The Cleveland Campaign for Grade Level Reading Attendance Toolkit ...

The Cleveland Campaign for Grade Level Reading Attendance Toolkit for Community Organizations A partnership of United Way of Greater Cleveland and The Literacy Cooperative

The Cleveland Campaign for Grade Level Reading is a collaborative effort by United Way of Greater Cleveland, The Literacy Cooperative, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) and community organizations to ensure that children in CMSD succeed in school and graduate prepared for college, a career and active citizenship. The Campaign focuses on the most important predictor of school success and high school graduation—grade-level reading by the end of third grade. There are widespread challenges to students’ reading success including school readiness, summer learning loss and chronic absence. The Campaign serves to address these obstacles beginning with chronic absence, defined as missing 11 days or more of excused and unexcused absences, based on CMSD’s Target 11 initiative. Research shows that one in ten kindergarten and first grade students misses nearly one month of school each year. Chronic absences in the early years rob students of the time they need to develop literacy skills. Two-thirds of U.S. fourth graders are not proficient readers, according to national reading assessment data. This disturbing statistic is made even worse by the fact that more than four out of every five lowincome students miss this critical milestone. The Campaign is based on the belief that schools cannot succeed alone. Engaged communities mobilized to remove barriers, expand opportunities, and assist parents in fulfilling their roles and responsibilities to serve as full partners in the success of their children are needed to assure student success. This packet includes a myriad of ways community organizations can support efforts around the importance of attendance and its role in academic achievement beginning with recognizing September as Attendance Awareness Month. We will be highlighting the efforts of our partners to make this Campaign a success. Tell us what you’ve done so we can highlight you! Email them to [email protected].

In School, On Time, Every Day!

Getting Started The Attendance Works website has a wide range of materials and tools to help your organization support Attendance Awareness Month. Below you will find a few quick and easy links to get your organization started:     

     

Become part of the national effort and post your attendance activities to the Attendance Awareness Month map at http://www.attendanceworks.org/attendancemonth/aa-map/ and share your event details. Download an attendance infographic and post on your website or link to your Twitter account at http://www.attendanceworks.org/attendancemonth/get-involved-attendancemonth-downloads/ Follow and mention @LiteracyCoop and @AttendanceWorks on Twitter. Use #SchoolEveryDay, #attendance and/or #ChronicAbsence along with #literacy hashtags on Twitter to ensure your tweets are part of the conversation. Show your support by downloading a badge and attaching it to your email signature, your Facebook posts or your organization’s website at http://www.attendanceworks.org/attendancemonth/get-involved-attendance-monthdownloads/ Help schools to secure attendance incentives in the form of gift certificates to use during the school year. Be creative! Offer a free class at your center or a parent/child field trip. Place posters promoting attendance in high traffic areas in your community including local businesses, barber shops, banks, grocery stores, hair salons, fast food restaurants, places of worship and pediatrician offices. Find grassroots activities and complete resources in the full campaign toolkit that can be downloaded at http://www.attendanceworks.org/attendancemonth/count-us-in-toolkit/ On Facebook, “LIKE” The Literacy Cooperative and the Attendance Works page. Sign up for ongoing Attendance Awareness Month updates at http://www.attendanceworks.org/attendancemonth/sign-up-for-national-attendanceawareness-month-updates/ Use social media to spread the message about the importance of attendance by using the daily Facebook posts and daily tweets provided below.


Attendance Awareness Month Sample Facebook posts for each day of September September 1 As we kick off Attendance Awareness Month, we hope you’ll join us in learning more about how to reduce chronic absenteeism in your school district. Common sense and research tell us that for students to learn, they have to come to school. Chronic absenteeism, as defined by CMSD’s Target 11 initiative, is missing 11 school days for any reason – excused and unexcused, including in-school suspensions. Based upon research, it marks the point when students start to fall behind academically because they have missed too many school days. September 2 FACT: Nationally, as many as 7.5 million students nationwide miss 10 percent of the school year in excused and unexcused absences every year. That’s 135 million days of school. September 3 If you think one day out of school is just one day out of school, think again! The days add up quickly. Our friends at the Get Schooled website have developed an “Attendance Count Calender,” which you can use to see the effect of missing school based on the number of days you are out. The results just might surprise you! Give it a try at https://getschooled.com/attendance-counts September 4 It’s Attendance Awareness Month! Fact: Every 26 seconds, a student drops out of school. By 9th grade, missing 20 percent of the school year is a better predictor of dropping out than test scores. Ending the high school dropout crisis is an urgent priority! Find out how you can help with the America’s Promise Alliance! September 5 Fact: Chronic absence in kindergarten is associated with lower academic performance in 1st grade, especially in reading for Latino students. For poor children, unable to make up for time on task, the poor performance extended through 5th grade. By 6th grade chronic absence is a clear predictor of drop-out. Learn more about reducing chronic absence at the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading! In School, On Time, Every Day!

