Out of the Blue
September 6, 2024 Issue 4. Volume 5
School Attendance = Academic Success
We wanted to take this opportunity to highlight the crucial role attendance plays in a student’s growth and success during Attendance Awareness Month.
Typically, our attendance rates are strong at the beginning of the school year and during the first semester. However, attendance starts to go down after the start of the second semester and we start to see what is referred to as “chronic absenteeism.” Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing at least 10% of school days, or usually around 18 days of school each year. Chronic absenteeism includes both excused and unexcused absences that may contribute to the challenge of strong attendance. These can include transportation barriers, students’ physical and mental health, or housing instability.
Students achieve best when they are present in school and connecting with teachers, staff, and peers. When a student misses a day of school, they miss an entire day of learning. Any school time missed means valuable instructional time lost – which grows faster over time. What may feel like an isolated day here and there can add up and ultimately have a tremendous impact on students’ progress towards mastering key concepts that they are expected to learn in a given school year.
Research suggests that children who are chronically absent in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade are much less likely to read at grade level by the third grade, making them four times more likely to drop out of high school. It also causes students of all ages to fall behind and miss opportunities to build relationships with other students and school staff. These losses can result in increased anxiety and interruptions to social and emotional development as well as students not fulfilling their academic potential.
“The data is clear,” said Brian Johnson, TES Principal. “If students are in school, they are more likely to perform and achieve at grade level or above. It's no different here in Tipton. We have amazing teachers at TES but if a student isn't in school, he/she can't benefit from the strong instruction of those teachers. Attendance is critical to student success at all grade levels and in life.”
TMS Principal John Ayars agrees. “It was most striking to me that the passing rate for ILearn was almost double for students who attended 94% of the school year or more,” Ayars pointed out. “When kids are here, learning happens.”
Combating chronic absenteeism calls for a mix of strategies and partnerships to ensure we support students and families to be present and engaged in a safe, healthy school environment. One of those partnerships involves parents and guardians. Regardless of family income or background, students whose parents are involved in their schooling are more likely to have higher grades and test scores, attend school regularly, have better social skills, show improved behavior, and adapt well to school.
“Our goal is to see every student every day,” added Dr. Ryan Glaze, TCSC Superintendent. “Of course, we understand that unexpected issues can arise, and some things are unavoidable, like being sick. However, if the student is well, even if running late, we encourage them to still come in for the remainder of the day.”
We are committed to raising the bar for consistent school attendance and helping to remove any barriers preventing a student from coming to school every day. For help and/or resources to ensure your child can be in school, please reach out to your student’s building principal or staff.
Thank you for partnering with us to support student success by keeping student attendance strong at TCSC.
