1. How Can We Address Chronic Absence?

2. 2 Unpack contributing factors to chronic absence Myths Absences are only a problem if they are unexcused Sporadic versus consecutive absences aren’t a problem Attendance only matters in the older grades Barriers Lack of access to health or dental care Poor Transportation Trauma No safe path to school Homelessness Aversion Child struggling academically or socially Bullying Ineffective school discipline Parents had negative school experience Undiagnosed disability Disengagement Lack of engaging and relevant instruction No meaningful relationships with adults in school Vulnerable to being with peers out of school vs. in school Poor school climate

3. 3 Recognize that Going to School Reflects When Families and Youth Have Capacity Resources, skills, knowledge needed to get to school Hope for a better future Faith that school will help you or your child succeed

4. 4 Pair Share Think about a student who was chronically absent in your school: What were the reasons driving his or her absences? What did you do that helped improve the student’s attendance?

5. 5 Recommended Site-Level Strategies A. Recognize Good and Improved Attendance B. Engage Students and Parents D. Provide Personalized Early Outreach C. Monitor Attendance Data and Practice E. Develop Programmatic Response to Barriers

6. 6 Key Role of the Principal 1.Cultivate a culture of attendance 2.Use chronic absence data to determine need for additional supports 3.Develop staff capacity to adopt effective attendance practices 4.Advocate for resources and policies to improve attendance http://www.attendanceworks.org/tools/schools/principals/

7. 7 Take a Team Approach Attendance teams could be drawn from an existing structure or established for this purpose. They should include a Principal (or vice principal) and, ideally, the following: social worker, nurse, or counselor attendance clerk parent liaison teacher lead community based organization/partner(s) offering support that engage students or parents or address an attendance barrier (Tip: Consider designating a staff person to facilitate the meetings as well as a note taker)

8. 8 Attendance Teams Should be action-oriented Use data to understand which sub-populations of students are most affected and what are trends over time Identify and mobilize school and community resources to address identified needs Ensure needs of individual students with poor attendance are being addressed Attendance Teams best practices sources: Attendance Works, Children’s Aid Society, the Children’s Initiative, the Baltimore Education Research Consortium, and the Baltimore Student Attendance Campaign

9. 9 Pull Together Your Team! Does your school have an attendance team? Who are the members? Who else should be invited? Implications for action? What are the challenges your students and families face? Does your school have a team that uses attendance data (qualitative and quantitative) to develop tiered strategies of support to address and reduce chronic absence?

10. 10 Who is on your “A” team? 1.Principal 2. 3. 4.

11. 11 Attendance Teams Look for Patterns in Data They see the BIG PICTURE: Trends Over Time By Grade Sub-groups

12. 12 Attendance Teams Also Enable Others to Focus on Individuals They use data to identify individual students who are headed off-track and provide resources and supports (see Tiered interventions) to help them get to school every day.

13. 13 Team Discussion What attendance data do we have access to? What does it tell us about which students are missing too many days? How often do we review it? What do we look for? How do the data help us take action to address student absences?

14. 14 Invest in Prevention and Early Intervention

15. 15 Pyramid worksheet

16. 16 Tier 1: Family and Youth Engagement Strategies Tier 1 Family and youth engagement strategies powerful enough to get them to successfully partner with the school for academic success without any further intervention. Who needs Tier 1? All students in your school Families of all students enrolled in your school For whom is Tier 1 sufficient? Families who partner with the school Youth who have had good experiences with school in the past Families who have had good experiences with school in the past

17. 17 Tier 1: Creating a positive, engaging school climate that supports attendance Attendance is higher when schools: Promote a sense of belonging and connection including noticing when students show up Make learning engaging so students don’t want to miss class Engage in restorative practice not punishment Meet the basic needs of our most economically challenged families so all have the opportunity to get to school Build awareness about how absences can easily add up to too much time lost in the classroom

18. 18 Teaching and Learning EnvironmentSafetyRelationships School Climate and Culture

19. 19 Establishing Attendance Expectations

20. 20 Creating a Culture of Attendance through Recognition Attendance Data Wall Orchard Gardens, City Year Boston VIP Lounge Collins High School, City Year Chicago