September 6 Principals in middle and high schools can provide the leadership needed to address chronic absenteeism by pursuing the three Rs: Reach down. Reach out. Reach up. Learn more here: http://www.nassp.org/tabid/3788/default.aspx?topic=A_Focus_on_Attendance_Is_Key_to_Succ ess September 7 Too often chronic absence remains a hidden problem because schools track only average daily attendance and truancy (unexcused absences.) The research shows that c hronic absence predicts lower 3rd grade reading proficiency, course failure and eventual dropout. Learn more at the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading! September 8 City Year corps members stress the importance of daily school attendance, calling absent students at home when they don’t show up. They also make coming to school fun with morning cheers as students arrive. City Year is working with the Diplomas Now program to help more kids graduate on time. Learn more about City Year and Diplomas Now in this video. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/american-graduate/july-dec12/diplomas_12-06.html September 9 In the words of Magic Johnson, “School is why I made it big time.” In this video Magic urges parents and kids to make it a priority to attend school each day. “School is your best shot at a better life. … Don’t drop the ball. Pick it up, run hard. … Every student, every day!” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C24aoX7U-d8&feature=related September 10 Chronic absence can affect all of our children, not just those missing school. If significant numbers of students in a classroom or school are chronically absent, learning for all students can be adversely affected. The pace of instruction slows down when teachers have to spend time reviewing material for those who missed the lessons in the first place. Learn more about reducing chronic absence in your school here! September 11 Chronic absence is a new way of looking at attendance data. Most schools rely on average attendance rates to tell them how many students typically show up each day. By contrast, chronic absence examines how many students are missing so much school they are at risk. Even a school with 95 percent average attendance rate could have as many as 20 percent of its students chronically absent. Learn more in this report: http://www.attendanceworks.org/wordpress/wpcontent/uploads/2010/04/ChronicAbsence.pdf In School, On Time, Every Day!

September 12 Principal Cliff Hong knew that too many students missed class at his Oakland, Calif., middle school, but it was not until he analyzed the data that he saw the picture clearly. Every day, 50 to 60 Roosevelt Middle School students were absent and as many as 15% of students were missing nearly a month of school every year. Within a year, however, Hong cut his absentee rate in half and saw his school’s standardized test scores climb by 30 scale points. How did he do it? Find out here: http://www.nassp.org/tabid/3788/default.aspx?topic=A_Focus_on_Attendance_Is_Key_to_Succ ess September 13 There are many things we can do to stem chronic absenteeism. For one, we can help families to build the habit of attendance as soon as children start school. While all families want their children to succeed, many don’t realize that regular attendance matters starting as early as kindergarten or even in prekindergarten. We’ll let everyone know that missing 10 percent of school days, or just 2 days every month, can put children at risk. Learn more about reducing chronic absence in your school here! September 14 Reducing chronic absence is a community affair! That means involving parents, government agencies, faith leaders, businesses and community nonprofits to help us build a culture of attendance and offer incentives. Health providers can help us with children who are staying home with chronic asthma or dental problems. Traffic officials and police officers can help us develop safer routes to schools. Businesses and churches can provide needed volunteers. Think about what you can do, and volunteer to help. Learn more here! September 15 Parents can make a HUGE difference! Parents with middle school and high school children, did you know students should miss no more than 18 days of school to stay on track to graduation? Absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school work, dealing with a bully or facing some other potentially serious difficulty. Check out our tips for parents for help with keeping students on track. http://www.attendanceworks.org/tools/for-parents/ September 16 Drive with data! Parents, are you looking for ways to get your community involved in helping your local schools reduce chronic absence? Here are some great ideas to get the ball rolling, including asking your school and district to calculate chronic absence rates and share them with parents, teachers and principals. http://www.attendanceworks.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/AW_HS-flyer_3-1512.pdf September 17 In School, On Time, Every Day!

