The impact of truancy on the nation's educational system are staggering because it transcends the immediate school setting and assumes lifelong implications for many of the young people that take part in this behaviors. Indeed, more than one million of the two million inmates incarcerated in the United States today are high school dropouts, and the primary reason reported for their dropping out of school in the first place was a general lack of personal development that caused them to become disenchanted with the school system and stop actively participating (Cassel, 2003). Unfortunately, boards of education and the public they serve in the U.S. have been largely unable to agreed on which issues are most important in resolving truancy in the schools, but studies have shown time and again that the nation's schools do have major effects on children's development and it has been argued that school effectiveness is perhaps best seen as a relative term the is related to the time period, educational outcomes, and student age groups involved (Johnson, Livingston, Schwartz & Slate, 2000).
             Complex problems require complex solutions, of course, and truancy is no exception; however, the problems and their respective solutions may not be all that complicated in some cases, and many schools have been successful by following some common-sense procedures to address these problems. This is not to say that these solutions are easy or quick, but it is to say there are options available that educators can use to help address the specific problems that may contribute to a higher incidence of truancy within their schools. For example, the schools that have been most effective in reducing dropouts and truancy rates have been those that have strong leadership, a climate of high expectations, an orderly atmosphere, constant monitoring of student progress, and a school-wide focus on acquisition of basic skills (Johnson et al., 2000). In additi...