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SAM MORRIS / LAS VEGAS SUN FILE
Attendance officer Lee Schell asks students last year why they are headed home during the school day.
Sunday, June 20, 2010 | 2 a.m.
Sun coverage
Sun archives
- Graduation rate in state bad, but is it this bad? (6-17-2010)
- Ad points to accomplishments of high school seniors (6-16-2010)
- Long road to graduation: Faces of adult education (6-14-2010)
- Road to graduation runs through science test for Class of 2010 (5-27-2010)
- Superintendent suggests ways to increase graduation rates (2-11-2009)
- Graduate rates too low, dropout rates too high (1-2-2009)
- Sun editorial: Taking on truancy (7-29-2008)
- Middle schoolers come clean in Truancy Diversion Program (3-25-2003)
With Nevada still reeling from the latest national report to lambaste its education system, educators and community advocates want the spotlight on what they say is a key factor in the Silver State’s dismal graduation rate — too many students skipping school.
For each of the past three academic years, the Clark County School District has cited more than 2,500 students for habitual truancy, meaning they had at least three unexcused absences. But those numbers likely represent a small percentage of tens of thousands of students who regularly skip class.
Edward Goldman, associate superintendent of education services, said it’s difficult to measure the extent of the district’s truancy problem. It has only 25 attendance officers to cover more than 350 campuses, and their duties are more comprehensive than just hunting truants.
Goldman sees many students who stop going to high school entirely after 10 unexcused absences in a semester because they know they’ll be denied credit for the class even if they make up the work. One solution might be to switch to a quarterly grading cycle instead of two semesters, Goldman said, so that students can at least earn partial credit.
“What kid is going to sit there from November to January when they know they’re not going to get credit?” Goldman said. “We have to give them an incentive.”
The district has tried many approaches to its truancy problem. It stepped up neighborhood patrols to search for wayward students and ferry them to school, and rewarded children for stellar attendance. But results are gains of only a percentage point or two.
There are alternative programs, such as the Academy of Individualized Study and the credit retrieval centers, where students can make up missing classes. But there aren’t enough seats to go around. And that comes back to the question of funding and priorities, Goldman said.
“Given the current economic situation, it’s tough to expect that money be diverted to truancy programs that very well might be more urgently needed elsewhere in the district,” Goldman said. “I could never justify having 80 students in a (regular) class so we could pay for more truant officers.”
Students who routinely skip school are doing harm to more than their chances of graduating on time. Research has shown truancy to be a gateway offense that often leads to crime. High school dropouts are more than three times as likely to be arrested and eight times more likely to be incarcerated than their peers who graduate.
State law requires the district have an aggressive program to combat truancy, but educators say the law is little more than an unfunded mandate. As a result, outside partners such as Clark County have stepped in to fill the gap.
This year, the county put $96,000 toward a District Court truancy diversion program at eight middle schools, which is where the problem starts for many students.
“We try to find out what the barrier is to why they’re not going to school,” said Debbie Rose, program’s coordinator. “Sometimes it’s that they don’t have the proper attire or school supplies. Sometimes there isn’t anybody telling them any different about how important it is that they get an education.”
In some cases, students are skipping school to stay home and babysit younger siblings while their parents work. The long-term solution would be “to wrap around these families so they get to the point that they don’t need us to tell them their kid has to go to school every day,” Rose said.
The program has been effective, albeit on a small scale, serving 225 students this year. In August, it will be at 11 campuses, including Cheyenne and Sunrise Mountain high schools. There isn’t money to expand further, no matter how much it’s needed, or how successful the approach might be.
For anyone seeking proof of the program’s effectiveness, Rose points to the change in the students’ demeanors at the conclusion of the 10-week session.
“They start out depressed and withdrawn — by the end, they’re making eye contact and smiling,” Rose said. “When you see a kid beaming from ear to ear, you know you’ve done good.”
The truancy diversion program can save the community money in the long run, given the high cost of incarceration, said Leonard Cash, Family Court administrator.
“We want to provide children with the resources, the help and the services he or she needs to get back in school, stay in school and graduate,” Cash said. “If you intervene early, they can become contributing members of society.”