FACT: One in 10 kindergarten and first grade students nationwide miss nearly a month of school each year. In some cities, the rate is as high as one in four elementary students. In some schools, chronic absence affects 50 percent of all of the students! Learn how to help your community reduce chronic absence at Attendance Works. September 18 In this news report, “Empty Desks: The Effects of Chronic Absenteeism,” highlights the irrefutable fact that chronic absence hits low-income students particularly hard, especially if they don’t have the resources to make up for lost time in the classroom and are more likely to face barriers to getting to school – such as unreliable transportation. Here the full story from WYPR, Baltimore’s NPR affiliate. http://www.wypr.org/news/empty-desks-effects-chronic-absenteeism September 19 Freshmen Facts! In a study of the freshman year of high school, researchers found that attendance in this pivotal transition year was a key indicator of whether students would finish high school. The study, “What Matters for Staying On-track and Graduating in Chicago Public High Schools: A Close Look at Course Grades, Failures, and Attendance in the Freshman Year,” also found that 9th grade attendance was a better predictor of dropout than 8th grade test scores. Learn more here: http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/publications/what-matters-staying-track-andgraduating-chicago-public-schools September 20 Given the role that illness plays in contributing to school absences, health providers and school nurses have an important role in ensuring students do not miss school unnecessarily because of chronic illness or lack of access to health care. What you do can make a big difference in whether students show up for class ready to learn. Here are specific steps that health care providers can take to help reduce chronic absence. http://www.attendanceworks.org/tools/tools-for-healthcare-providers/ September 21 “Like bacteria in a hospital, chronic absenteeism can wreak havoc long before it is discovered.” That’s a quote from a study, “The Importance of Being There: A Report on Absenteeism in the Nation's Public Schools,” which points to the importance of data collection. Only six states track chronic absenteeism: Georgia, Florida, Maryland, Nebraska, Oregon and Rhode Island. Read more here: https://getschooled.com/attendance-counts/report September 22 Chronic absence is easily masked by school attendance statistics, even when average daily attendance appears relatively high. Even in a school with 95% daily attendance, 30% of the student population could be chronically absent. Find out here how that is possible: http://www.nccp.org/publications/pdf/text_837.pdf September 23 In School, On Time, Every Day!

Advocating for better public policy can take a variety of forms, including building awareness of the importance of chronic absence, influencing policy implementation, seeking regulatory change and advancing legislation. Smart policy and implementation can ensure schools and communities collect, monitor and share attendance data. Learn more here: http://www.attendanceworks.org/policy-advocacy/ September 24 Attendance in the early grades is critical to sustaining the school readiness skills that preschool or Head Start programs can help children to develop. In a report, “Attendance in Early Elementary Grades,” we learn that students who arrived at school academically ready to learn – but then missed 10 percent of their kindergarten and first grade years – scored, on average, 60 points below similar students with good attendance on third-grade reading tests. Learn more here: http://www.attendanceworks.org/wordpress/wpcontent/uploads/2010/04/ASR-Mini-Report-Attendance-Readiness-and-Third-Grade-Outcomes7-8-11.pdf September 25 Poor attendance can be a problem for very young children, not just those in secondary schools. National data show one in 10 kindergartners are chronically absent. Research shows children who miss too much school in the early grades are more likely to do worse academically and have poor attendance in later years. Check out this report from the National Center for Children in Poverty: http://www.nccp.org/publications/pub_837.html September 26 Too often, we think of reducing absences as the job of parents or school clerks in the front office. But communities across the country have started to help schools address chronic absence, recognizing that they can build public awareness and leverage resources to address a problem that we can solve. Check out this incredibly helpful resource, “10 Steps Communities Can Take to Reduce Chronic Absence,” here! http://www.attendanceworks.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/10-StepsCommunities-Can-Take-to-Reduce-Chronic-Absence-6-15-12.pdf September 27 A growing body of research reveals the prevalence of chronic absence and its critical role in student achievement. This research also shows that chronic absence can be addressed when school districts, communities, and policymakers work together to monitor the problem and implement solutions that address the underlying causes Learn more here: http://www.attendanceworks.org/wordpress/wpcontent/uploads/2010/04/Chronic-Absence-Research-Summary-1-pager-6-11-12.pdf In School, On Time, Every Day!

