Findings of a paper that examined the effect of different attendance policies on student attendance and achievement are presented in this paper. Analysis of class records of 401 college students enrolled in four child development courses taught from fall 1989 to spring 1990 indicated that there were significantly more absences if attendance was not required, and that there was a modest negative correlation between the number of absences and class grade average. The "not required explicit" policy, which explicitly states that attendance is not required and explains the correlation of absences with lower grades, is recommended because it allows students to make informed decisions and simplifies the teacher's work. Two tables are included. (LMI)