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Continuing its mission to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency,
OJJDP recently launched Truancy
Prevention—Empowering Communities and Schools To Help Students Succeed. This
new Web site, developed in partnership with the Office of Safe and
Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS), U.S. Department of Education, is a key
resource for truancy prevention activities. Its purpose is to strengthen
national and local efforts to keep students engaged in school and
on the path to responsible adulthood.
Because truancy is a complex problem requiring a comprehensive response,
effective prevention programs require the support of educators, law
enforcement agencies, court personnel, policymakers, and the general
public. Thus, the new Web site focuses on partnership-building strategies
that help children reach their fullest potential. Because experts
in the field recognize that attendance is only part of the truancy
problem, the site emphasizes the "three A's" of
school success: attendance, attachment, and achievement.
The new site features a dynamic range of information and resources.
For example, researchers can locate studies on truancy and program
evaluations, and educators and practitioners can search for best
practices and federally funded initiatives. Those new to the topic
of truancy can get an overview of pertinent issues. Updates on the
home page alert users to upcoming conferences, new publications,
and other announcements related to truancy.
The site's toolkit section offers a comprehensive list of
training and technical assistance resources and a "communications
strategies" page with materials for public education campaigns.
An FAQ section features videos of experts presenting indepth answers
to a wide range of truancy-related questions.
An audio/video library includes streaming video of several truancy
workshops and plenary sessions from the December 2004 "Partnering
To Prevent Truancy: A National Priority," cosponsored by OJJDP
and the Department of Education. Additional media, including audio
recordings of conference workshops and interviews with key players
in truancy reduction efforts, will be added to the library on an
ongoing basis.
Truancy costs students more than their education. It costs them
their future. The truancy prevention Web site reflects the shared
commitment of OJJDP and OSDFS to help the nation's youth succeed—not
only in school, but in life.
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