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Youth Violence and Juvenile

Justice
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''I Missed the Bus'': School Grade Transition, the Wilmington Truancy Center, and Reasons Youth Don't Go
to School
Arthur H. Garrison
Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice 2006 4: 204
DOI: 10.1177/1541204006286318
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Youth Violence
10.1177/1541204006286318
Garrison
/ SCHOOL
and Juvenile
GRADEJustice
TRANSITION

Research Note

I MISSED THE BUS


School Grade Transition, the Wilmington Truancy
Center, and Reasons Youth Dont Go to School
Arthur H. Garrison
Delaware Criminal Justice Planning Council

Data from a 3-year truancy reduction program operating in Wilmington, Delaware, are
analyzed to assess the association of truancy and reasons for truancy with school grade
transition points from elementary to middle school and from middle school to high
school. Data showed that there was a 95% increase in the number of truants between
fifth and sixth grade and a 76% increase in the number of truants between eighth and
ninth grade. There was an 87% increase in truancy among youth between 10 and 11
years old and 68% increase in truancy among youth 13 and 14 years old. The study includes analysis of truancy by various demographic variables and makes policy suggestions on how truancy can be reduced by focusing on the two key school transition points,
the fifth and eighth grades.
Keywords: truancy; grade transition; reasons for truancy

Data from a truancy reduction center in Wilmington, Delaware, are used in this study
to assess the association of truancy and reasons for truancy at school grade transition points.
This research seeks to add to the literature on the relationship between the reasons youth
give for why they are truant and school grade transition. Research that has been conducted
on why youth are truant generally includes poor school performance, lack of interest in
school, or that youth do not see any purpose or benefit in going to school (Ames & Archer,
1988; L. Anderman, Maehr, & Midfley, 1999; Chung, Elias, & Schneider, 1998).
One aspect of the newer research on truancy is how transition from one level of education to another (Akos, 2002; Alspaugh, 1998a, 1998b, 2000; Alspaugh & Harting, 1995;
Arowosafe & Irvin, 1992; Mizelle & Mullins, 1997) can influence school performance and
lead to truancy. School transition research has also examined the relationship between
school grade transitions and various protective factors (Entwisle & Alexander, 1993;
Gutman & Midgley, 2000; Newman, Myers, Newman, Lohman, & Smith, 2000). School
level transition has also been used to explain why both dropout and truancy patterns increase when youth move from elementary to middle school and from middle school to high
school (Alspaugh, 1998a, 1998b). Researchers have noted potential dropouts from high
Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, Vol. 4 No. 2, April 2006 204-212
DOI: 10.1177/1541204006286318
2006 Sage Publications

204

Garrison / SCHOOL GRADE TRANSITION

205

school can be differentiated from graduates with 75% accuracy as early as third grade
(Phelan, 1992, p. 33; see also Lloyd, 1978). Robins and Ratcliff (1980) found that youth truants in elementary school were 3 times more truant in high school than were youth who
were not truant in elementary school. Research presented shows that patterns of truancy
start as early as 6 years old in the second grade.
Part of the difficulty students transitioning from elementary to middle school have is
in the change in the learning environment they encounter. In elementary school, the educational environment is one of task-goal orientation in that students engage in academic
work in order to improve their competency or the intrinsic satisfaction that comes from
learning (E. Anderman & Midgley, 1997, p. 270). In addition to the change in the number
of children in a class and the presence of multiple teachers for multiple subjects, middle
schools have a performance-goal orientation learning environment. In a performance-goal
orientation learning environment, students engage in academic work to demonstrate or
prove their competency, or to avoid the appearance of lack of ability relative to others (E.
Anderman & Midgley, 1997, p. 270).
In addition to the change in the educational environment, factors of puberty (Fenzel,
1989) and the students perceptions about the transition and of being able to fit in (Hertzog
& Morgan, 1999; Pintrich & Schunk, 1996) play a role in the ability of students to adapt to
the new school environment. Other factors affecting the transition include increased peer
pressure, cliquishness among students, fear of bullying, being the youngest in the new
school, the need to fit in, and finding the right bus to go home (Akos, 2002; Schumacher,
1998). School transition research has shown that when youth transfer between school levels, a shift occurs in how the youth perceive and measure themselves. Farrington (1980)
found that teacher labeling of elementary youth as troublesome was the best predictor of
truancy in middle school.
The build up of self-doubt or anxiety can develop while the youth is in the prior
school transition grade (fifth gradeelementary before sixth grademiddle school) and
continue into the school transition grade. Chung et al. (1998) concluded, Students showing
high levels of psychological distress prior to transition represent early adolescents at a
greater risk than their peers for a continued stressful school transition (p. 98). As the research by Midgley and Urban (1992) explained, after the transition many students feel less
positively about their academic potential and the value of schooling, they give up more
quickly and put forth less effort, and their grades decline (p. 5). Phelan (1992) concluded
this alienation from school occurs when students rightly or wrongly feel harassed or ignored by teachers [and] see no connection between school and their futures (p. 33), and for
these children, this is the beginning of a downward trajectory that leads to school failure
and school leaving (Midgley & Urban, 1992, p. 5).