21. 21 School Based Health Supports

22. 22 Student Advisories

23. 23 School Breakfast

24. 24 Parents underestimate the number of year-end absences Ad Council research commissioned by the CA Attorney General asked parents with students with a history of absence about their children’s absences in two ways: 1.Was your child absent an average of 2 or more days a month? 2.Was your child absent more than 10 days over the year? 60% of parents said their child was absent an average of 2+ days a month, but not 10+ days a year The math: If a child is absent an average of 2+ days a month, then he/she is absent far more than 10+ days a year Missed 10+ days annually 30% Missed an average of 2+ days per month 90%

25. 25 What Teens Think About Attendance Source: Get Schooled National Teen Survey, 2015. https://getschooled.com Get Schooled found the two messages that are most likely to resonate tie attendance into longer term goals: the impact missing school has on life success and the impact missing school has on graduation. The nearer term message of high school graduation is more likely to resonate with middle school students.

26. 26 Self-Reflection 1.In what ways does your school currently communicate with parents about absenteeism? 2.In what ways does your school currently communicate with students about absenteeism? 3.How might the communication be inadvertently reinforcing absenteeism? 4.How can your school improve messaging? How would you involve students in that effort?

27. 27 Schools inadvertently reinforce some absence- causing beliefs Reinforce Attendance Class rewards for good attendance (e.g. popcorn or ice cream parties) Individual recognition for students with good attendance Reinforce Absenteeism Impersonal letters Teachers send work home in response to absences Teachers do not address absenteeism issue with the parent Parents do not feel their child is safe in school High levels of absenteeism in the class Big motivators for kids, but not for parents Reinforces parents’ existing attitudes & behaviors Impersonal Letters: Easy to disregard Many parents felt the school miscounted—but parents couldn’t verify because they weren’t tracking absences Many parents felt that the school didn’t understand them Sending Work Home: Parents thought that completing a makeup packet caught their child up for the missed day’s work Teachers Not Addressing Absenteeism: Most parents reported that they regularly communicate with their children’s teacher, but never about absences

28. 28 Parent Video & Discussion Guide Bringing Attendance Home Video (6 minutes) Facilitated conversation The consequences of chronic absence How to improve absenteeism Family practice Increase social capital Identify how school can help Community services http://www.attendanceworks.org/tools/for-parents/bringing-attendance-home-video

29. 29 Engage Students with Developing Messaging

30. 30 Help families and students monitor absences and make back-up plans

31. 31 What Tier 1 Strategies Will Your School Use?

32. 32 Tier 2 Interventions Tier 2 Targeted interventions that remove identified barriers and increase positive connections that motivate improved attendance. Who are the families and students in Tier 2? Students who are chronically absent the prior or current school year for any reason. Families or youth experiencing some challenge e.g. chronic disease, job loss, divorce, etc. For whom is Tier 2 sufficient? Families and youth with barriers to school attendance who may not understand how to access support. Families who see school as “the deliverer of bad news.” Families and youth who are more successful when there is a positive relationship with someone at the school.

33. 33 Criteria for Identifying Priority Students for Tier 2 Supports Chronic absence (missed 15 days or more of school) in the prior year And/or starting in the beginning of the school year, student has: In first 2 weeks In first month (4 weeks) In first 2 months (8 weeks) 2 absences 2-3 absences 4 absences Missing 10% any time after

34. 34 The first month of school predicts chronic absence Baltimore students who missed 2-4 days of school in September were 5 times as likely to be chronically absent. Students who missed 5 or more days of school in September were 16 times as likely to be chronically absent.

35. 35 Data Dive How many students missed more than 8.5% of the school year last year? Your school: ______ Number of Chronically Absent Students What response is sufficient? 30 or FewerA School Support Team can lead the effort 50 or MoreTeachers need to play a critical role Over 100Community partners are needed to provide additional person power Source: Everyone Graduates Center, Johns Hopkins University

36. 36 Possible Tier 2 Interventions Positive Linkages and Engagement for Students and Families Assign caring mentors Partner with families/students to develop Student Attendance Success Plan Recruit for engaging before-or- after-school activities Connect to Walk- to-School Companion Offer plan or contacts for health support

37. 37 What makes the success mentor model powerful? Evidence of impact Clear and measurable outcomes An enabler of multiple school improvement efforts Cost effective – can be largely driven through existing resources Can be continually improved Focuses on student strengths

38. 38 CONNECT WITH MENTOR CHRONICALLY ABSENT STUDENT What does a Success Mentor do?