To be sure, it’s not a problem unique to Southern Nevada. States are taking drastic measures to improve graduation and dropout rates by tackling truancy.
In Oklahoma, parents face jail time if their children skip school, and California is considering similar legislation. Maryland law prohibits habitual truants from receiving a learner’s permit.
One proposal being floated by the Nevada Public Education Foundation is creating a statewide database that would let various agencies — schools, juvenile justice, social service and nonprofit groups — share information about youths in their various programs.
There are multiple agencies and funding streams serving the state’s at-risk youth, but not enough communication or cooperation, said Chanda Cook, the foundation’s southern region director. The database would be a good start toward improving both, she said.
And there’s evidence a more cohesive approach can help.
In California, lawmakers and educators are heralding a new approach to combating truancy in Sacramento’s public schools. Since 2006, truants in grades 4-12 have been brought to “attendance centers,” where they are evaluated to identify the underlying reason for the student’s habitual absences. Then the requisite support teams — social workers, family counselors and tutors — are assigned to help. Since the program’s inception, unexcused absences have dropped 16 percent at the city’s high schools.
The conversations will continue this fall when the Nevada Public Education Foundation hosts a summit on addressing the state’s dropout crisis as part of its “Ready for Life” initiative. And the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Commission’s Committee on Youth has made truancy one of its targets for the coming year.
“It’s critical to the economic success of Nevada that we fully educate every child to the best of their ability,” Cook said. “As a community and a society, we cannot afford to lose this much in human capital.”
uddeboda - they can't even do that right!
Another article and another quote from another "deputy superintendent". Like for the Sun to publish one article that lists every CCSD administrator with the word "superintendent" in their title, add the word "chief" and "executive" and maybe this city could get a handle on the magnitude of our "too big to fail" school district that is in the process of "too big not to fail educating children".
Annie, you are right. We have become a country of entitlement on the backs of those who do, to the pockets of those who dont. I remember as a kid the Truancy officer would chase you down and haul you away if they found you skipping school. There is no punishment for doing what was once considered wrong, now you get a check for it. Drop out of school, join a union, work for the state, sue your employer and your set for life.
Make having a high school diploma a requirement for getting a drivers license and you will see a big improvement in attendance and graduation rates.
Right on, tvegas. No driver's license until you're 21 if you drop out.
Anybody want a place to hang out?
Join the 20 or so, Smarter than Average Bear's for a brew or joint in the park (converted wash)south of Alta between Towne Center & Pavilion Center every afternoon around 1 p.m. when the other students are still attending classes at Palo Verde High!
Bring your own spray paint & cigarettes!
I like tvegas' idea and we also need to stop most of the liberal practices that we have. We need to put more responsibilities back to the parents and they need to know right away if their kids skipped school. We need to use the "three strikes rule" by counselling the parents and the students three times and kick them out if they will not work with the system. This will help with the overcrowding problems and also let the majority who like to learn have a better classroom environment. These few bad apples are making the system worse and affecting the ones who really want to prepare for a better future. We leave in a democratic country and if these problem students don't want to learn, I suggest to leave them alone and let them have the consequences of having a bleak future.
Parents are notified daily of every absence. CCSD uses ParentLink to communicate with parents regarding absences and grades. When a student is absent, a ParentLink phone call is made to the student's home after 5pm on the day of the absence. Parents interested in grades can use ParentLink with a phone or internet connection. So, blame the parents here.
Nevada Law requires that a student attend school until they graduate or become 17 years of age, which ever comes first. Students remain in the system until they do not enroll for school, transfer out of state or graduate. Students failing to enroll, moving without notifying CCSD, or not graduating are considered drop-outs -- a fairly large percentage. Yes, some truant students have been caught doing the sex, drugs, rock and roll and burglarizing houses when they should have been in school
If a student has 10 unexcused absences in a semester, most classes give semester credit, they are denied credit. A semester is approximately 90 school days. Getting excused requires a note from the parent indicating that the student could not physically attend school, babysitting does not count, but court appearances do.
