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More than 700 participants attended a national conference on truancy, held in Washington, DC, on December 6–8, 2004. The conference, titled "Partnering To Prevent Truancy: A National Priority," was cosponsored by the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education. J. Robert Flores, Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and Deborah A. Price, Deputy Under Secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, served as conference cohosts. Secretary of Education Rod Paige, Deputy Attorney General James B. Comey, and Assistant Attorney General Deborah J. Daniels were among the featured speakers at the event.

Recognizing that truancy is a complex problem and that focusing on attendance alone is not enough, the conference organizers highlighted efforts to address the "three A's"—Attendance, Attachment, and Achievement. In her opening remarks, Assistant Attorney General Daniels spoke about the importance of developing innovative approaches to address truancy. "Our collective challenge must be to think about truancy in new ways." Ms. Daniels introduced Deputy Attorney General James B. Comey, who spoke on the role of law enforcement and the judicial system in intervening in truancy. Mr. Comey cited truancy courts, in which judges impose assignments rather than sentences on truant youth, as an example of "compassionate compulsion."

The plenary speaker for the first day of the conference was Robert Wm. Blum, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Blum, who was introduced by William Modzeleski, Associate Deputy Under Secretary, Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, presented findings from the Wingspread Declaration Consensus Group. The Wingspread Group—which is composed of more than 20 educators, researchers, policymakers, and advocates—studies the role of school connectedness in the lives of youth. Dr. Blum's presentation highlighted findings that documented the pivotal role of school connectedness in reducing youth's truancy and other problematic behaviors (such as teen pregnancy and substance abuse).

The second day of the conference opened with remarks from Secretary Paige, who noted the challenge faced by schools and communities. "We must give our students a sense of brotherhood and belonging in our schools, so they do not look for it on the street corners. We must get them to clearly see the inescapable link between school and success. It's up to us to keep them excited, engaged and—most importantly—enrolled." Susie Kay, Founder and President of the Hoop Dreams Scholarship Fund, also spoke during the morning session.

In keeping with President Bush's Faith-Based and Community Initiative, the conference emphasized the role of faith leaders and faith-based organizations in addressing truancy. Plenary speaker Tony Evans, Th.D., Founder and President of The Urban Alternative, a national organization dedicated to bringing about spiritual renewal in urban America through the church, addressed the attendees in a lunchtime presentation during the second day of the conference. The conference closed with remarks from Wintley Phipps, M.Div., Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Dream Academy, Inc. In his address, Mr. Phipps spoke about the power of a dream in the lives of young people.

In addition to the plenary sessions, the conference consisted of workshops, roundtable discussions, and exhibits that presented practical strategies for achieving successful outcomes to the truancy problem in schools and communities. Attendees, who included educators, teachers, researchers, law enforcement officers, and criminal justice practitioners from across the nation, participated in a wide range of workshops that highlighted evidence-based and promising programs. Among the topics addressed were family involvement, motivating at-risk youth, collaboration building, and program evaluation. The workshops placed particular emphasis on programs that target underserved populations, such as youth with disabilities, tribal youth, children in foster care, immigrant youth, and youth reentering the community from the juvenile justice system.

Among the programs highlighted during the conference workshops was the Truancy Reduction Demonstration Program. Developed and supported by OJJDP, together with the Office of Justice Programs' Community Capacity Development Office (through its Weed and Seed Initiative) and the Department of Education's Office for Safe and Drug-Free Schools, the Truancy Reduction Demonstration Program supports demonstration program models targeting different populations and different approaches. Each demonstration program promotes system reform and accountability, relies on a continuum of services to address the needs of children and adolescents who are truant, includes data collection and evaluation, and emphasizes community education and awareness.

Administrator Flores summed up his goals for the conference this way: "Truancy is a multifaceted problem that requires comprehensive responses. Partnerships among schools and communities, service providers and law enforcement agencies, educational institutions and faith-based organizations are essential to addressing this issue. Truancy costs students more than just an education, it costs them their future. It is our hope that this conference has helped to build and enhance the partnerships needed to ensure that every child not only succeeds in school, but also has the opportunity to become a productive, healthy, and happy adult."

To view the conference program, which includes the agenda, speaker biographies, lists of speakers and attendees, and other details, go to https://conference.aspensys.com/truancy/PDF/Programpostconference.pdf.

View photos from the conference.