September 28 Make children part of the solution to reducing chronic absenteeism. Use incentives and games to encourage children to show up. The Perfectly Punctual Campaign is working with Head Start programs in Baltimore on a strategy that encourages children to fill out attendance cards and honors them weekly for perfect, on-time attendance. Learn more here: http://www.learningandleadership.org/programs/perfectly-punctual-campaign/ September 29 Our best investments in instruction and curriculum won’t matter much if students aren’t in class to benefit from them. We need to ensure that all students are in class regularly so they have an equal opportunity to learn. School leaders can reach out more frequently to families to learn what barriers may be interfering with students getting to school. Learn more about reducing chronic absence in your school here! September 30 Improving attendance and reducing chronic absence is not rocket science, but it does take commitment, collaboration and tailored approaches to the particular challenges and strengths of each school community. Across the nation, schools, communities and advocates have successfully taken steps to ensure children are attending school more regularly. Learn more here: http://www.attendanceworks.org/what-works/


Attendance Awareness Month Sample Tweets for each day of September September 1 It's Attendance Awareness Month. Because every school day counts! Let's do it! http://bit.ly/15COv3n #SchoolEveryDay September 2 Nationally, as many as 7.5 million students miss 10% of school year. That’s 135 million days. http://bit.ly/15CO4WX #SchoolEveryDay September 3 Missed school days add up fast! @getschooled calculates effect of too many days out with this tool. http://bit.ly/XwfCLE #SchoolEveryDay September 4 With “10 Steps Communities Can Take to Reduce Chronic Absence” we're making a difference. So can you! http://bit.ly/VR3TaD #SchoolEveryDay September 5 For #Latinos, chronic absence in #kindergarten = lower academics in 1st grade, especially in reading. http://bit.ly/XwhfZQ #SchoolEveryDay September 6 For poor kids, chronic absence in #kindergarten = lower #academics through 5th grade. http://bit.ly/XwhfZQ #SchoolEveryDay September 7 Principals in middle, high schools cut chronic #absenteeism w/3 R's: Reach down. Reach out. Reach up. http://bit.ly/Y1M8E9 #SchoolEveryDay September 8 @CityYear stresses daily #attendance, calling absent kids at home, cheering for those who do come. http://to.pbs.org/13LKCuU #SchoolEveryDay September 9 @MagicJohnson: “School is why I made it big time. It is your best shot at a better life!” #attendance http://bit.ly/Y0SP75 #SchoolEveryDay September 10 #Chronicabsence affects all kids, not just those absent, because teachers must reteach material. #SchoolEveryDay http://bit.ly/15COv3n September 11 Even a school with 95% avg #attendance rate could have as many as 20% chronically absent. Real deal: http://bit.ly/XYChzX #SchoolEveryDay


September 12 Calif. principal cut #absenteeism rate in half and standardized test scores soared. How’d he do it? http://bit.ly/Y1M8E9 #SchoolEveryDay September 13 Missing 10% of school days, or just 2 days each month, can put children at risk of #academic failure. http://bit.ly/15COv3n #SchoolEveryDay September 14 Reducing #chronicabsence is community affair! See how everyone from police to churches can help. http://bit.ly/15COv3n #SchoolEveryDay September 15 Parents, did you know MS & HS students shouldn't miss more than 18 days to stay on #graduation path? http://bit.ly/YIZmFR #SchoolEveryDay September 16 Drive w/data! Demand schools calculate #chronicabsence rates, share w/parents, teachers, principals. http://bit.ly/Y0VNIZ #SchoolEveryDay September 17 One in 10 #kindergarten & 1st grade students nationwide miss nearly a month of school each year. http://bit.ly/15COv3n #SchoolEveryDay September 18 "Empty Desk" news report highlights how #chronicabsence hits low-income students particularly hard. http://bit.ly/ZmPW0B #SchoolEveryDay September 19 Report: High school freshmen year #attendance is key indicator of whether student #graduate. http://bit.ly/10s4ZMF #SchoolEveryDay September 20 Health providers, #school nurses can play critical role in reducing #chronicabsence. http://bit.ly/Y1WjbG #SchoolEveryDay September 21 Report: Like bacteria in hospital, #chronicabsence can wreak havoc long before discovered http://bit.ly/YRIUzT #SchoolEveryDay September 22 Only six states track #chronicabsence: Georgia, Florida, Maryland, Nebraska, Oregon and Rhode Island. http://bit.ly/YRIUzT #SchoolEveryDay September 23 In some schools, #chronicabsence affects 50% of all of the students! We need smart policies! http://bit.ly/WQqZu8 #SchoolEveryDay


