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00:00:00 --> 00:00:05 Welcome to Your Morning Boost, your daily leadership advice to help you lead your school community.
00:00:05 --> 00:00:09 Brought to you by AWB Education and sponsored by Grundmeyer Leader Services,
00:00:10 --> 00:00:14 where together we are transforming education, one leader at a time.
00:00:14 --> 00:00:16 Now here's your host, Adam Bush.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 Good morning, school leaders. Welcome back to Your Morning Boost.
00:00:19 --> 00:00:23 Happy Tuesday, where I hope you're having a happy day and you're feeling energized
00:00:23 --> 00:00:24 and ready to start your day.
00:00:25 --> 00:00:29 Following yesterday's deep dive into understanding the why of student absenteeism,
00:00:29 --> 00:00:31 Today, we're going to shift our focus a little bit.
00:00:31 --> 00:00:35 We're going to talk about identifying some best practices when it comes to tackling
00:00:35 --> 00:00:37 this topic of student absenteeism.
00:00:38 --> 00:00:42 We'll explore what's working in other schools and why, sharing concrete strategies
00:00:42 --> 00:00:45 and approaches that have proven effective in reducing chronic absenteeism and
00:00:45 --> 00:00:48 help foster a culture of consistent attendance.
00:00:48 --> 00:00:55 Music.
00:00:54 --> 00:00:58 Okay, so let's explore some best practices for tackling student absenteeism.
00:00:58 --> 00:01:02 First of all, we want to establish proactive communication relationships.
00:01:02 --> 00:01:05 Now, a lot of schools that are doing a great job with combating this issue are
00:01:05 --> 00:01:10 starting with those clear, positive communication channels with families from day one.
00:01:10 --> 00:01:14 Really reaching out to those families to build that strong, trusting relationship,
00:01:14 --> 00:01:18 not only between the school itself, but between staff, students, and our families.
00:01:18 --> 00:01:21 Robert Panada from the University of Virginia states this best,
00:01:21 --> 00:01:24 says relationships are the foundation of effective interventions.
00:01:24 --> 00:01:29 Before we can actually intervene to a problem, we have to have that relationship established.
00:01:29 --> 00:01:33 And that's going to start with that early outreach. When absences begin to occur,
00:01:33 --> 00:01:35 we want to make that connection with families.
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 We don't want to just wait until this becomes a chronic issue.
00:01:37 --> 00:01:41 Then it feels like we're fixing the problem rather than trying to come up with solutions.
00:01:42 --> 00:01:46 Think about this from a tiered intervention plan. We talk about MTSS all the
00:01:46 --> 00:01:50 time, Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 supports. Well, this also works with attendance.
00:01:50 --> 00:01:56 That Tier 1, that universal support for all students, that's that positive school culture and climate.
00:01:57 --> 00:02:00 We want to have engaging curriculum instruction, but we also need to have clear
00:02:00 --> 00:02:03 attendance policies that are communicated effectively.
00:02:03 --> 00:02:06 It's a good time for us to think about those recognition programs.
00:02:07 --> 00:02:10 Recognition doesn't have to just be for behavior. It can also be for good attendance.
00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 Think about the old days of the perfect attendance records. Well,
00:02:14 --> 00:02:18 perfect is one thing, but just great attendance or improved attendance can also be something.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:21 And it doesn't have to be a formal public recognition.
00:02:21 --> 00:02:25 Even just letters going home that are stating, hey, this has been a great quarter
00:02:25 --> 00:02:27 or this has been a great month for attendance for you.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:31 Keep up the good work. Those little bits and pieces that school districts are
00:02:31 --> 00:02:34 doing make a huge impact when it comes to student attendance.
00:02:35 --> 00:02:38 So when we get to tier two and we're talking about targeted interventions for
00:02:38 --> 00:02:42 at-risk students, this is a good time for us to bring in the mentoring programs
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 that are out there or one that we can start on our own.
00:02:44 --> 00:02:47 And it's going to start also with those individualized attendance plans.
00:02:47 --> 00:02:50 Have that mentor part of developing that plan.
00:02:50 --> 00:02:53 But when we think about the plan, be realistic.
00:02:53 --> 00:02:57 We can't expect a student that's been gone a ton to all of a sudden now show
00:02:57 --> 00:02:59 up every single day, every single minute.
00:02:59 --> 00:03:03 No, there's going to be some phases into getting that routine better established.
00:03:03 --> 00:03:06 Again, anything that we can get is going to be an improvement.
00:03:06 --> 00:03:09 So try to work through the plan realistically.
00:03:09 --> 00:03:13 Maybe this is some check-in, check-out type of stuff, which of course is a standard
00:03:13 --> 00:03:18 Tier 2 intervention, but maybe also involving some community resources if possible.