More penalties against parents and students may help. Unfortunately students find it easier to skip school rather than go, it becomes a habit which we all pay the price.
"Make having a high school diploma a requirement for getting a drivers license and you will see a big improvement in attendance and graduation rates."
On the surface, this sounds like a terrific idea. However, in practice, since there are no real punishments in our schools, and since parents are catered to by the CCSD - seriously so - what that would probably mean would be teachers being badgered and threatened to give credit where no credit is due, or the CCSD would change the rules or something. BUT IT'S WORTH A TRY, FOR SURE.
And how about doing something about kids leaving for Mexico vacations for a month or two?
It's too bad some of you can't see the laziness problem without badmouthing unions. Do you know history? Do you know what it was like here in the U.S. before unions? There are some bad unions and bad union leaders, and there are some bad union practices, but it's certainly the lesser of two evils. Do you know what I see as a teacher? The "union" is a very weak organization that can't even strike and employees are treated and paid such that most people wouldn't do the job even if they were capable of it. But at least it makes administrators - and there are a lot of crazy, inept ones here - think twice about picking on people they don't like because, say, they want to hire their friend for the job, and things like that. There's been a teacher shortage here since I moved here almost twenty years ago, and even with this recession they can't fill all the spots. And yet some of you still ignorantly complain about union employees and union perks. You don't know what you're talking about when it comes to teachers, and all you do is show your own ignorance. Hell, let's just go back to slavery! Rich people are obviously better than others and deserve to exploit other humans and run everything, so let's just do it right and let them own us! What suckers some of you are.
The question becomes why are they missing so many school days. Where are the parents? In my day you missed school if you were sick...that was it. None of this crap where my parents were telling me to take a day off, go play in the park or whatever else these kids are doing. Get your ass in class. I'm amazed at a 40% graduating rate. Beyond disgusting.
"Goldman sees many students who stop going to high school entirely after 10 unexcused absences in a semester because they know they'll be denied credit for the class even if they make up the work. One solution might be to switch to a quarterly grading cycle instead of two semesters, Goldman said, so that students can at least earn partial credit."
This is an idea that caters to the underachievers in the schools. This is the same type of mentality that caused the minimum F to turn into 50% instead of the actual failing grade that the student earned. When I taught in Ohio, students were only allowed to miss 7 days a semester and if they missed any days after that, they were required to bring in a doctor's note and not a note from a parent that could easily be forged by the student. Also, don't forget about all of the 18 year olds in the school district that can actually write their own excused notes. We need to get tougher on truants, not find ways to skirt around the system.
dravon:
Those rules are what I am talking about. Ten unexcused absences in a semester is too much and those liberal laws need to be changed. Until someone have some balls to change these laws, it will be very hard for the teachers to improve the system. You can not force a student to learn if they and their parents refuse to cooperate. The system is spoiling and over babysitting these fools; anyway we need a workforce to do the jobs that illegal aliens are doing now once we send them back to where they came from.
Then there has to be more parental involvement. Dropping a kid off at the door is NOT the end for parents. They have to follow thru and make sure their kids know the consequences of cutting. If these parents take an attitude of "I dropped my kid off at the front door, my responsibilities are over"...then try need their head examined, or hit with a baseball bat.
We can't govern this no more than we can force an employed person to report to work daily. I knew CCSD was heading towards disaster when they bragged about having more minority students than regular students. What minority? Hispanics, of course. More Hispanic students = low scores, low graduation rates, high truancy. Bar none!
Truancy is a PARENT problem. Making a parent take time off from work to attend a parent/teacher conference followed by a day with their student in the classroom EVERY time a child has more than 5 absences and maybe the situation will change.
I'm a teacher in CCSD and I had one student last year who refused to come into my class. She would yell and scream and cause all kinds of commotion in the hallway when confronted by admin, counselor, etc. I just failed her since she didn't have any documented mental issues. This resulted in her being ineligible for extracurricular activities that she was interested in. Well, mom was upset she was getting an F so she was made to come to school and sit with her for several weeks. That got real old for mom so she actually did some parenting and now the student always comes in and is doing fine now. It's hard to come down hard on kids now since they are legally mandated to attend school. We get the good, bad and the ugly so come and be a guest teacher for a week before you bang on my fellow teachers.