September 24 School-ready kids who missed 10% of K & 1st grade scored avg 60 pts lower on 3rd grade reading tests. http://bit.ly/13LQLaw #SchoolEveryDay September 25 Study: #chronicabsence predicts lower 3rd grade reading proficiency, course failure & likely dropout. http://bit.ly/XwhfZQ #SchoolEveryDay September 26 FACT: Every 26 seconds, a student drops out of #school. http://bit.ly/Y1ZLmL #chronicabsence #SchoolEveryDay September 27 By 9th grade missing 20% of year is better predictor of dropping out than test scores #chronicabsence #SchoolEveryDay http://bit.ly/15COv3n September 28 To cut #chronicabsence, try incentives & games to get kids to show up. Perfectly Punctual shows how http://bit.ly/VRjaZ1 #SchoolEveryDay September 29 FACT: By 6th grade #chronicabsence is a clear predictor that students will drop-out. http://bit.ly/XwhfZQ #SchoolEveryDay September 30 Reducing #chronicabsence is not rocket science, takes commitment, collaboration, tailored approaches http://bit.ly/15COv3n #SchoolEveryDay

Key Messages Here are the most important points anyone —schools, preschools, public agencies, community organizations, faith based institutions, elected officials, and parents —can use to help spread the word about this important issue. 

Every child needs to be In School, On Time, Every Day! It matters, as early as kindergarten. By middle and high school, poor attendance is a leading indicator of dropout. Developing the habit of attendance prepares students for success on the job and in life.



Excused and unexcused absences add up fast – and equal academic problems. Students are at risk academically if they miss 11 days of the school year. Sporadic absences matter. Just one or two days a month can add up to a chronic problem.



Chronic absenteeism undercuts instruction for all students. If too many students are chronically absent, it slows down instruction for other students, who must wait while the teacher repeats material for absentee students. This makes it harder for students to learn and teachers to teach.




The data is critical and should be used as an early intervention tool. Schools need complete data on absence for every student — excused, unexcused or suspensions— so we can intervene early. Districts and schools should use data to identify how many and which students are chronically absent, and whether they need extra support. Families need to track absences too, and be informed of the schools’ data – and when action is needed.



Tackling chronic absence can close achievement gaps. Reducing chronic absence affects achievement for low-income students who depend more on school for opportunities to learn. Because they are more likely to face systemic barriers to getting to school, low-income children, have higher levels of chronic absence starting as early as prekindergarten. Chronic absence data can be used to trigger interventions so highrisk student populations receive the supports they need, ideally before they fall behind academically. Especially among older students, chronic absence could signal the need to reform inappropriate and biased student discipline policies and practices that are pushing students out of class.



Relationships are fundamental to any strategy for improving student attendance. Students are more likely to go to school if they know someone cares whether they show up. Trusted adults – like religious leaders, teachers and coaches – are critical players.



Chronic absence is a problem we can solve together, supporting parents and schools. Whatever our individual or organizational role, each of us can be part of the solution. Community partners can support schools (with dollars, volunteers or advocacy) as they help students and families feel engaged in learning, setting expectations that attendance matters. Organizations that support families (including employers, faith leaders, and civic groups) can work together to identify and help families attendance barriers, like limited access to health care, unstable housing, poor transportation or neighborhood violence.

Fast Facts       

Across the country, as many as 7.5 million students miss nearly a month of school every year—absences that can correlate with poor performance at every grade level. This trend starts as early as kindergarten and continues through high school, contributing to achievement gaps and ultimately to dropout rates. Nationally, one in 10 kindergarten and first-grade students miss at least 18 days of school – a full 10% of the school year. But only 17% of those kids will read on grade level after 3rd grade, research shows. Students who are chronically absent in pre-k and kindergarten are more than twice as likely to be chronically absent in the 1st grade. Students who are chronically absent in pre-k and kindergarten are more likely to be retained - with more than a quarter being held back at least once by the 3rd grade. Academic performance through the 3rd grade is lower for students who were chronically absent in pre-k and kindergarten. It’s never too late to improve attendance – research shows that if a student’s attendance patterns improve, the academic impact can be reduced.


