School attendance monitoring and control

The survey of respondents’ opinions enables to notice that the attitude towards the control of school truancy is twofold. On the one hand, as determined in the previous section, it is regulated and, although experts’ attitude towards it is ambiguous, it is possible to state that the working system is not questioned too much. On the other hand, the survey of respondents’ opinions has shown that attendance control depends on the established order in school⁵. The

5 This has been confirmed by respondents from different districts. For instance, an education expert from the city of Panevëţys has acknowledged: There is no common policy in the city, each school has established their own, but there is no common one...

True, a participant of Trakai district focus group noted that: An attempt has been made to keep attendance notebooks and to record children’s attendance (Education expert, Panevëţys City 2006; Education expert, Trakai District 2006).

measures applied spread in the spectrum from the absolute absence of order to electronic monitoring and other measures.

Before the beginning of a more consistent research analysis, it should be noted that the reference problem is created by a vague school truancy content and its unfolding. Some schools have not set any school truancy criteria, i.e. this concept is not explicitly defined in documents, is not fixed in activity instructions, etc.

At the same time it is not clear when student’s unexcused class absence should be considered, when special aid should be provided and so on. Certainly, it would be inaccurate to argue that such a situation is characteristic to all the schools. On the basis of respondents’ interview, it can be noticed that certain criteria are established in schools of Vilnius city, Šalcininkai district and several schools of other districts. An individual intervention is undertaken on the basis of the evaluation of the number of missed days or classes. In some schools, the criterion of 10 – 14 classes per month, in other – 3 days per term is applied (Interview, Education expert, Vilnius City; Interview, Education expert, Panevëţys City).

During discussions, rhetoric remarks were made that it is necessary to distinguish between a long term absence and class skipping. It is obvious that a prerequisite of effective control and monitoring involves definitions of a clear concept of school truancy and establishment of criteria. Concepts of school non-attendance as well as principles and criteria of their establishment should be defined not only in school regulations, but they could also be incorporated into district level strategies as a specimen recommendation.

Having analysed the data of focus groups obtained during interviews, it has been found that the attitude of school administration and educators is best conveyed by the generalising observation of one interview participant; “Without control they wouldn’t go to school at all”. Having understood the importance of control and attendance monitoring, research participants assess control forms ambiguously. Some respondents speak up for traditional control measures and procedures when the main responsibility falls on the class teacher (Interview, social workers, Skuodas District).

Whereas, having analysed observations of others, it is possible to discern accounts of control, monitoring and registration practices of a systematic and innovating character ⁶:

Collaboration takes place from the bottom, class teachers inform parents every two weeks, electronic mark books are very effective, and directorate meetings are hold every Tuesday. We have tried attendance sheets. A class teacher submits a summary of every student on Fridays. Then the administration decides what to do. The collaboration is very close among educators and with parents [...]

In our school teachers write marks and record attendance every day. Everything is registered on the Internet. [...] Moreover, there are very clear rules (Education experts, Vilnius 2006).

Analysing this interview, it can be noticed that three main elements are applied: clear attendance criteria, constant registration and parent informing (using traditional means and the recording of attendance data in electronicly marked books), and discussions in special preventive groups or directorate meetings. With reference to other interviews, the list of procedural measures could be extended to include a vital social educators’ activity (collecting information from class teachers, subject teachers, etc.), school attendance agreements and individual registers, information boxes and mounts of school problems in teachers’ rooms, and weekly class attendance summaries⁷.

6 Most theorists observe that effective control, data registration, monitoring and interventions in specific cases require an institutional system and clearly defined procedures. In the number of countries, this registration and monitoring are determined by procedures of a national or sub-national level. In other countries, this is left for school responsibility. (Railsback J., Increasing Student op. cit., 19; Youth in Crisis, A Handbook for Collaboration Between Schools and Social Services, Attendance Services. vol.5, Albany, 1992, 9-10;)

7 Aims of these individual measures correspond to three functions: monitoring and analysis of registers (summaries, attendance registration sheets, which are carried by students themselves, but registered by teachers). Another, not less significant measure is information publicization among educators (problem mounts measure). This form of information dissemination expands traditional practices of class teacher – subject or class teacher– social worker communication collaboration (Šalcininkai City; Trakai District, focus group of experts; social workers, Skuodas District; education experts;

Kaunas City; education experts, Radviliškis District, 2006).

