Attendance Matters-Why and How to Collaborate with All Stakeholders to Improve Student Attendance Yolanda Goodpaster, District Attendance officer Rebecca McPherson--Elementary Assistant Principal Amanda Kester--Morgan County Deputy Prosecutor

Why Attendance Matters Absenteeism in the first month of school can predict poor attendance throughout the school year. Half the students who miss 2-4 days in September go on to miss nearly a month of school Absenteeism and its ill effects start early. One in 10 kindergarten and first grade students are chronically absent. Poor attendance can influence whether children read proficiently by the end of third grade or be held back. By 6th grade, chronic absence becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school. Research shows that missing 10 percent of the school, or about 18 days in most school districts, negatively affects a student’s academic performance. That’s just two days a month and that’s known as chronic absence. Low-income students are four times more likely to be chronically absent than others often for reasons beyond their control, such as unstable housing, unreliable transportation and a lack of access to health care. Attendance improves when schools engage students and parents in positive ways and when schools provide mentors for chronically absent students. Most school districts and states don’t look at all the right data to improve school attendance. They track how many students show up every day and how many are skipping school without an excuse, but not how many are missing so many days in excused and unexcused absence that they are headed off track academically

Stakeholders School--administrators, teachers, attendance officer, guidance counselors Parents/guardians--when split families all are included Student(s) Prosecutor’s office Community Partnerships

Partnerships 1) Home visits-- Checking on student Picking up a student Meeting with parents due to lack of transportation Doing Wellness checks Following our policy an officer and/or another staff member accompanies the attendance officer when making home visits.

Partnerships 2) Positive Reward system Quarterly rewards are given to the classes with the highest attendance rating - this helps the students to hold each other accountable for being at school every day The administrator goes into those classrooms and holds a discussion about school attendance and why it is important Reward systems can also be created on an individual level as an intervention (this would work more for older students)

Partnerships 3) School contact person(s) for families One Sensible Solution Works with parents and families Centerstone Holds trainings Provides counseling services

Partnerships 5) Workshop for family Centerstone in Morgan County Day training for entire family Popkin, Michael, Bettie Young, Jane Healy. Parents on Board Helping Your Child Succeed in School: A Guide for Parents of Children Ages 4-14. (1995)

Partnerships 6) On site Attendance Officer Allows easier Truancy pick up Attends Planned or unexpected parent meetings Allows access to student management system

Partnerships 7) Legal Gives guidance on attendance issues Provides accountability Gives us a backbone so we’re not “blowing smoke” Maintains higher attendance rate since legal action

Attendance Process Streamlined attendance process K-12 Teacher training Summer letters Attendance letters sent 6-letter sent 9--letter, meeting/attendance contract (parent, child, admin) 12--letter, legal notice, meeting (parent, child, admin, attendance officer)

Legal Process What’s needed: Sample Affidavit Types of Information Types of Evidence How to gather and preserve information

Contact Information Yolanda Goodpaster, Monroe-Gregg Schools Attendance Officer ygoodpaster@m-gsd.org 317.996.2259 ext. 2302 Rebecca McPherson, Monrovia Elementary Assistant Principal rmcpherson@m-gsd.org 317.996.2246 ext. 4003 Amanda Kester, Morgan County Deputy Prosecutor