Communicating with Parents & Families Our goal is to start the school year off engaging everyone in raising awareness about the importance of attending school and conveying the right message to the parents and students. Attendance messaging builds a habit and a culture of attendance by helping everyone understand why going to school regularly matters and what they can do to ensure students are In School, On Time, Every Day! No attendance initiative is complete without attention to parents who are crucial in turning around chronic absence. In some cases, especially in the early grades, parents may not understand the importance of school attendance or realize how quickly absences can add up. A good campaign will engage parents, not blame them. When seeking to engage parents, it’s important to remember these key principles: Engage families early. Begin partnering with families to improve student attendance while children are young. Starting early is essential, because parents are typically more involved and easier to reach when children are young. Young children depend upon families to get to school, whereas older children are more likely to be responsible for taking themselves to school. The interactions with parents in preschool and kindergarten are essential opportunities for building relationships and conveying information about why regular attendance matters. Equally important, regular attendance starting in preschool is essential to ensuring children gain the foundational skills they need to do well academically and to have a habit of attendance as they get older. If children are chronically absent for multiple years in preschool and the primary grades, they are much less likely to read proficiently in 3rd grade so they can use reading to learn in all their subjects starting in 4th grade. These early investments can avoid the need for more expensive interventions later on. Establish a positive relationship. Before discussing a student’s poor attendance, establish a positive relationship with parents. Often, schools contact families only when there is a problem. Families begin to expect that a phone call or other contact from the school means the student is in trouble. “What did he do this time?” is the question they ask. In the rush to discuss a student’s attendance, we can inadvertently give the message that parents don’t know much and need to do better. Instead, family liaisons who work with parents advise creating a welcoming school environment and building the trust and relationship with parents first. For example, one outreach worker interviewed shared her approach: When she first meets with the parent of a chronically absent student, she visits the family’s home and deliberately does not talk about how many days of school the student missed. In fact, she does not say anything about attendance at all until the second meeting. The entire focus of the first meeting is on building a relationship. When parents feel welcome in a school and respected as an important partner in their children’s education, they are more willing to contribute and respond openly and positively. Communicate clear expectations and support. Orient parents to school policies and expectations for student attendance and on-time arrival. Share contact information for district or community agencies that are available to help families that may have difficulties with health issues, homelessness or lack of transportation. Help parents understand that school staff will be In School, On Time, Every Day!

monitoring attendance and are available to help families address barriers, such as transportation and health problems, that might be preventing a child from getting to school. Check for understanding. Do parents know what chronic absence is and its impact on their children’s success? Help parents connect the dots so they understand the impact of chronic absence on their child’s future success and what it means for how they support the school success of their child. Communicate in the parent’s primary language. Share written materials in the parent’s home language offering research on the importance of attendance and tips for how parents can ensure students attend school every day. If this is a phone call, consider mailing the handout to the parent as part of a follow-up communication. However, be careful not to rely on handouts and mailings alone. Offer support when needed. Ask parents about what makes it hard to get their child to school. When the issue is difficulties with transportation, health, lack of safe paths to school or family illness, parents may not be able to surmount those challenges without the help of someone outside the family. Discuss what would help to reduce the level of absences. Help them understand that absences – even if excused – can harm their child’s ability to learn and succeed in school and that the school community wants to help. Remember that parent engagement is an on-going process, not a one-time event. Creating on-going opportunities for dialogue with parents invites them to partner in crafting solutions. Many people at a school site such as teachers, school nurses, counselors, afterschool providers or parent leaders can and should engage parents about attendance. Discussions about attendance should be integrated into regular school meetings, parent educations and training on other topics. Let’s face it: What parent would voluntarily give up an evening or part of a weekend to attend a meeting that is just about attendance? Embed the exercises into larger discussions about how to help children succeed in school, tapping into parents’ hopes and dreams. You’re more likely to get parents to come.

What to Say to Parents & Families What does good attendance look like? Clearly state the expectation that students are expected to be In School, On Time, Every Day! Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) expects students meet the state minimum of 93% attendance. Students are considered chronically absent if they miss 11 days or more per academic year. What does it mean for your child when they miss a day of school? Clearly state the importance of early education and what skills they’ll be learning. Children miss out on important skills that they’ll need to use for the rest of the school year and their entire academic career. The schools are building the foundation for children to continue through their schooling career and graduate high school successfully. What should you do if your child needs to miss a day of school? Clearly state the expectation that parents inform the teacher and school about their child’s absences, including reasons. Let parents know schools track both excused and unexcused absences. They add up quickly and affect children’s learning.


