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00:00:01 --> 00:00:06 Hi, I'm Dr. Lisa Hill, a longtime educator of nearly 40 years as a teacher,
00:00:06 --> 00:00:08 counselor, professor, and vice principal.
00:00:08 --> 00:00:12 And I've seen just about everything public schools can throw at you.
00:00:12 --> 00:00:17 And now I'm sharing my tales on my comedy podcast, Vice Principal Unofficed.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:21 It's where school leadership meets laugh out loud stories from underwear required
00:00:21 --> 00:00:23 parent teacher conferences.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:27 Yes, really. To staff lounge confessions and more. You won't believe.
00:00:27 --> 00:00:30 I'm telling it all with humor and a whole lot of heart.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:35 I also tackle the serious stuff too, like what schools really need to change
00:00:35 --> 00:00:38 and those behind-the-scenes moments no one talks about.
00:00:38 --> 00:00:41 So if you're ready to laugh, learn, and maybe even cry a little,
00:00:41 --> 00:00:46 but mostly laugh, join me and my 90-year-old mom, my unofficial co-host,
00:00:46 --> 00:00:48 on Vice Principal Unofficed.
00:00:48 --> 00:00:53 New episodes drop bi-weekly on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get
00:00:53 --> 00:00:58 your podcast fix. Trust me, this is one detention you'll actually look forward to.
00:00:59 --> 00:01:05 Welcome to your Morning Boost, your daily leadership advice to help you lead your school community.
00:01:05 --> 00:01:09 Brought to you by AWB Education and sponsored by Grundmeyer Leader Services,
00:01:09 --> 00:01:14 where together we are transforming education, one leader at a time.
00:01:14 --> 00:01:18 Now, here's your host, Adam Bush. Good morning, school leaders.
00:01:18 --> 00:01:20 Welcome to Your Morning Boost. Happy Monday.
00:01:21 --> 00:01:25 Wanted to let you know that this week we are going to talk about student absenteeism.
00:01:25 --> 00:01:29 Obviously, that is a huge problem in all of our schools, and it's an area that
00:01:29 --> 00:01:31 we're constantly looking to try to improve.
00:01:31 --> 00:01:34 So this week for the Your Morning Boost, we are going to dive into this topic.
00:01:34 --> 00:01:38 So hope you're having a good day. Hope you're having a great brand new start to your brand new week.
00:01:38 --> 00:01:40 So like I said, we're going to talk about student absenteeism.
00:01:40 --> 00:01:45 Absenteeism, and today we're going to focus on the why behind this complex issue
00:01:45 --> 00:01:46 and try to understand this a little bit.
00:01:46 --> 00:01:50 We're going to unpack the root causes of absenteeism as this is an essential
00:01:50 --> 00:01:53 first step in developing some effective and compassionate solutions.
00:01:53 --> 00:01:57 We're going to explore various factors that contribute to students missing school,
00:01:57 --> 00:02:01 everything from individual student challenges to systemic issues,
00:02:01 --> 00:02:05 how gaining this understanding is going to empower us to intervene more effectively.
00:02:09 --> 00:02:14 Okay, so let's delve into understanding the why behind student absenteeism.
00:02:14 --> 00:02:16 We're going to start with those individual student factors.
00:02:17 --> 00:02:20 Now, we may have health issues. These could be both physical and mental health
00:02:20 --> 00:02:23 issues that are contributing to students just missing school.
00:02:23 --> 00:02:27 I can think of many kids throughout the years of being an administrator that,
00:02:27 --> 00:02:31 as we know, especially the last few years, we've had such an increase in anxiety
00:02:31 --> 00:02:36 or other mental health-related factors that are contributing to kids just struggling
00:02:36 --> 00:02:39 to get in the front door of the school building and get to school.
00:02:39 --> 00:02:42 It's not just a physical impairment anymore, but certainly that mental component
00:02:42 --> 00:02:47 is very key. We need to understand for each individual student what that barrier
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 is that's getting them into school.
00:02:49 --> 00:02:53 It could also be some family responsibilities. Are we responsible for caring
00:02:53 --> 00:02:55 for siblings, or are we working?
00:02:55 --> 00:02:59 Are we working to help the family make ends meet, maybe work in really late
00:02:59 --> 00:03:02 hours, and that is contributing to students missing school.
00:03:02 --> 00:03:07 It could also just simply be a lack of engagement or feeling disconnected from the school.
00:03:07 --> 00:03:11 John Hattie reminds us that students who feel a sense of belonging are more
00:03:11 --> 00:03:13 likely to attend and succeed.
00:03:13 --> 00:03:18 Think about those kids that you have that just don't want to be at school for one reason or another.
00:03:18 --> 00:03:22 It's really hard to get up every day and walk in that front door if I just don't
00:03:22 --> 00:03:23 want to be there in the first place.