Method
In an effort to reduce truancy in the city of Wilmington, a truancy reduction center
was established in a local community center, West End Neighborhood House, to provide
services to youth who were found truant by the Wilmington Police Department.
Wilmington police officers brought youth who were found not in school during school
hours to the West End Neighborhood House. Truant youth were turned over to a police officer who was assigned to the program at the community center (to maintain legal custody of
the youth and release the patrol officer) and were interviewed by a social worker also as-

206

Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice

signed to the truancy center. Truant youth were interviewed, parents were contacted, and
the schools they attended were also contacted to determine why the youth were not in
school and to establish plans to address the reasons for the truancy.
This study involves a nonrandomized group of 756 youth who were truant and
brought to the truancy reduction center by the Wilmington Police Department during the 3school-year period of the program operation (1999-2002). The majority of youth were
Black (79.5%) and between 12 and 16 years old. The majority of the youth were enrolled in
school (66.5%). The majority of the truant youth were not on probation (56.3%) or suspension (62.4%). The majority of the truant youth were not attending alternative schools
(57.4%).
Information was collected from each youth as he or she was brought to the truancy reduction center by staff of the truancy center. The social worker interviewing each truant
used a one page questionnaire in which the date and time a truant was brought to the center
was recorded, and demographic, home school assignment, age, race, sex, home address, the
address where the youth was found truant, grade level, school district, whether the youth
was suspended from school, and the stated reason the youth was truant were collected from
each truant youth. Additional information including the number of days absent prior to being taken to the truancy center and whether the youth was on probation through the Delaware Family Court was collected through school contacts. This study provides results of
cross-tabulation of age, race, sex, grade, and the reasons given for truancy.

Finding
Although the majority of youth were in the early pubescent through teenage years,
truancy showed a progressive pattern even at the younger ages. As shown in Figure 1, from
the ages of 7 to 15, each year showed a progressive increase in the number of youth who
were truant. There was an 87% increase in truancy among youth between 10 and 11 years
old and a 68% increase in truancy among youth 13 and 14 years old.
The same pattern of progressive truancy was demonstrated when viewing truancy by
grade progression. As shown in Figure 2, the number of truant youth increased with each
grade progression up until the 9th grade. After youth reached the 10th grade, the number of
truant youth decreased. The majority of truant youth, 76%, were in the middle school grades
(6th through 8th) and the first year of high school (9th grade). Truancy between 5th grade
and 6th grade (transition from elementary to middle school) increased by 95% and by 76%
between 8th and 9th grade (transition from middle school to high school).
As shown in Table 1, the reasons missed the bus and didnt feel like going accounted for the majority (53.0%) of explanations given when asked about not being in
school. Whether the youth were on probation, enrolled in school, or enrolled in an alternative school, these two reasons dominated. A third of the males (31.3%) and 26.7% of the females claimed they missed the bus. Less than a quarter (23.6%) of the males and 21.4% of
the females stated they did not feel like going to school. Of the youth who were on school
behavior probation (n = 103), 27.2% stated that they did not feel like going, whereas 26.2%
of them stated that they missed the bus. Of those enrolled in school (n = 503), 32.8% stated
that they missed the bus, and 25.0% stated that they did not feel like going. The majority of
youth attending alternative schools provided the same two explanations but differed from
other youth in that the main excuse was that they did not feel like going. Although 16.3% of

Garrison / SCHOOL GRADE TRANSITION

Figure 1.

