1 Perfectly Punctual Campaign A Strategy to Abate Chronic Absenteeism Louise W. Wiener Learning and Leadership in Families In partnership with Hedy Chang Multnomah County Linkages, February 2011

________________________________________ Director, Hedy Chang,

The 3 As School Success Framework Attendance Every Day Achievement Every Year Attainment Over Time Developed by Annie E Casey Foundation & America’s Promise Alliance For more info go to

Chronic Absence: missing 10% or more of school over an academic year for any reason. Research shows 10% is associated with declining academic performance. No standard definition exists. Severe Chronic Absence: missing 20% or more of school over an academic year for any reason. Satisfactory Attendance: missing 5% or less over an academic year for any reason. Truancy: typically refers only to unexcused absences. Average Daily Attendance: the percent of enrolled students who attend school each day.

Among poor children, chronic absence in kindergarten predicted lower 5 th grade achievement. Source: Chang & Romero, 2008 Chronic K Absence Can Affect 5 th Grade Achievement 5 5

Reducing Elementary Chronic Absence Key To Graduation K & 1 st grade can reduce the achievement gap between low and high SES students, but only if they attend school regularly. (Ready 2010) A study of California students who tested college ready in 11 grade found 96% were proficient in math and 86% in English by 4 th grade.

Characteristics of Effective Strategies Partner with community agencies to help parents carry out their responsibility to get children to school. Make attendance a priority, set targets and monitor progress over time Examine factors contributing to chronic absence, especially from parent and student perspectives. Clearly communicate expectations to parents. Begin early, ideally in Pre-K. Combine universal and targeted strategies. Offer positive supports before punitive action. Source: Present, Engaged & Accounted For Schools + Communities CAN Make a Difference 7

A Comprehensive Programmatic Response 8

What Do We Know About Multnomah County?

Chronic Early Absence is a Significant Problem in Multnomah County Over 1 out of 5 in K-3 are chronically absent.

African American & American Indian/ AK Native Students Most Affected

Higher Poverty Correlates with Chronic Absence

13 Perfectly Punctual Campaign On-Time On-Target for Success A Strategy to Reduce Chronic Absenteeism Louise W. Wiener, President ww.LLFinc.orgww.LLFinc.org

14 Acknowledge attendance challenges Underscore punctuality as a value A Family Engagement Approach to Attendance Issues in Pre-K, 1st grade Honor parents Perfectly Punctual Campaign (PPC)

15 PPC History and Research Base Concept developed in partnership with major union Tested in 2 elementary schools in DC Revised in collaboration with Attendance Works National survey of professionals in partnership with National Head Start Association. March 2009 Local surveys of parents and professionals Baltimore agencies May 2010

16 Purpose of the Day Explain the Perfectly Punctual Campaign in the context of Chronic Absenteeism Exchange ideas Develop a team in Multnomah County to test PPC as an early education strategy to reduce chronic absenteeism.

17 Tardiness in Head Start is widespread Source: LLF / NHSA survey, March 2009

18 Parent influence on young child’s punctuality Source: LLF / NHSA survey, March 2009

19 Parent Awareness of Influence of Punctuality on Academics Source: LLF / Morgan State University Head Start survey, May 2010

20 High Quality Engaging Educational Program Attendance Incentives Early outreach & case management to families with poor attendance Coordinated public agency and legal crisis response Quality Early Care and Education Experiences Family Engagement in School Access to Preventative Health Care Parent Education & Peer Support Addressing the Base of Attendance Pyramid Family engagement reduces need for remediation Source: Attendance Works

21 Actions to Support PPC Gather baseline attitude and attendance data. Collect, analyze, and use daily punctuality and attendance data supportively. Create multiple forms of school-wide recognition for children, for parents, for families, and for staff.

22 Shift in Attitudes Professionals and Parents Tardiness as irritant Tardiness as warning sign On-Time attendance Key to children’s success in school

23 Logistics of Related Strategies Absence Strategy Every absence – excused and unexcused – counts. Focus is number of days in class. Punctuality Strategy Only arrival time on days present counts. Focus is on-time arrival.

24 Core PPC Campaign Strategies Weekly reminder / weekly fresh start Public Awareness / Public Value Two Generation / Community Engagement

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27 School wide playful parent-child learning activities Families explore new ways to support children’s learning Through creative out-of-school time programs.

28 Honoring parents for getting their children to school on time Positive Reinforcement Encourages New Habits during school-wide activities reinforces a welcoming community.

29 Ongoing Visibility School-wide Integration of On-Time Attendance Awareness into programs and newsletters PPC Bulletin board prominently displayed at school with photos of children, families and special events Community Engagement Tee shirts for students, staff, participating businesses Peer “swaps” to share responsibilities.

30 Starting a Campaign Checklist assessment of current activities Workshop for professionals and/or parents Surveys of Professionals and Parents Development of Community Advisory Board

31 Categories of Expenses Research Related Costs Development / analysis of baseline information Training and On-going Technical Assistance Licenses for materials Operational costs Personnel: Data Collection Management of Bulletin Board Printing: Photographs, certificates, scorecards, tallies Celebration costs – food, materials, program leadership

32 PPC Funding Strategy Develop a team and proposal for funding Launch: Start of school Fall 2011 Incorporate into summer professional development Materials for families at registration, orientation, etc

33 Community Leadership Team Vested Interests and Capacity Businesses: Improve on-time attendance within ranks Unions : diminish job terminations Arts : Access to hard-to-reach communities Political and civic: Importance of schools to health of community

34 Assembling the Multnomah Team: Commit to Team: Contact May Cha Additional Questions: Contact Louise Wiener Launching the Perfectly Punctual Campaign