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July What’s Happening? Wednesday. Chronic Absence and Critical Early Warning Signs. July 4, 2014. Goal of the Call:. Sue Fothergill , Senior Policy Associate at Attendance Works , will provide insight into what it takes to reduce chronic absenteeism - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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July 4, 2014
July What’s Happening? WednesdayChronic Absence and Critical Early Warning Signs
Goal of the Call:
• Sue Fothergill, Senior Policy Associate at Attendance Works, will provide insight into what it takes to reduce chronic absenteeism
• Get a snapshot of what United Ways are doing from a local California perspective with Ed Center, VP of Education, United Way of the Bay Area
• Provide concrete tools for your United Way to Leverage
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www.attendanceworks.org
Reducing Chronic AbsenceWhy Does it Matter? What Does It Take?
Sue Fothergill, Senior Policy Fellow, Attendance Works
Spring /Summer 2014
Why focus on Chronic Absence?
Excused Absences
Unexcused absences
Suspensions
Chronic
Absence
Chronic Absence is missing 10% or more of the school year for any reason – this includes excused and unexcused absences.
Chronic absence is different from truancy (unexcused absences only) or average daily attendance (how many students show up to school each day.
90% and even 95% ≠ A
High Levels of ADA Can Mask Chronic Absence
A B C D E F
-5%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
7%
12% 13% 13%15% 16%
Chronic Absence For 6 Elementary Schools in Oakland, CA with @ 95%
ADA in 2012
% Chronic Absence
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98% ADA = little chronic absence 95% ADA = don’t know
93% ADA = significant chronic absence
A B C D E F0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
20% 20% 20% 21%23%
26%
Chronic Absence for 6 Schools in New York City with 90% ADA in
2011-12
% Chronic Absence
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Nationwide, as many as 7.5 million students miss nearly a month of school every year. That’s 135 million days of lost time in the classroom.
In some cities, as many as one in four students are missing that much school.
Chronic absenteeism is a red alert that students are headed for academic trouble and eventually for dropping out of high school.
Research shows that chronically absent students are less likely to succeed academically, and are more likely to be suspended and eventually dropout.
Poor attendance isn’t just a problem in high school. It can start as early as pre-kindergarten.
Chronic AbsenceA Hidden National Crisis
Starting in PreK, More Years of Chronic Absence = Need for Intensive Reading
Support By 2nd Grade
* Indicates that scores are significantly different from scores of students who are never chronically absent, at p<.05 level; **p<.01; ***p<.001
Some risk
At risk
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Multiple Years of Elementary Chronic Absence
= Worse Middle School Outcomes
Oakland Unified School District SY 2006-2012, Analysis By Attendance Works
Chronic absence in 1st grade is also associated with:
• Lower 6th grade test scores
• Higher levels of suspension
Years of Chronic Absence in Grades 1-5
Increase in probability of 6th grade
chronic absence
Each year of chronic absence in elementary school is associated with a substantially higher probability of chronic
absence in 6th grade
5.9x
7.8x
18.0x
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Attendance Is Even More Important For Graduation for Students In Poverty
Presentation to: The Interagency Council for Ending the Achievement Gap November 7, 2013, CT State Dept of Education. 9
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What Does It Take To Reduce Chronic Absence?
Find Out Why Students Are Chronically Absent
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
No safe path to school
Aversion
Child struggling academically
Lack of engaging instruction
Poor school climate and ineffective
school discipline
Parents had negative school experience
Chronic disease
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Site-Level Strategies for Building a Culture of Attendance &
Identifying Barriers
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Students &
Families
Schools
Actionable Data
Positive Messagin
g
Capacity Building
Shared Accountabili
ty
Is accurate, accessible, and regularly reported
Expands ability to interpret data and work together to adopt best practices
Conveys why building a habit of attendance is important and what chronic absence is
Ensures monitoring & incentives to address chronic absence
Community District
Ingredients for System-wide Success & Sustainability
Strategic partnerships between district and community partners address specific attendance barriers and mobilize support for all ingredients
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What can United Ways Do?
• Engage parents, families, and community partners in this issue
• Partner with community stakeholders in calling for chronic absence data
• Advocate for resources to address barriers to attendance
• Help grantees integrate attendance into their work
• Ensure there is an Attendance Campaign in place in your community
What can you do to respond to chronic absence?
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Community Schools Education InitiativeUnited Way of the Bay AreaEd Center, VP of Education
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KEY PROGRAMMATIC COMPONENTS
• Expanded Learning Opportunities
• Parent Engagement & Involvement
• Adult Education
• Medical, Dental, Mental Health and Social Services
• Early Childhood
• Community and Economic Development
DATA IS EVERYTHING!• You cannot run an effective community school without collecting the right
data and making data informed decisions.
• Who are the most vulnerable children?
• Are they taking up the services and supports we offer?
• Are these supports making an impact?
• http://www.uwba.org/files/galleries/United_Way-Community-Schools-Report.pdf
Sample Elementary SchoolChronic / Severe Absent
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Resourceswww.attendanceworks.org
Attendance Works Resources
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Our website has access to tools for monitoring, understanding and addressing chronic absence, starting in the early grades. You will find tools for implementing strategies at the school, district and state level.• Make Every Day Count – Messaging• Count Us In – Attendance Awareness Month• Calculating Chronic Absence• Bringing Attendance Home – Parent Engagement• Parent Fliers • Strategies and Tips for different groups such as after-school providers and
health care workers
Link to the web: http://www.attendanceworks.org/tools/
Questions?
Sue Fothergill, Senior Policy Associate , Attendance Works, [email protected]
Ed Center, Vice President, Education, United Way of the Bay Area, [email protected]
If you have questions or feedback about What’s Happening? Wednesday, please contact:Maggie Nicholas, 703-836-7100 x 548, [email protected]
Take Action: Attendance Awareness Advocacy Campaign
• United Way & National Women’s Leadership Council are hosting a social media advocacy campaign for Attendance Awareness Month
• Join us for:
• Attendance Awareness Webinar – July 23 at 1pm ET
• Social Media Advocacy 101 Webinar – August (Date TBD)
• Save the Date: Attendance Awareness Month Social Media Campaign – September 18
For more information, contact [email protected] or [email protected]
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Thank you!
We will be taking a summer vacation in August but we want your feedback! Please stay tuned for a survey so we can tailor upcoming webinars to fit your needs.
What’s Happening? Wednesday will return September 3rd!