These internal and external communication means link informing with examination of individual school cases. It is obvious that the main aim of such informing procedures relates with problem solving. Attention should be paid to some nuances. Several groups put an emphasis on the external addressee, i.e. parents. This has been expressed by the following observations: the final aim is to inform the parents (Social worker, Skuodas District 2006); or in other focus group: – we have the same system, there is the school-parents contact (Education expert, Vilnius 2006). In other schools, attention is paid to both the parents and internal communication (Education experts, Vilnius City; Social educator, Panevëţys City 2006). Typical format control could include the observation of one respondent about prohibitions to give students their jackets during breaks in winter time.

Proceeding to evaluations, it can be noted that, according to practicians (most frequently social workers), control forms are seen as effective. In one focus group, having specified the outcome, the following observation has been made: We carry out investigations.

The attendance is an indicator (Education experts, Vilnius City;

Social educator, Panevëţys City 2006). In other observations, control efficiency has been evaluated in more general categories: There is a constant control. Parents control, and we do it at least once a week.

Parents – teachers – class teachers – social educators, all cooperate (Education expert, Kaunas City 2006). On the other hand, the data analysis has also enabled to notice gaps of this system which are related to the negligent work of some educators:

They also have to report how many classes children heve missed.

Of course, with children you can find a common language more quickly than with teachers, it happens that teachers forget, and you have to remind them. But it depends on a class teacher; one takes this responsibly, others not realy, you have to remind them all the time. But if the system works, that means, it realy does.

[...] and besides, when our social educators create the attendance chart and display it on Monday, then you can write down on the spot when a child was absent (Education expert, Šalcininkai City, 2006).

This interview episode reveals that without commitment and interest of all educators, the system cannot work. Respondents of another focus group have noticed that this is enabled by very clear regulations, instructions, methodical directions, etc. which discipline educators. On the other hand, the data analysis shows that not all respondents’ experience with the application of systematic control and monitoring instruments is positive. For instance, during one focus interview an argument arose about efficiency of the electronic daybook⁸, and later it was switched to the evaluation of other means:

An attempt was made to keep attendance notebooks, to record children’s attendance and later to examine the data, however, these means did not really justify (Education expert, Trakai City, 2006).

Although this qualitative research cannot be expanded by other attendance indicators and education quality indicators, it is obvious that education institutions are searching for their own ways.

Whereas the major part of education institutions follows traditional control procedures and measures.

The survey of opinions has revealed that the change of education network and enlargement of schools increase problems. This has been especially emphasized by social workers of large schools and some employees of education departments:

A small school, not such factories; nowadays small ones are being destroyed, there are 1000 students, so how can it be, that there is just one social educator. You cannot distinguish a child [...] I was in Norway and there, on the contrary, classes are reduced (Social educator, Panevëţys City, 2006).

With regard to differences among separate districts, it is also possible to notice that the following schools can be distinguished for the application of “school level” systematic control and monitoring principles and instruments: Vilnius city and partly Trakai, Elektrënai and Đalcininkai district schools and some Panevëţys and Radviliđkis city schools. It seems that an attempt has been made to

8 Respondent I: At present an effective control measure is electronic daybooks.

Respondent II: I would not agree, not all parents nowadays belong to a completely another generation. Many of them cannot use a computer. Other parents have not even seen that electronic daybook. (Education experts, Kaunas District).

solve the problem of school truancy on the basis of legal regulation in Elektrënai district where a specimen school organization order has been approved by the order of municipality director⁹.

2.2. Organisational aspects of school attendance