Although the rates of truancy and dropout rates are difficult to determine, it is clear that truancy is the midway point in a continuum that begins with absenteeism and recurrent tardiness and ends with suspension or expulsion. Dropping out of school often follows periods of truancy. The decision to skip or leave school often results from a problem that began in elementary school, where the student felt alienated from the traditional educational setting. Nonschool and family factors often promote a decision to avoid school, but many school-related difficulties contribute to the choice as well. Lists of truancy and dropout prevention, intervention, and response strategies; descriptions of model programs; lists of printed and organizational resources; and reprints of media articles