D.C. students raise truancy rate

The article headline does not follow from the information given in the body. Most jurisdictions define truancy as a number of repeated unexcused absences from school. As you can tell by this general definition, one cannot infer truancy rates from attendance rates. A 75% attendance rate does not mean 25% of students are truant or that 75%of students are always at school. In fact, the truancy rate could have remained the same or even fallen despite a drop in the attendance rate. More accurate reporting methods are needed--both by the District's school system and the Washington Times--before we possess a clearer understanding of the truancy problem in DC schools.