According to Carmel High School dean John Newton, "Skip a Final" decreased unexcused absences by seventy percent. (personal interview October 22, 2003) The "Skip a Final" program is still at Carmel.
One solution to the high statistic of truancies across the country is to reward students for good attendance instead of just punishing the students with poor attendance. We need school-community partnerships offering individual and group services that strengthen motivation and commitment to school. If a local dealership would donate a car to the community school, it could be raffled off at the end of the year. Only families who have students with perfect attendance records could be allowed to participate. A community should provide real incentives to be in school through an elaborate system of encouragement and rewards. By getting local businesses and sponsors involved, students with good attendance could earn a special discount card to use around the community. The card could offer discounts to the card holder for goods and services such as movie rentals, fast food, pizza, and ice cream. The drawbacks to rewarding students for good attendance is that sometimes there are unavoidable reasons for absence such as illness or a death in the family. It would not be fair to students to not be included in the car raffle because of these reasons. Depending on how schools respond to student problems, students with similar profiles will either stay motivated to attend school or become convinced that "school is not for me." When students are rewarded for good attendance, they are much more likely to stay in school.
Another solution to student truancy is special contact with the student. Faculty and school staff has a responsibility to students. They should make it a point to take interest in students who are struggling with attendance. Schools should have a special committee that concentrates on students with poor attendance.