With today's computer technology there is no reason for any child to not succeed in school and get their High School Diploma. Please check out http://www.k12.com/nvva/ It's a CCSD state funded charter school and you are sent a computer and books FREE. I think this will solve the problem to many drop out issues. When the program first started a couple of years ago, there were only a few hundred students. Now we have a few thousand who are thriving. Most of these children who are enrolled in this program would have never made it in a regular public school. The CCSD is doing a great service to those children who would otherwise be drop outs. God Bless you CCSD and Nevada Virtual Academy for giving my daughter a chance. By the way, my daughter went from being a B/C/D student to an A/B student to a straight A student this year. That would never have happened had she stayed in a regular school environment.
Well I'm glad that after a decade, someone finally figured out that the 10 absences = no credit regardless of the grade they earned is totally ridiulous
The problem is the administration. Ten absences and they are out. If you miss one class, it counts as all day, so why bother going? The administrators can't wait till they hit ten so they can kick them out. They even tell kids how to drop out! One less distraction so they can kick their feet up and collect their paycheck. They frankly don't care. This has been going on for over 20 years. Get rid of this policy Clark County School Board! We know you are just hanging out until the next political office is available, but humor us.
This year, the county put $96,000 toward a District Court truancy diversion program at eight middle schools, which is where the problem starts for many students.
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Another burden on the tax payer and another burden on teachers with 35 to 40(probably this year) students per class.
This is downright stupid.
I can only imagine what this diversion program looks like, examining details and results. I can only imagine who the idiot bureaucrat was who said that "beaming smile" quote.
Hit the family where it hurts and you'll be able to save that $96,000. Trust me. And I'm a full-fledged liberal!
nitro I don't have to believe in it, I know it, personally. I took my daughter out of public school toward the end of 5th grade. They had my daughter at a 3rd grade reading level and a 2nd grade math level. Amazing that once she enrolled in Nevada Virtual Academy, she had to get tested to see what her reading and math levels were and they came back with an 8th grade reading level and an on grade level for math. How amazing is the fact that she wasn't thriving in a regular school environment and how fast that improved by going to school online. May I add that most of the work is done with workbooks that are sent to the home FREE of charge along with a computer. Some course work requires a computer but most of the work is not done on it. I for one do not need anyone in the CCSD to babysit for my child. She is an independent learner and is doing very well. In the mortar and brick school she did poorly because of teacher/student ratio and the administration had gone to par. I am happy seeing my daughter thrive and excited about learning, something she wasn't excited about attending regular school.
nitro I also want to bring to your attention that NVVA ( Nevada Virtual Academy ) is a CCSD school and we have teachers assigned to our children who get paid a salary from the state. Look at the website and check out the administration and teachers.
http://www.k12.com/nvva/
nitro unfortunately the Nevada school system is not like NYC, where I grew up. Education is important to them, unlike our state is. They have a lottery which we don't which supports their schools. Children were not part of the Old Vegas, they weren't even allowed in the town. I remember when my grandparents used to come here for a visit and crying every time they left to take me. All I heard was, " children not allowed ". Times have changed, but where our children and education are concerned, it hasn't changed one bit. More states are going with virtual schooling. The reason: high drop out rates. If it takes children to learn in a virtual environment and graduate from high school and get a diploma, I say go for it. It's not hurting anyone. Well it is hurting someone, the teachers and administrators. They are afraid of loosing their jobs. I am happy to be homeschooling my child, she is thriving and learning. My daughter is happy because she doesn't have teachers failing her because they feel like it.
Here's an idea.
Any student that has an exorbitant number of unexcused absences the following should be enacted:
1. One of the student's parents is arrested for child abuse.
2. The children in that family are placed in foster care --- and placed in Child Haven where school is mandatory.
3. ALL costs for these procedures are assessed from the parents.
4. Case closed.
When such actions are taken, other parents will see that the school district, the state, and the county mean business.