No national data on the extent of truancy exist, but in some big-city districts unexcused absences can soar into the thousands each day. States and districts have begun to adopt tougher anti-truancy strategies, such as fining parents, in an attempt to draw wayward students back to school. Some states have enlisted law-enforcement agencies in aggressive searches for students. Most states, however, compel youths to attend school only until age 16, thereby missing the many students who tend to quit school in their junior and senior years, dropout-prevention experts say. With that in mind, some education experts maintain that the most effective programs incorporate not just punitive measures, but ones that focus on sustaining student interest in school.
Students can enlist in a community college and design their own schedules.
To help them do their classwork at home at night, the district also hires tutors for students who work during the day. You've just got to show these kids that they want something that you've got. For her, the individualized package of classes was a selling point. There's also a financial benefit. Mr. Fidanque said that these independent agents could become overzealous in their retrieval methods and that schools could be held liable.