Conflict Resolution & Peacemaking
Conflict Resolution and Peacemaking
Student Truancy: Issues and Solutions
Psy/400 – Social Psychology
July 26, 2010
Student Truancy – Issues and Solutions The article I chose to address is titled “Reaching Out to Youth Out of the Education Mainstream” (Ingersol & LeBoeuf, 1997). The subjects are the issues of student truancy, the effects on educational institutions, society, and effects on the truant youth. The stated conflict is one of finding a way to address student truancy that supports students, and parents to affect long-term positive educational and social outcomes. The peacemaking aspect is described in the “best practices” techniques used to address the individual needs of the student in support of return to school in a way relevant to the truant student. A long history of negative effects of not addressing early truancy of a student exists, including that the student loses learning opportunities, the schools loses average daily attendance payments, the parents are stressed because they are unsure were their child is during school hours, and society suffers because of increased crime. “Unexcused absence from school is an early warning that the youth is becoming at risk for academic failure, suspension, or expulsion. It is a first precursor to delinquency and day-time crime” (Gary, 1996, as noted in Gonzales & Mullins, 2004, p. 5). Juvenile justice truancy cases are likely to be adjudicated, and youth sentenced to formal probation, creating a juvenile arrest record, and a self-perpetuating negative (Puzzanchaera, Stahl, Finnegan, Tierney, & Snyder, 2003). Youth truancy affects the individual’s adult life. The National Center for Education Statistics, 1999, noted that “men who drop out of high school earn approximately 75% of what their counterparts with a high school education earn, with females earning only 60% of their counterparts” (p. 5). Society pays a high price for student truancy. According to a study by Austin,
Student Truancy: Issues and Solutions
Psy/400 – Social Psychology
July 26, 2010
Student Truancy – Issues and Solutions The article I chose to address is titled “Reaching Out to Youth Out of the Education Mainstream” (Ingersol & LeBoeuf, 1997). The subjects are the issues of student truancy, the effects on educational institutions, society, and effects on the truant youth. The stated conflict is one of finding a way to address student truancy that supports students, and parents to affect long-term positive educational and social outcomes. The peacemaking aspect is described in the “best practices” techniques used to address the individual needs of the student in support of return to school in a way relevant to the truant student. A long history of negative effects of not addressing early truancy of a student exists, including that the student loses learning opportunities, the schools loses average daily attendance payments, the parents are stressed because they are unsure were their child is during school hours, and society suffers because of increased crime. “Unexcused absence from school is an early warning that the youth is becoming at risk for academic failure, suspension, or expulsion. It is a first precursor to delinquency and day-time crime” (Gary, 1996, as noted in Gonzales & Mullins, 2004, p. 5). Juvenile justice truancy cases are likely to be adjudicated, and youth sentenced to formal probation, creating a juvenile arrest record, and a self-perpetuating negative (Puzzanchaera, Stahl, Finnegan, Tierney, & Snyder, 2003). Youth truancy affects the individual’s adult life. The National Center for Education Statistics, 1999, noted that “men who drop out of high school earn approximately 75% of what their counterparts with a high school education earn, with females earning only 60% of their counterparts” (p. 5). Society pays a high price for student truancy. According to a study by Austin,
References: Bickmore, K. (20080. Teaching conflict resolution across the curriculum. Orbit 37(2/3), (p. 98-102). Retrieved from: CBCA Complete. (Document ID: 1537442641). Gonzales, R. & Mullins, T.G., (2004). Addressing truancy in youth court programs. Evaluation of OJJDP’s Truancy Reduction Demonstration Project. Retrieved from: www.OJJDP.org Ingersoll, S., & LeBoeuf, D., (1997, February). Reaching out to youth out of the education mainstream. Retrieved from: www.ncurs.gov/pdffiles/163928.pdf. Meyers, D.G., (2008). Social psychology. (9th ed.). San Francisco, CA: McGraw Hill Companies. Puzzanchera. C., Stahl, AlL., Finnegan, T.A., Tierney, N. & Snyder, H.N. (2003, July). Juvenile court statistics. Pittsburgh, PA: National Center for Juvenile Justice. Riesch, S.K., Gray, J., Hoeffs, M., Keenan, T., Ertyl, T., & Mathison, K. (2003, January) (vol. 17) (1) (p. 22-31). Conflict and conflict resolution: Parent and young teen perceptions. Retrieved from: http://www.jpedhc.org/article/Sp891-5245%2802%2988324-9. | |