Stress that good attendance will help children do well in high school, college and at work. Children can suffer academically if they miss just 1 to 2 days per month - that can happen before you know it. Some absences are unavoidable. Schools understand that children will get sick and need to stay home occasionally. The important thing is to get your children to school as often as possible. Sporadic absences, not just those on consecutive days of school, matter. Before you know it – just one or two days a month can add up. If too many absences occur, it is still a problem whether they are excused or unexcused because they represent too much lost learning time in the classroom. Attendance matters as early as kindergarten. Studies show many children who miss too many days in kindergarten and first grade struggle academically in later years. They often have trouble mastering reading by the end of third grade. Preschool is a great time to start building a habit of good attendance. Young children with poor attendance in preschool also lose out on valuable learning time and if chronic absence continues into kindergarten, it can pull down academic achievement. Too many absent students can affect the whole classroom. This slows down instruction taking time away from other students. For every one day of school missed, it takes three days to make up what was taught. Schedule medical appointments and extended trips when school is not in session. Try to line up vacations with the school’s schedule. The same goes for doctor’s appointments. For younger children, you can set a regular bedtime and morning routine. Make sure they get 8 to 10 hours of sleep. Lay out clothes, snacks and pack backpacks the night before. Get to know the teachers and administrators. With younger children, make sure you introduce your child to teachers before school starts and keep in touch with the teachers. For older students, school officials can help you stay on top of academic progress and social contacts to make sure your child is staying on track. Above all, set an example for your child. Show him or her that attendance matters to you and that you won’t allow an absence unless someone is truly sick. Seek help from the school or community if you are facing tough challenges related to access to health care, unstable housing, poor transportation or lack of food. More schools and community agencies are working together to offer help for the whole family. Have parents sign a Parent Pledge Card in support of their child’s school attendance. Have parents and families commit, in writing, to support their child’s academic success by completing an attendance pledge card. A sample has been provided in this packet.


Interactive Activities to be used with Parents & Families Here are several interactive exercises that can be used to increase parents’ understanding of the impact of chronic absence on their children and their school community and to encourage them to take positive actions. These exercises were designed to spark positive, two-way communication that gives insight to school leaders and parents about why children are missing school. For each exercise, insights are offered about how it could be most effective. If you think about how busy parents are, you quickly realize that a meeting just about school attendance is unlikely to draw a large crowd. So consider integrating these exercises into an event such as a Family Literacy Night or into a series of parent education or parent empowerment trainings rather than scheduling a stand-alone event. What should you consider in selecting the right exercise for your group? Each of these exercises has been used effectively in a variety of settings, ranging from parent meetings at a school site to large plenary sessions at conferences. Schools and community organizations will want to select and adapt an exercise to their audience based on: »» Size of the group »» How many languages are spoken by participants »» Setting (small room versus large auditorium) »» Available time »» Learning goals To help in your selection, notes have been added to each interactive exercise about what factors to take into consideration, as well as a clear description of each exercise. Exercise: How Chronic Absence Contributes to the Achievement Gap This exercise is best used to illustrate the cumulative impact of chronic absence and lack of access to quality preschool and summer programs. Recommended for a general audience, to make the point with policy makers and with low-income and/or immigrant parents who may not understand how their choices about attendance in school or PreK and the lack of enrichment during the summer contribute to the achievement gap for their children. The steps are actually based on research that establishes how many months of learning loss are associated with each factor. The exercise can be adapted for use in languages other than English. The exercise is purely descriptive so that participants and observers are not asked to disclose personal information. Because it can be done in about 5 minutes, this exercise is ideal when you have a tight agenda. http://www.attendanceworks.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Illustrating-the-gap.pdf Exercise: Washing the Elephant Washing the Elephant is a fun icebreaker for groups of varying sizes. Using humor, it gives parents empathy for how a child might feel after missing a lesson that is crucial to understanding all the subsequent material. In School, On Time, Every Day!

