Improving School Attendance

1. Improving School Attendance Instructional Leadership EDL 7710 Tom Alverson Pam Davis Ken Fagin

2. OBJECTIVE: How to improve student attendance at a local school • PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS: • Why are students absent? • Why do students leave early? • Why are students tardy? • What can be done? • Who is accountable?

3. Research Problem • Students at Sample School A are having major difficulties attending school. In a single school year, approximately 32% of Sample School’s 2,016 students missed at least fifteen days of school.

4. Sample School Absence Percentages for 2005-2006

5. Three Major Problems

6. Sample School Attendance Goal for 2006 - 2007 • Students should not miss more than ten (10) days of school this school year five per semester for grades 9 through 12. How The more people know about the efforts to increase student attendance the more successful the efforts will be. School system will develop a plan of action that will include Administrators, Teachers, Counselors, parents and Social Worker . Who

7. Student Advisement Teacher’s Duties Step One Student advisement teachers will develop and implement student attendance incentive programs to support and encourage good daily school attendance. Step Two Students who had 15 or absences during the previous school year will receive additional notation on their letters that will include the number of absences the student had during the previous year and encouraging better attendance during the current year.

8. Student Advisement Teacher’s Duties Step Three The student advisement teacher will use the Home Room Attendance Grid Report (example1) daily to monitor classroom attendance. Step Four The student advisement teacher use the Three or More Unexcused Absence report (example2) to check class room attendance and will contact the parent/guardian, for the students on this list.

11. Student Advisement Teacher’s Duties Step Five The student advisement teacher will check the Five or More Unexcused Absences repot (example3) for any student that has more than four unexcused absences. For any student on this list the teacher will send home a formal notification letter that will inform the parent/guardian of the need for improving attendance. The case will then be referred to the Attendance Support Team for review.

13. The Attendance Support Team’s Duties The Attendance Support Team will send a formal letter of notification informing the parent/guardian about the need for improved attendance and the potential consequences that may follow if improvement is not shown. This team will also setup a meeting with the parent/guardian to put in place a written plan to improve attendance.

14. The Attendance Support Team’s Duties • The Attendance Support Team will notify the school Social Worker (SSW) when a student has missed ten unexcused days. • The SSW will send a formal letter of notification to the parents/guardian and may make a personal contact or visit to inquire about the reason for the absences and offer support and encouragement, as well as remind student and parent of possible consequences.

15. School Social Workers Approaches Positive Appropriate Monitoring Attendance Parents will have up to the minute updates of whether their child is in school or not through the use of a parent service called Attendance Viewer. Parents can view this on the local board of education website. Negative Appropriate Monitoring Attendance If these efforts do not result in improved attendance the school Social Worker may file a truancy petition with the Juvenile Court or may request that the student’s case be diverted from a formal hearing into the Truancy Intervention Program or a similar diversion program.