History of IDEA
Jeannie Oakes, Founder and Former Director
Youth Voice in School Finance
NEW REPORT: Los Angeles' road to A-G for all
Without Dollars and Sense Powerpoint
Past Educational Opportunity Reports
The carrot, the stick ... or something else?
- 12-17-2010
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Guest blog by Sean Slade/Washington Post
A study on chronic student truancy that was generally ignored by the news media concluded that punishing parents when their children skip school -- an idea under discussion in some places -- is counterproductive. “Hauling parents into family court is not the best way to combat a rising tide of kids who chronically miss school," it says. Chronic truancy has been long hailed as a key indicator of other youth risk-taking behavior, including drug and alcohol abuse, and an indicator of a host of social, emotional, and mental health issues. According to one article on the subject, Professor Robert Balfanz at Johns Hopkins University said his research has shown that about half of truant students just decide to skip school, a quarter are avoiding something negative such as a bully, and another quarter stay out for life issues such as work or babysitting. He went on to say that schools need to find ways to reengage these chronically truant students. (more…)
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