Elementary School Absenteeism and Truancy: Perceptions and Responses of Chicago Principals Under School Reform

The major findings which emerged from a combined analysis of interview and survey data indicated that local schools had not fully understood, internalized, nor accepted their site-based responsibilities regarding attendance and truancy issues. Major findings included: (1) Principals tended to perceive truancy and absenteeism to be more serious throughout the system than in their own schools. (2) Principals did not uniformly see themselves as having the primary responsibility for attendance and truancy matters in their schools. (3) There was an incongruity of response in terms of strategic interventions chosen to address the problems of truancy and absenteeism perceived by the principals. (4) Principals frequently indicated a need for increased central administrative involvement and support but overlooked the role of the local school itself in attendance improvement. (5) A strong orientation toward punitive resolution of truancy issues was apparent in the comments of the principals. (6) Schools with low attendance were found to utilize practices of communication and support in responding to truancy problems less frequently than were schools with average and high attendance.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Jordak, William Louis

Contributors dc:contributor

• Paul Thurston

• Education, Administration

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(MiAaPQ)AAI9834696

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/80228