39. 39 Who can be a mentor? Within a school: Caring adults such as the principal, teachers, nurses, counselors and other support staff Community: AmeriCorps members, respected elders such as aunties or uncles, after-school providers

40. 40 Caring Conversations You notice that John, a 7 th grader who is normally one of the most talkative and excited students in class seems withdrawn. He hasn’t been working on his projects, he’s picking fights with other students, and he seems checked out and angry. Over the past few weeks, he hasn’t shown up regularly and you hear from his teachers that he’s been missing a lot of school. He hasn’t been receptive when you’ve asked him if he’s okay and you think you should talk to his mother. How do you approach her?

41. 41 Caring Conversations Exercise Small Group Activity: Form a group of 3 people Assign roles: one person is the staff person /teacher one is the parent or caregiver one observes Role play for 5 minutes.

42. 42 What might educators and community partners say to families? 01 Learn about the student’s family. Ask what their vision is for their child’s future. What are their hopes and dreams for them? 02 03 04 05 Learn Share Inform Discuss Arrive at a Plan Share positive things you’ve observed about the student. Share your own vision for student learning & development, including helping put students on a pathway to success by encouraging a habit of good attendance. Review attendance report with parents. Tailor conversation to student’s level of absenteeism & inform parents of possible impacts of missing school. Connect attendance to parents’ hopes and dreams for their child. Discuss the challenges parents face in getting their children to school, as well as strengths they can build upon. For chronically absent students, try to understand the barriers that are keeping their children from school. Think through strategies with parents for addressing absences and help them develop an attendance improvement plan. Offer referrals to services as needed and ask if there are other ways you can help.

43. 43 Help families and youth make back-up plans There are two versions of the Attendance Success Plan: one to use with parents and guardians and one to use with youth. http://www.attendanceworks.org/tools/for- parents/student-success-plan-facilitator-handout/

44. 44 Caring Conversation Debrief For the person playing the parent or caregiver: How did you feel at the beginning when the staff person approached you about your child’s attendance? How did you feel at the end of the conversation? What was helpful? For the person playing the staff person: What did you learn about effective conversations about attendance? How can you prepare more for the next conversation? For the Observer: What did you see the staff person do that you would want to imitate? What alternative approaches can you suggest?

45. 45 What Tier 2 Strategies Will You Use?

46. 46 Tier 3 Interventions Tier 3 Tier 3 provides intensive interventions, often from multiple agencies or specialists within a school district or community. Who are the families and youth in Tier 3? Students missing 20% or more of the prior or current school year for any reason. Already involved in another system (child welfare, juvenile or criminal justice). For which families and youth is Tier 3 sufficient? Families who feel hopeless because of the barriers they face. Families who are unable to experience success without intervention. Families who have a negative relationship with school. Families who require ongoing support for sustained success.

47. 47 Who can help families in Tier 3? Community schools Head Start family liaisons School integrated service teams Family resource centers McKinney Vento representatives Public agencies Who would you add to this list?

48. 48 Students & Families Schools Actionable Data Positive Engagement Capacity Building Shared Accountability Actionable Data: Is accurate, accessible, and regularly reported in an understandable format. Actionable Data: Is accurate, accessible, and regularly reported in an understandable format. Capacity Building Expands ability to work together to interpret data, engage in problem solving, and adopt best practices to improve attendance. Positive Engagement: Uses caring relationships, effective messaging and a positive school climate to motivate daily attendance. Positive Engagement: Uses caring relationships, effective messaging and a positive school climate to motivate daily attendance. Shared Accountability : Ensures chronic absence is monitoring & reinforced by policy Shared Accountability : Ensures chronic absence is monitoring & reinforced by policy Community District Strategic partnerships between district and community partners address specific attendance barriers and mobilize support for all ingredients Strategic partnerships between district and community partners address specific attendance barriers and mobilize support for all ingredients Take a Data Driven Systemic Approach