207

Number of Youth Truant by Age

the youth stated that they missed the bus, 24% stated that they did not feel like going to
school.
The reasons of missed the bus and didnt feel like going accounted for the greatest number among youth between 9 and 15 years old. Use of the excuse missed the bus increased each year with youth between 9 and 14, after which use of the excuse decreased.
The excuse didnt feel like going culminated with youth between 10 and 15, after which
the excuse was used less often. The ages 9 through 15 and 10 through 15 are closely related
to transition from elementary to middle school and from middle school to high school, respectively. As shown in Table 2, the two greatest increases in truancy are in the transfer
grades (fifth to sixth and eighth to ninth).
The majority of youth who were truant were Black (79.5%) and Hispanic (13.0%).
Both Hispanic and Black youth stated either to have missed the bus or that they didnt
feel like going to school as explanations for truancy. Although 33.3% of Hispanic males
stated they didnt feel like going, only 22.0% of Black males stated not wanting to go to
school as an excuse. Overall, 53.0% of Black youth stated that they either missed the bus
or didnt feel like going, and 54.0% of Hispanic youth provided the same two excuses. A
greater majority of White youth (65.0%) provided the same two excuses.
The results of this study show that the majority of truant youth were in the transitional
grades. The reason didnt feel like going increased consistently between the fifth and
ninth grades. There was a 186% increase in the didnt feel like going explanation between
the fifth and sixth grades and a 42% increase of the same excuse between the eighth and

208

Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice

Figure 2.

Number of Youth Truant by Grade

ninth grades. The number of youth truant increased by 95% between the fifth and sixth
grades and 76% between the eighth and ninth grades. Use of the excuse didnt feel like going increased consistently between the fifth and ninth grades. Truancy occurred more with
males than with females, and the age most vulnerable to truancy was between 11 and 15
years old. The most vulnerable grade to truancy was between the sixth and ninth grades.
The majority of truant youth were not problem youth (youth on school probation or attending alternative schools). In contrast to some research (Kee, 2001; McGiboney, 2001),
youth have many reasons other than boredom and fear of other youth for not attending
school. Only 2.8% of the youth stated they did not like school, and fear of other students
was not reported as a reason for truancy.
A 186% increase in the didnt feel like going explanation between the fifth and
sixth grade and a 42% increase of the same excuse between the eighth and ninth grade, as
well as a 183% increase in the missed the bus explanation between the fifth and sixth
grade and a 57% increase of the same excuse between the eighth and ninth grade, reflect the
difficulty of school transition points. The use of the missed the bus explanation by elementary school youth (42%) and youth between 6 and 9 years old (50%) also demonstrates
the problem of youth at very young ages being responsible for their own preparation and
transportation to school. The use of the excuse missed the bus presupposes that they were
responsible for catching the bus.

Garrison / SCHOOL GRADE TRANSITION

209

TABLE 1
Reasons Given for Not Going to School
Reason
Missed the bus
Didnt feel like going
Suspended
Not enrolled
No reason
Left early
Sick
Overslept
Doesnt like school
Medical appointment
Problems with other students
Court appointment
No transportation
Meeting parents
Lunch
Total

n
227
174
91
67
46
29
28
21
21
17
14
9
6
4
2
756

%
30.0
23.0
12.0
8.9
6.1
3.8
3.7
2.8
2.8
2.2
1.9
1.2
0.8
0.5
0.3
100.0

Policy Implications and Conclusion


Truancy is one of the early risk factors to future academic failure and one of the first
delinquent behaviors that leads to more serious delinquent and criminal behaviors. As
shown by this study, truancy increased 95% between fifth and sixth grade and increased
87% among youth between 10 and 11 years old. Antitruancy programs should be designed
for youth who begin fifth grade and continue through the sixth grade. Such programs should
focus on the fears of youth who are about to enter middle school and should acclimate them
to life in middle school. Programs such as visiting the middle school and spending time with
teachers and other students in middle school could help alleviate the fears and anxieties that
youth feel about the transfer. Similar programs should be established for youth starting their
eighth year through the start of the ninth year. Research has shown that students showing a
high level of psychological distress during transition tended to have more adaptive difficulties in middle school, and youth who show high levels of psychological distress prior to
transition represent early adolescents at a greater risk . . . for continued stressful school transition (Chung et al., 1998, p. 98). This study found that truancy begins at a very early age
and has a progressive development through the early life and grade development of youth
through to the middle of high school. Research has shown that there are various reasons for
youth disengagement from school; thus, antitruancy programs should be progressively both
age and grade appropriate when designed and developed.
Research on school transition suggests that some students develop self-esteem problems after transition. The reduction in self-esteem and not fitting in can lead to other adjustment problems including declined academic achievement, difficulties in peer relationships
(Chung et al., 1998), alienation from teachers, and negative views on the utility of school.
Such negative views can lead to truancy and dropping out. Programs designed to match
youth who are at risk of maladjustment to school after transition with one teacher throughout the first year of transition and with one upperclassman could be a solution. Together the
teacher and the upperclassman could shepherd the youth through the first year. The teacher

