tion, you want to have facts at your fingertips.

Research shows that school attendance can have a big impact. Share these facts with your teen:

• Teens can’t learn if they aren’t in class. Research shows a clear link. Students who come to class also do better.

• Teens are likely to get into trouble if they aren’t in school. One study found that 78 percent of those who ended up in prison had a first arrest for school truancy.

• Teens may have trouble getting a job if they don’t go to school. Most employers ask about attendance before they hire a teen.

Sources: “Impact of Student Attendance, Teacher Certification, and Teacher Absence on Reading and Mathematics Performance in Elementary and Middle Schools in New York City,” Flash Research Report #3, Division of Assessment and Accountability, November, 2000, http://www.nycenet.edu/daa/reports/flash_report_3.pdf; Linda Starr, “Tackling Teen Truancy,” Education World, http://www.education-world.com/a_issues/issues300.shtml.

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