00:03:23 --> 00:03:26 So we really need to understand what that engagement piece is for them.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:30 We also got to think about some family factors here, too. It could just be that
00:03:30 --> 00:03:33 there's a lack of awareness regarding attendance policies or,
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 if nothing else, the importance of regular attendance.
00:03:36 --> 00:03:39 I can think of many family meetings that I've had over the years where I could
00:03:39 --> 00:03:43 just tell right away parents either didn't feel school was all that important
00:03:43 --> 00:03:47 or didn't understand that the attendance has a direct impact on what they do.
00:03:47 --> 00:03:50 I know for us, it seems like, well, this is pretty much common sense,
00:03:50 --> 00:03:54 but you got to remember that our families don't always come up in a school setting
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 or maybe school wasn't positive for them as well.
00:03:56 --> 00:04:00 So that lack of awareness can certainly play a factor. Could also be housing instability.
00:04:01 --> 00:04:04 Maybe we've had some frequent moves or just housing in general has been a struggle.
00:04:04 --> 00:04:09 Those frequent changes or instability when it comes to housing can cause students
00:04:09 --> 00:04:13 to just not always trust what's going to happen when they get home from school.
00:04:13 --> 00:04:16 It's hard to leave what they do know to head off to school.
00:04:16 --> 00:04:20 It could also be, you know, other family factors like health issues of parents
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 or employment challenges of parents.
00:04:22 --> 00:04:24 The other thing to think about, too, is just our school environment in general.
00:04:25 --> 00:04:28 If there's a lack of safety or even a perceived lack of safety or maybe some
00:04:28 --> 00:04:32 bullying that's going on, this can also attribute to students not wanting to come to school.
00:04:33 --> 00:04:36 National Association of School Psychologists states that a safe and supportive
00:04:36 --> 00:04:40 school environment is foundational for student well-being and attendance.
00:04:40 --> 00:04:43 Now, it could be a lack of safety or it could also be just curriculum itself.
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 Maybe it's not engaging or it's not relevant to our students.
00:04:46 --> 00:04:49 Have we been updating curriculum? Have we stayed up with the times?
00:04:49 --> 00:04:52 Is that engaging our students to get to come to school every day?
00:04:52 --> 00:04:55 Then, of course, we always think about relationships. I talked about bullying
00:04:55 --> 00:04:59 earlier, but certainly can just be negative relationships with staff or with peers.
00:04:59 --> 00:05:02 You know, are we getting along with everybody at school or are we struggling
00:05:02 --> 00:05:04 to develop those relationships too?
00:05:04 --> 00:05:07 Last thing to think about are those community and systemic factors.
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 Do we have limited access to transportation?
00:05:10 --> 00:05:13 I know we run buses all over the place, but, you know, some students don't always
00:05:13 --> 00:05:17 qualify for transportation or getting onto the bus, getting to the bus on time
00:05:17 --> 00:05:18 is certainly a struggle.
00:05:18 --> 00:05:22 Poverty can lead to this as well. We have economic hardship of parents being
00:05:22 --> 00:05:25 able to be reliable sources of transportation to get kids to school.
00:05:25 --> 00:05:29 And maybe that's just it. We just have a lack of some community resource that
00:05:29 --> 00:05:30 can help support families.
00:05:31 --> 00:05:34 Research from the Attendance Works Initiative consistently highlights this strong
00:05:34 --> 00:05:37 correlation between poverty and chronic absenteeism.
00:05:37 --> 00:05:40 So looking at what we have for access within the community and factors that
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 can help support families is going to be really essential.
00:05:46 --> 00:05:51 Okay, now to recap today, we need to understand the why of student absenteeism.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:55 That's going to be the first step for us. We take a look at this mosaic of individual,
00:05:55 --> 00:05:57 family, school, and community factors.
00:05:57 --> 00:06:02 It's all about moving beyond simply counting absences to understanding the stories
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 and challenges that are behind them.
00:06:04 --> 00:06:08 Just remember, every absence is a signal, and by listening to those signals,
00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 we can begin to build a more effective support system for all of our students.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:12 It's like being a detective.
00:06:13 --> 00:06:16 We've got to piece together clues to help a student thrive, and often,
00:06:16 --> 00:06:20 the most impactful solutions come from the simplest acts of care and connection.
00:06:20 --> 00:06:24 Thank you for listening today. Have a wonderful Monday. Be back again on Tuesday,
00:06:24 --> 00:06:25 and we will talk with you again tomorrow.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:30 You have been listening to Your Morning Boost by AWB Education in partnership
00:06:30 --> 00:06:32 with Grundmeyer Leader Services.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:36 You can find out more about our services by clicking on the links in the description.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:41 Remember, you are doing this vital job that only a few can do.
00:06:42 --> 00:06:46 So until next time, thank you for your service to your community.