210
15

12

1
1

29

1
1

11
7
3
1
3

44

1
1

12
7
5
3
4
2
4
4

2
86

2
2

2
2

34
20
14
2
6

124

42
25
17
5
9
2
6
5
4
3
1
2
2
1

Middle

NOTE: Boldface numbers indicate the transfer grades, where the greatest increases in truancy occur.

1
1
1
1
1
1

6
4

4
2

Missed the bus


Didnt feel like going
Suspended
Not enrolled
No reason
Left early
Sick
Overslept
Doesnt like school
Medical appointment
Problems with other students
Court appointment
No transportation
Meeting parents
Lunch
Total

Reason

Elementary

132

37
36
15
14
5
4
2
5
4
3
3
3

232

58
51
30
32
12
17
8
3
8
7
3
2
1

13

4
1
2

59

3
4
1
1
1
1
1

11

14
18
4
7
2
3
4

10

High

TABLE 2
Reason for Not Going to School, Cross-Tabulating to Grade of Truant

Unknown

227
174
91
67
46
29
28
21
21
17
14
9
6
4
2
756

Total

Garrison / SCHOOL GRADE TRANSITION

211

would focus on keeping the youth on task with school and help deal with any problems the
student may have with other teachers. The upperclassman could guide a desperate youth
through some of the social pitfalls that await a youth who is not fitting in.
To conclude, it is proposed that truancy can be explained, in part, by the transition
from one school level to another. This study found that truancy increases at the two main
transfer points in a youths education, between elementary and middle school and between
middle school and high school. Programs designed to address the stress of these two points
can have an effect on reducing truancy as a whole.

REFERENCES
Akos, P. (2002). Student perceptions of the transition from elementary to middle school. Professional
School Counseling Journal, 5, 339-345.
Alspaugh, J. (1998a). Achievement loss associated with the transition to middle school and high
school. The Journal of Educational Research, 92(1), 20-25.
Alspaugh, J. (1998b). The relationship of school-to-school transitions and school size to high school
dropout rates. The High School Journal, 81, 154-160.
Alspaugh, J. (2000). The effect of transition grade to high school, gender, and grade level upon dropout rates. American Secondary Education, 29(1), 2-9.
Alspaugh, J., & Harting, R. (1995). Transition effects of school grade-level organization on student
achievement. Journal of Research and Development in Education, 28(3), 145-149.
Ames, C., & Archer, J. (1988). Achievement goals in the classroom: Students learning strategies and
motivation process. Journal of Educational Psychology, 80, 260-270.
Anderman, E., & Midgley, C. (1997). Changes in achievement goal orientations, perceived academic
competence, and grades across the transition to middle-level schools. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 22, 269-298.
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school: Schools can make a difference. Journal of Research and Development in Education,
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Journal, 24(2), 15-19.
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Entwisle, D., & Alexander, K. (1993). Entry into school: The beginning school transition and educational stratification in the United States. Annual Review of Sociology, 19, 401-423.
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Lloyd, D. (1978). Prediction of school failure from third-grade data. Educational and Psychological
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Arthur H. Garrison, MS, is the director of criminal justice planning and senior researcher for the Delaware Criminal Justice Planning Council. He is also the project director for the Wilmington Hope Commission, which is a citywide initiative to design a
strategy to reduce juvenile and adult violence in Wilmington, Delaware. He has written
more than 20 program evaluations and has published more than 15 articles on a variety
of juvenile and criminal justice issues. He has a masters of science (1995) in criminal
justice from West Chester University of Pennsylvania and a BA (1990) from Kutztown
University of Pennsylvania.

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