Information was collected at six urban high schools in the Northwest during 1984 and 1985 to describe the procedures used to manage student absenteeism and to compare the schools on staff implementation of and satisfaction with the absentee procedures used. An additional purpose was to investigate the influence of school procedures on student absence rates. Four major procedures were identified: monitoring and recording attendance, excusing absences, imposing penalties for unexcused absences, and intervening in patterns of chronic absenteeism. The evidence suggests that a centralized computer system for monitoring and recording attendance should be combined with school-based microcomputer systems for short-term monitoring and feedback. Questionnaires revealed that many teachers are frustrated by the responsibility of excusing student absences and are dissatisfied with parents' adherence to predefined criteria for excuses. Penalties imposed for unexcused absences appear to be most effective with students who are college-oriented. Intervention in cases of chronic truancy is controversial and at best only sporadic. The approach that is advocated for managing student absenteeism is to combine increased strictness with more ambitious interventions into the problems of the chronic truants, including efforts to improve teaching quality and make classes more interesting or relevant. Questionnaires are appended. (GJ)