It allows two participants to take the small risk of looking a bit foolish in front of peers but with no need for self-disclosure. The exercise can be facilitated in any language. It is a safe choice if you are not sure of the literacy level of participants. http://www.attendanceworks.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/washing-theelephant.pdf Exercise: Attendance Cafe discussion This exercise is a facilitated discussion that helps parents to hear one another’s life experiences and share information about their personal experiences — whether positive or negative — in school. The third-person discussion about obstacles parents face in getting their kids to school helps depersonalize the discussion to some extent. By asking the question “How can you help?” the exercise makes the positive assumption that parents have the ability to help one another and their school community. The exercise was originally developed as one of a series of conversations for parents with children who attend the same school. The exercise is best when it builds on group norms that assure safe discussion and positive relationships that hopefully are developing over time. Good facilitation is needed to avoid the shoals of blaming parents for absences. http://www.attendanceworks.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/attendance-cafe.pdf Exercise: Taking Action on Attendance Taking Action on Attendance can be used in its short form (25-30 minutes) or as a precursor to a longer discussion about attendance. Unlike the gaps exercise, this exercise is designed to emphasize that parents have the power to affect and support good attendance. In the exercise, each positive action by a parent results in a step forward for the child, bringing him closer to the picture of the school. Each negative parent action results in a step away from school. Because the scenarios need to be read aloud by participants, it’s best to do this exercise in a group where all participants speak the same language and at least four feel comfortable reading aloud. The suggested talking points help the facilitator and parents understand that daily school attendance is not primarily an issue of compliance but of giving students the maximum amount of time on task in the classroom so that they reach their academic goals. This version of the exercise has been designed for use with parents of young children. http://www.attendanceworks.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/taking-action-onattendance.-makinga-difference-at-home.pdf


I, _______________________________ understand that: ● I am my child’s first teacher. ● Reading is key to my child’s success in school and in life. ● I can help my child develop brain power with the activities I provide outside of school. ● Every day my children miss school, they are losing a chance to learn. I PLEDGE TO: ● Read, talk, and sing to my child every day. ● Encourage play that involves naming and describing. ● Encourage my children to ask questions about things they see: What? Why? How? What if? ● Teach my children to love reading by having books in our home. ● Take my children to the library every week to pick out books they want to read. ● Help my children develop the habit of on-time attendance. ● Talk to my child’s teacher regularly on how we can help at home. ● Talk to other parents in my community about the importance of reading. My child’s name: __________________________________ Date: ____________________ Signature: ______________________________________________________________



DID YOU KNOW? Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school – and themselves.   

Children who attend school, on time, every day receive better grades, have higher self-esteem and higher graduation rates. Students who were chronically absent in PreK and kindergarten are 2 to 3 times more likely to repeat a grade before they reach third grade. 1 in 10 kindergarten and first grade students miss at least ONE MONTH of school each year. Cleveland Metropolitan School District Important Numbers http://clevelandmetroschools.org

Uniform Assistance 216-436-5369

Department of Student Services 216-574-2159

Office of Student Assignments 216-574-8200

Department of Transportation 216-838-4287

Family & Community Engagement 216-858-3223

Department of Safety & Security 216-574-8552


In School, On Time, Every Day! Help Your Child Succeed in School: Build the Habit of Good Attendance Early DID YOU KNOW? Your child can suffer academically if they miss just 10% or about 18 days of the school year. That’s just one or two days per month!  If too many absences occur, whether they are excused or unexcused, too much classroom time is lost affecting your child and his/her classmates. For every 1 day of school missed, it takes 3 days to make up what was taught.  Attendance matters as early as kindergarten. Studies show children who are chronically absent in kindergarten and first grade struggle in reading. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO 

  



 

 

Set a regular bed time and morning routine. Make sure they get 8-10 hours of sleep. When the lights go out so do the video games, cell phones and T.V. Lay out clothes, pack backpacks and snacks the night before. Find out what day school starts and make sure your child has the required shots. Meet your child’s teacher and introduce your child to his/her classmates before school starts. Don’t let your child stay home unless he/she is truly sick. Keep in mind complaints of a stomach or headache can be a sign of worry and not a reason to stay home. Talk to teachers and counselors for advice if your child feels nervous about going to school. Develop back-up plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a friend, family member or neighbor to help. Schedule medical appointments and extended trips when school is not in session. Seek help from the school and community if you are facing tough challenges related to school uniforms, child health issues, poor transportation or lack of food.


When Do Absences Become a Problem? CHRONIC ABSENCE 11 or more days

WARNING SIGNS 7 to 10 days

GOOD ATTENDANCE 0 days missed

Note: These numbers are in accordance with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s Target 11 initiative.