Solving attendance problems means solving social problems |
On Board Online • October 17, 2016
By Mary Williams-Noi
Policy Consultant
A wide range of circumstances can contribute to chronic absenteeism. A given student who's been absent a lot may be dealing with poverty, hunger, homelessness, mental illness or high levels of stress. Also, negative attitudes among family members regarding education can be associated with frequent absences from school.
Sometimes the problems are directly within the purview of schools - such as a student who is avoiding a bully.
Sometimes there are issues where the solution may be off school premises, such as a student having no safe route from home to school.
School officials need to be alert for sudden changes in attendance patterns. For instance, a student may stop showing up for school due to family circumstances and the child has taken on a more adult role in their home as a caregiver to younger children or the elderly.
"Sometimes students have something significant going on in their lives and cannot deal with school," said Laurence T. Spring, superintendent in the Schenectady city school district.
Discussions about solving problems with attendance quickly morph into discussions about how schools can be part of a comprehensive network of social supports for students and families in need.
Spring said that getting a student back in school sometimes requires school personnel to think like a social worker about the student's unmet needs. That's why district employees have driven students and their parents to doctor's appointments. They have also tracked down homeless students to sign them up for transportation. The district has also begun providing free breakfast and lunch for all students under the "Community Eligibility" option. (See the Eye on Policy column in the March 2, 2015 issue of On Board.)
While some schools have a "dean of attendance," Schenectady has a "dean of engagement" with the mission of connecting with chronically absent students and their families. Spring said these students need to know that someone cares when they did not show up and wants to help when they struggle with homework or have trouble at home. Also, the district is working on opening a health clinic.
In Rochester, the city school district partnered with the Partners + Napier, the United Way of Greater Rochester, and other community organizations to use marketing to grab the attention of parents and families to emphasize the importance of attendance.
A research group called Attendance Works serves as a clearinghouse of information on addressing the problem of chronic absenteeism. On its website, it touts interventions that are supported by research.
According to Attendance Works, schools should:
- Focus on ninth-graders. "Researchers found that attendance in this pivotal transition year was a key indicator of whether students would finish high school."
- Focus on middle school. "Researchers found that students who improve their attendance during the middle grade years have better outcomes in high school than those who simply improve their test scores, even when the students start out at the same level."
- Use mentors and monitors. Johns Hopkins University researchers found evidence of positive results of a mentoring program in New York City under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
- Engage families. A study by the University of California at Berkeley found that personalized messages mailed to parents of at-risk students reduced chronic absenteeism by 10 percent.
For more information, see www.attendanceworks.org/research/evidence-based-solutions /.