Fixing Truancy Now: Inviting Students Back to Class - Softcover

Shute, Jonathan; Cooper, Bruce S.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1475810067 ISBN 13: 9781475810066

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2014

Synopsis

Truancy is a complex issue that continues to plague schools, and many blame truancy problems on students, parents, and socioeconomic factors. However, truancy is more than juvenile delinquents skipping school to have fun or be with friends.

In Fixing Truancy Now: Inviting Students Back to Class, author Bruce S. Cooper posits that truancy is an indication that school curricula and pedagogy are not serving students’ needs as well as they should, especially when it comes to ethnic minority students and English language learners. This book explores:

• different types of truancy;
• major research in the field;
• and how teachers, school leaders, and students can work together in solving this problem.

Ultimately this book offers hope that teachers, parents, and school leaders can find solutions to this multifaceted problem through collaborative problem-solving.

About this title

About the Author:

Bruce S. Cooper, PhD, is professor of education leadership at Fordham University Graduate School of Education, NYC. He co-authored the book Truancy Revisited with Rita Guare, which updates and reexamines the issue.

Jon Shute is an assistant professor in the School of Education at Brigham Young University-Hawaii. He has over 15 years teaching experience in elementary and secondary classrooms. He also has a strong background working with at-risk students, as well as English language learners and students from diverse ethnicities.

Review:

The authors convincingly challenge prevailing conceptions of the landscape of truancy—a surprisingly fresh "must read” for those who believe in equity for all. (Eula Ewing Monroe, EdD, Mathematics Educator, Brigham Young University)

This important book expands upon Truancy Revisited, giving voice to students themselves and offering practical recommendations to address this growing problem. It makes an important contribution to research and practice. (Lance D. Fusarelli, Ph.D., professor, North Carolina State University)

A day absent is a day lost forever! Schools must ensure that lessons are relevant, motivating, and challenging; and school-life meets students’ social/emotional needs as well as their academic requirements. (Stan Kaminsky, clinical instructor of educational leadership, Fordham University)

Shute and Cooper have produced a powerful piece of work to help close the academic achievement gap, and increase graduation rates among students of color. Half the battle is understanding the negative effects of student truancy, and educators and parents must take ownership in this critical task. (Carlos R. McCray)

The authors take a provocative stand by considering how schools are perpetuating truancy. This book encourages educators to build a collaborative vision to prepare our children for the future and eliminating the path that leads to truancy. (Linda Venenciano, PhD, college of education, curriculum research & development, University of Hawaii)

[The book] is focused and serves as an effective impetus to facilitate professional reflection. The book will be very useful for both current and future educators, as well as professionals in ancillary fields. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above.
(CHOICE)

Truancy is a complex issue that continues to plague our schools. This book explores different types of truancy, major research in the field, and how teachers, school leaders, and students can work together in solving this problem. Schools have laid blame for the truancy problem on students, parents, and socioeconomic factors. However, truancy is more than juvenile delinquents skipping school and class to have fun or be with friends. As an educational community, we must view truancy as an indication that our curriculum and pedagogy is not servicing our students as well as it should, especially our ethnic minority students and English Language Learners. This book offers hope and solutions so that working together we can trump truancy.

About this edition

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1475810067
• ISBN 13: 9781475810066
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176