant courses, suspensions, and bad relationships with teachers as major factors leading to the decision to skip school. In contrast, school staff believed truancy to be related to students’ problems with their families and peers.
Consistent with the observations of some school staff, some criminal justice scholars have speculated that parental neglect may be a common cause of truancy. “Many parents of truant students do not value education. Some children are kept at home to work or babysit preschool siblings. Others are prevented from attending school because of problems at home, at school, or in neighborhoods.” While most parents appreciate the need for children to attend school, some are unaware that children are truant, do not know how to increase their attendance, or believe that meeting family needs is a satisfactory reason for absence.
Truancy has been clearly identified as one of the early warning signs that youth potentially are headed for delinquent activity, social isolation, or educational failure. Several studies have established lack of commitment to school as a risk factor for substance abuse, delinquency, teen pregnancy, and dropping out of school. In addition, decades of research have also identified a link between truancy and later problems such as violence, marital problems, job problems, adult criminality, and incarceration. Recent studies, such as OJJDP’s Program of Research on the Causes and Correlates of Delinquency indicate that truancy may be a precursor to serious violent and nonviolent offenses and that the connection between truancy and delinquency appears to be particularly acute among males. Additional findings indicate that chronic truancy in elementary school is linked to serious delinquent behavior at age 12 and under. The financial impact of truancy and the dropouts that result can be measured in at least four ways:
— A less educated workforce
— The business loss attributable to youth who “hang out,” shoplift, or do both during the day
— Higher daytime crime rates (in some cases)
— The cost of social services for families of children who are habitually truant
Truancy, however, has an even more direct financial impact on communities: the loss of federal and state education funding.
Parents, as the school year winds down, make a commitment to spend regular, uninterrupted quality time listening to your child or children this summer. Make sure they are secure in their attachment to their education and do whatever it takes to encourage their attendance and participation in learning for their (and our) future well-being.
Questions? A support group of adults in our Kaua’i community have “stepped into the corner” for our teens, to answer questions and give support to youth and their families. E-mail your questions and concerns facing our youth and families today to LaVerne Bishop, program director of Hale ‘Opio, at lbishop@haleopio.org.
