School absenteeism: A universal problem in need of local, national, and international solutions

This conference offers a wide palate of topics for school personnel, practitioners, policy-makers, researchers, and academics from all disciplines. Check out the 'Provisional Topics’ below.

International keynote speakers include Christopher Kearney (Psychology), Carolyn Gentle-Genitty (Social Work), and Michael Gottfried (Education).

Wednesday 16th, Thursday 17th, and Friday 18th October 2019

Oslo, Norway

Scandic Holmenkollen Park

“Scandic Holmenkollen Park is located an impressive 350 metres above the city. Here you can enjoy views over the capital, and eat at one of the city’s best restaurants. We recommend a visit to our great spa, a training session in our well-equipped gym, or a swim in our pool. There are miles of hiking trails right on your doorstep, and bikes you can borrow for free.”

Registration will be open from March 1st 2019, cost to be advised. A reduced ‘early bird registration’ fee will be available for registrations prior to June 30th 2019.

• International Keynote Speakers
  • Associate Professor Michael Gottfried
    ‘Addressing absenteeism – Lessons for schools and policy-makers’
  • Professor Christopher Kearney
    ‘A bird's-eye view of school attendance and absenteeism: Moving from fragmentation to reconstruction’
  • Associate Professor Carolyn Gentle-Genitty
    ‘School climate, positive school discipline, and school attendance’  
• Individual paper presentations and symposia, see 'Provisional Topics'
• Panel Discussions
• Interest Group Meetings
• Optional Attendance Banquet

• Hearing the voices of youth, parents, and school staff
• Big data to tackle the even bigger problem of school absenteeism
• Prevention and early intervention: Working within Tiers 1 and 2
• Third-wave cognitive-behavioral therapy for school attendance problems
• National policy to combat chronic absenteeism: dilemmas and solutions 
• Current studies of intervention for school absenteeism
• Beyond the ivory tower: The experience of practitioners translating research into practice
• Alternative educational settings for school attendance problems
• Getting perspective: Psychology, social work, and juvenile justice
• To measure is to know: Instruments to screen and assess school attendance problems
• What the School Refusal Assessment Scale can teach us
• Using implementation and dissemination science to impact the field
• To force or not to force to school: That is sometimes the question
• The marriage between education and mental health care: True partners in interventions for attendance problems?
• Studying the outcome of treatment for school refusal: Are we measuring up?
• Connecting schools and parents in the stride against school withdrawal
• Medication: What role does it have in the field of school attendance?
• Take a position on differentiation: School refusal vis-à-vis truancy
• Setting the agenda for international research on school attendance and absence
• On the frontline: The school attendance team in action
• School attendance in youth with a disability: Challenges and opportunities

We invite professionals from all disciplines to submit an abstract for a paper presentation or a symposium at the 1st Conference of the International Network for School Attendance. Abstracts can be submitted until February 14th 2019 via this link. The following template indicates the information required by the Scientific Organizing Committee.

The definitive program will be available here by the end of February 2019.