Title: Truancy v. Chronic Absenteeism: Supporting the Attendance of Students Experiencing Homelessness

Almost 8 million students were chronically absent from schools during the 2015-2016 school year. Unsurprisingly, research shows that economically disadvantaged students are more likely to be chronically absent than the overall student population—but studies also indicate that students experiencing homelessness are chronically absent at rates even higher than their housed, low-income peers. While chronic absenteeism measures total absences, including excused and unexcused, truancy measures only unexcused absences–and the number of unexcused absences it takes for a student to be considered a “truant” differs by state. While it’s important to distinguish between truancy and chronic absence, communities that are successfully serving homeless students who are truant OR chronically absent are finding that supportive, community-driven efforts are most effective. During this webinar, two practitioners will speak about their work supporting the attendance of students experiencing homelessness–one from the school community perspective, and one from the community at large.

Presenters:

• Katie Brown, Program Manager, Education Leads Home, SchoolHouse Connection
• Tamara Vaughn-Walker, Juvenile Justice Council Coordinator, St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office
• Rose Taphouse, Lansing School District Student Services Coordinator, Lansing School District, MI
• Tina Giarla, Program Director, MA Coalition for the Homeless