Overview

1. OACAS Conference 2014“EVERY SCHOOL DAY COUNTS”PROBLEMATIC STUDENT ABSENTEEISM IN ONTARIOANTHONY DI LENA-PROVINCIAL SCHOOL ATTENDANCE COUNSELLORJUNE 4, 2014

2. Overview • Purpose • Key Messages • Overview of the Education Act regarding Compulsory Attendance • Current requirements on Enrolment • Defining Chronic Absenteeism • Effective practices, obstacles and enables • Possible Solutions • Questions

3. Purpose of this Study • Review current research • Define Problematic Student Absenteeism • Identify problems of practice and effective practices current being used in our schools. • Identify strategies to engage and students with significant attendance issues • Provide findings and recommendations to the Ministry

4. Key Messages Early referral enables school administrators and supporting professional staff to determine and deal with the underlying cause(s) of the attendance problem before it becomes an ingrained behaviour and jointly establish a plan of action with students, family and school.  When it has advanced to the latter stage it is less likely to be dealt with successfully.

5. Key Messages • Early identification of school attendance issues is as crucial to a child’s progress as is early identification of learning difficulties. School attendance is an issue that concerns everyone involved in a child’s education: Parents/Guardians, Teachers, Principals, Administrators Attendance Counsellors, Social Workers and Community Agencies.

6. Key Messages • When irregular student attendance is identified by school personnel, parents/guardian or a community member, helpful intervention by school staff at an early stage is most beneficial to the child, parent and the school.

7. Why is every school day important? • Students are more likely to succeed in school when they attend consistently. • Successful schools begin by engaging students and making sure they come to school regularly.

8. Why does every school day count? “If children aren’t in school, they don’t learn. Improving school attendance improves success in school.” Charles Bruner, Anne Discher, Hedy Change Attendance Works – November 2011

9. Every School Day Counts “On any given school day there is on average between 5 and 10 per cent student absenteeism in some Ontario schools.” Data released from 7 District School Boards to A. Di Lena March 2014

10. Every School Day Counts “McMaster University study shows being born later in the year and absenteeism are linked to poor academic performance.” Kristin Ruskowy, Toronto Star, Feb. 4, 2014

11. Overview of the Education Act • Under the Education Act, school attendance is compulsory from the age of 6 until the age of 18. [Section 21 (1)] • Under Sec.21(2) deals with when attendance at school is excused. • If the person is receiving satisfactory instruction at home or elsewhere • If the person is unable to attend school by reason of sickness or other unavoidable cause • Transportation is not provided by a board for the person • If a person has obtained a secondary graduation diploma or has completed a course that gives equivalent standing • If the person is absent from school for receiving instruction in music and the period of absences does not exceed one-half day per week • If the person is suspended or expelled from attendance at school • If a person is excused on a day regarded as a holy day by the church or religious denomination to which he or she belongs

12. Overview of the Education Act • Section 30 deals with the prosecution for non-attendance at school dealing with: • Liability of parent and guardian • Bonds for attendance • Employment during school hours • Habitually absent from school • Offences by Corporations

13. Current Requirements on Enrolment • Subsection 265(1)(c) of the Act deals with the Maintenance of the Register and the Retention of Pupil Enrolment records. • Subsection 8.1(8) deals with the Collection of Data

14. Defining Chronic Absenteeism Chronic absenteeism is defined in most current research and in other jurisdictional scans as: “ any student/pupil who has missed 10% or more of school days for any reason, including unexcused or excused absences, over an academic year.”

15. Board Questionnaires • What protocols does the board have in place to communicate to parents, students and the community at large that “Every school day counts and attendance is important”? • Are your protocols effective?  Would you be willing to share your effective and innovative practices? • Do you have data to demonstrate the effectiveness? • What role does your school administration play in dealing with problematic absenteeism?  Are other school staff involved and what is their role? • What do you see as the greatest obstacle facing your students that would prevent them from attending school regularly in your board?    • Do you know what the common barriers are? • Is there a PD plan at the board level to support teachers, VP’s and P’s in dealing with attendance issues? • How has the board engaged both internal and external stakeholders in reviewing the data and identifying solutions? • Has the board ever set goals to improve attendance as part of your strategic planning? If yes, has the board achieved the goal?  If not, why? • What resources, if available would assist your board?

16. Board Responses • Limited protocols in place, few resources, printed materials for distribution a significant proportion of the protocols were reactive rather than proactive. • Limited evidence of impact or effectiveness. Some success when some protocols, if in place are continually reinforced. • Only 2 of the 5 boards have data to support effectiveness • Varies from school to school, some administrators take the lead, others delegate. Some have school teams in place (as part of Student Success Teams at secondary). In elementary, the responsibility with classroom teacher to call home but some boards are experiencing some opposition with Collective Agreements regarding teachers doing this. • Parents enabling their children not to attend and/or have little value in education. Generational non-attenders, mental health and additions, family stress/conflict, pediculosis (lice), academic challenges.

17. Board Responses • None of any significance. • None of any significance at this time. • Only one board is looking at this as a possibility for 2014-15. • A provincial initiative on the importance of school attendance, access to some SS monies for elementary rather than secondary, better IT and data collection strategies, targeted funding for pilots for boards wanting to address chronic absenteeism. • Having accurate attendance records, lack of effective alternatives or options in some areas of the province, waist lists for external and internal services, timely access to treatment centres, lack of parental involvement, the court system.

18. Obstacles • Parents enabling their children not to attend and/or have little value in education. • Generational non-attenders, • Mental health and addictions. • Family stress/conflict • Academic challenges • Lack of external supports

19. Effective practices • Identify attendance as a area of strategic importance and planning. • Communicate to students • Develop attendance goals at grade, school and board • Gathering and providing data to administrators and staff dealing with any attendance. • Offering professional development • Collaborating with community partners • Celebrating improvements • Recognition of students

20. Current Data Collection and Possible changes in usage • The Ministry currently only collects data from the elementary provincial report cards. • Secondary data on attendance is not collected from the same source.

21. Possible Solutions • Gathering data – determine the extent to which chronic absence is a problem in a particular grade, school or board. • Asking Why – Finding out why students are missing school and identifying common barriers to attendance. • Build Capacity – Use training and professional development to create effective tools and deepen understanding on how to improve school attendance. • Engage all stakeholders, internal and external. • Set targets

22. Other Considerations • Role of Ministry - Leveraging investments from the Mental Health Strategy and Accepting Schools to strengthen attendance. - Look at the possibility of changing and revising attendance policy guidelines. - Promotional “fact sheets” on attendance for parents. • Role of School Boards - Raise awareness of school board staff through the Mental Health Strategy with a emphasis on attendance. • Role of Schools-Encourage administrators to find out from their students the factors affecting attendance. • Classroom Teachers- Stressing the importance of accurate attendance recordkeeping. • Student Recognition

23. Questions and Feedback.

24. Thank you.Anthony Di LenaProvincial School Attendance CounsellorMinistry of Education416.325.1958tony.dilena@ontario.ca