00:03:19 --> 00:03:22 Attendance Works has a great quote on this. They talk about that when schools
00:03:22 --> 00:03:26 partner with community organizations, they expand their capacity to address
00:03:26 --> 00:03:29 non-academic barriers to attendance.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:33 Are there groups out there that can maybe help foster some before or after school
00:03:33 --> 00:03:36 programs that parents can't afford to do the other ones that are out there,
00:03:36 --> 00:03:40 but maybe a local group is willing to run something here just to try to help improve the community?
00:03:40 --> 00:03:43 All of these are going to go back to that individualized attendance plan.
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 What best fits the student?
00:03:45 --> 00:03:49 Schools that are having the most success, again, those plans are specific to the student.
00:03:49 --> 00:03:54 It is not just a carbon copy that everybody gets put on a quote-unquote attendance contract.
00:03:54 --> 00:03:57 No, it's individualized. It's really written for the student.
00:03:57 --> 00:04:01 Now, let's talk about the Tier 3 because obviously this is great and wonderful,
00:04:01 --> 00:04:03 but we still have those kids that are just chronically absent.
00:04:04 --> 00:04:05 They need more intensive intervention.
00:04:05 --> 00:04:08 This is where the home visit is going to come in. Got to get out of the office.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:13 Got to get to the house. got to talk with parents, go to them to try to get them to come to you.
00:04:13 --> 00:04:17 Also think about some opportunities here again for those community resources,
00:04:17 --> 00:04:20 maybe some counseling or social services, not only for the student,
00:04:20 --> 00:04:24 but for the family to try to help again, get to that why of why we're missing school.
00:04:24 --> 00:04:28 Good time for those multidisciplinary team meetings to really develop those
00:04:28 --> 00:04:30 comprehensive student support plans.
00:04:30 --> 00:04:33 Maybe we have a student who's just struggling in all academic areas, except for one.
00:04:34 --> 00:04:37 And that one is the key that's going to be able to get them back to school.
00:04:37 --> 00:04:41 We really want to drive that point home for that student and use that to leverage better attendance.
00:04:41 --> 00:04:44 Now, all of this that we're talking about, all three tiers, we're going to need
00:04:44 --> 00:04:46 to really take a look at data.
00:04:47 --> 00:04:51 Use that data to make our decisions. We want to regularly monitor attendance
00:04:51 --> 00:04:53 data. We want to identify patterns, trends.
00:04:54 --> 00:04:58 Use that data to pinpoint specific students. Try to, again, get out ahead of
00:04:58 --> 00:04:59 this and not be so reactive.
00:04:59 --> 00:05:03 Look at grade levels. Maybe there's groups of students that are requiring support.
00:05:03 --> 00:05:06 And then when we start getting into these interventions, we got to track which
00:05:06 --> 00:05:08 ones are working for us and adjust as needed.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:12 That data is going to help tell us what barriers we need to address directly.
00:05:12 --> 00:05:13 Maybe it is transportation.
00:05:14 --> 00:05:18 Maybe we need to figure out how we can provide some transportation support for
00:05:18 --> 00:05:19 various groups of students, grade levels.
00:05:20 --> 00:05:22 Again, that data is going to tell us where that should go.
00:05:22 --> 00:05:26 Also, it might just be that families need some food assistance or some housing resources.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 Back to the Y piece. How do we connect those families to those things?
00:05:30 --> 00:05:32 That data is going to tell us where we need to spend our resources.
00:05:33 --> 00:05:37 The other thing to always consider, too, is try to always offer mental health support when possible.
00:05:38 --> 00:05:41 Whether it's within the school or through some community partnerships,
00:05:41 --> 00:05:42 support's going to be key.
00:05:42 --> 00:05:46 When we address students' basic needs, it's often the first step in improving attendance.
00:05:46 --> 00:05:52 Music.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:56 Okay, so to recap today, we're identifying best practices for student absenteeism,
00:05:56 --> 00:06:01 and this means focusing on proactive relationships. That's the biggest key today.
00:06:01 --> 00:06:05 We want to implement a tiered system of support, leverage data for informed
00:06:05 --> 00:06:09 decisions, and then directly address the barriers that students are facing.
00:06:09 --> 00:06:15 It's about creating this comprehensive ecosystem of care and support that encourages
00:06:15 --> 00:06:17 every student to be in school every day.
00:06:17 --> 00:06:21 Think of it like tending a garden. Some plants need a little water,
00:06:21 --> 00:06:26 others need more sun, and some require specific nutrients to truly flourish.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:31 Our best practices are going to help nurture each student so they can grow effectively.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:35 Thanks for listening. I hope you have an awesome Tuesday. We'll be back again
00:06:35 --> 00:06:39 tomorrow with some more on student absenteeism. But again, thank you for listening.
00:06:39 --> 00:06:40 We will talk with you again tomorrow.