Attendance Turnaround Team Coaching Model Supporting schools and community to improve low student attendance

Connecting with Community Table of Contents Background Information Creating effective partnerships Rethinking roles The campaigns The first steps for the Governance Group

Background Information The Coaching Framework to Improve Chronic Student Attendance The framework was developed after conducting: 1.State wide scan of successful school attendance plans 2.Literary search of current research around improving student attendance 3.Action research in four schools in Queensland

Creating Effective Partnerships The framework demands that school and community work together in respectful collaborative partnership through a Governance Group to develop action plans that focus on changing current practices to improve chronic student attendance. Strategies include: intentionally consulting with students, staff, families and community members to develop a shared vision identifying key advocates and stakeholders to drive the change communicating findings openly with the school community acknowledging the process of change takes time modelling positive responses to the changes

Rethinking Roles School Leaders to commit and accept accountability for: ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives are woven into the fabric of the school environment implementing positive collective actions developing mechanisms to combat negativity

Rethinking Roles School staff members to: be ready to effectively teach students who are/have been previously disengaged using innovative strategies commit to consolidate partnerships with streamlined services who deliver support to students and their families demonstrate a high level of respect and recognition of everyone’s culture

Rethinking Roles Service providers and community members to streamline and enhance programs that: build resilience and improve social and emotional well-being beyond the school gate build school and community capacity to empower students to take control of their own future, engage and work with others and live a useful productive life support parents to nurture their young children

Rethinking Roles School and Community Governance Group School, community and family leaders to work together to implement recommendations by creating focussed high profile campaigns to improve student attendance

The Campaigns Phase 1: Improving Student Attendance 1.Gain agreement across the community about the best way forward with regard to improving student attendance 2.Identify and build strong school and community leadership to drive the implementation of the School and Community Attendance Improvement Plan 3.Motivate students to attend school and engage in learning everyday 4.Embed a deep level of respect for and acknowledgement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and cultures

The Campaigns Phase 2: Improving Student Engagement 1.Implement proactive strategies to ensure a safe, welcoming school learning environment 2.Make pedagogical and curriculum changes that will improve educational opportunities for students with the goal to halve the gap in reading, writing and numeracy

The Campaigns Phase 3: Improving Student Retention Create engaging aspirational pathways that lead to higher education, training or employment

The first steps for the Governance Group 1.Identify a whole of community process/approach that will ensure commitment to reforming and turning the school around from low performing to high performing 2.Build leadership capacity to enact and maintain changes in the school community 3.Consult and evaluate available feedback before making changes 4.Introduce memorandums of understanding with key agencies as well as school and student/family contracts 5.Validate the new changes with ongoing evaluation and open accountability mechanisms