Based on surveys of 125 school trustees and administrators and 186 student dropouts and truants in California, this guidebook examines the causes of student attendance problems, discusses guidelines and ideas for programs to combat these problems, and presents exemplary programs in three California school districts. A profile of a hypothetical truant, together with results of the student survey, suggest the factors and processes that result in attendance problems. Part 1 of the booklet then presents basic guidelines for school board actions regarding dropouts and truants, notes recent California legislation on the problem, and recommends that boards review their current practices before adopting policies and setting goals. Part 2 suggests ways to carry out board policies, including program ideas from California districts for informing and involving the community, streamlining attendance, reporting, developing staff skills, providing incentives and guidance to students, offering alternatives, planning for special problems, and using school attendance review boards. In Part 3, case studies are presented of effective attendance programs in California's Riverside Unified School District, Lancaster Elementary School District, and Pajaro Valley Unified School District. An appendix provides the responses to the student survey. (RW)