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00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Good morning, school leaders. Welcome to your Morning Boost.
00:00:02 --> 00:00:05 Wishing you a happy Wednesday. Hope you're having a good middle of your week.
00:00:06 --> 00:00:09 As you know, this week we've been talking about best practices for combating
00:00:09 --> 00:00:12 student absenteeism, and today we're going to bring the focus inward.
00:00:12 --> 00:00:16 We're going to look at our current system, how we can identify areas for improvement,
00:00:16 --> 00:00:20 and this is going to involve some critical self-assessment, examining our existing
00:00:20 --> 00:00:21 policies and procedures,
00:00:21 --> 00:00:25 and the resources we have to pinpoint where we can make enhancements that are
00:00:25 --> 00:00:28 going to better support a consistent student attendance plan.
00:00:32 --> 00:00:35 Okay, let's dive into looking at your current system and how you're going to
00:00:35 --> 00:00:36 identify areas for improvement.
00:00:37 --> 00:00:40 Right away, obviously, we have to start with reviewing our current attendance
00:00:40 --> 00:00:42 data. That's right, the data, not the plan.
00:00:42 --> 00:00:46 What is the data telling us? And go beyond overall percentages.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:51 Get down to that data by grade level, demographic groups, specific student populations.
00:00:51 --> 00:00:55 Take a look at all of that data and what that story is telling us.
00:00:55 --> 00:00:56 Try to identify some patterns.
00:00:57 --> 00:01:01 Are absences clustered on certain days? Is there a particular time of year when
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 our absences are spiking?
00:01:03 --> 00:01:06 And then also look at the reasons. Are these excused? Are they unexcused?
00:01:07 --> 00:01:10 Are there areas where we can address specifically so we understand where we're
00:01:10 --> 00:01:11 going to develop our plan?
00:01:12 --> 00:01:16 Now, when we talk about existing policies and procedures, number one,
00:01:16 --> 00:01:20 are attendance policies clear? Are they concise and are they easily accessible
00:01:20 --> 00:01:23 to both staff and families? How are absences currently reported?
00:01:23 --> 00:01:26 How are they tracked? And then how are they also followed up on?
00:01:27 --> 00:01:31 Is there a consistent process for early outreach to families when absences begin?
00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 As we know, consistency and attendance policies and their application,
00:01:35 --> 00:01:38 it's going to be crucial for equity and effectiveness. The U.S.
00:01:38 --> 00:01:41 Department of Education talks about this too. They talk about consistency and
00:01:41 --> 00:01:45 attendance policies and their application is crucial for equity and effectiveness.
00:01:45 --> 00:01:50 So when we evaluate this effectiveness, we really got to start taking a look
00:01:50 --> 00:01:53 at, is our policy and procedure something that our families and our students can understand?
00:01:54 --> 00:01:57 The other thing we also want to evaluate is that the effectiveness of our current
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 intervention strategies, like we talked about yesterday.
00:01:59 --> 00:02:02 Another piece of data that we want to make sure we're taking a peek at.
00:02:02 --> 00:02:05 Now, when we do this, gather stakeholder feedback.
00:02:05 --> 00:02:09 For our students, conduct surveys, focus groups, maybe even to understand their
00:02:09 --> 00:02:12 perspectives on school climate engagement and those barriers to attendance.
00:02:12 --> 00:02:15 Ask them why they are not coming to school.
00:02:15 --> 00:02:18 Now, parents, too, we should solicit input on communication effectiveness.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:22 Is our policy, is our procedures that we have, are those clear?
00:02:23 --> 00:02:26 What are those perceived barriers? And what supports do they desire to help
00:02:26 --> 00:02:27 their students get to school?
00:02:27 --> 00:02:31 When we talk about teachers and staff, ask about some of those challenges that
00:02:31 --> 00:02:35 they face in addressing absenteeism and what resources they need.
00:02:35 --> 00:02:38 National Center for School Engagement talks about this. Our frontline staff
00:02:38 --> 00:02:41 often have the most insightful perspectives on student attendance,
00:02:41 --> 00:02:45 what those challenges are, and those potential solutions. So we got to get that
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 feedback from those stakeholders as well.
00:02:47 --> 00:02:51 When we get a chance, examine our school culture and our climate.
00:02:51 --> 00:02:55 Do our students feel safe? Do they feel supported and connected to our school community?
00:02:55 --> 00:02:59 Do we have opportunities for positive relationships between students and adults,
00:02:59 --> 00:03:02 or do we need to take some time to try to set those up?
00:03:02 --> 00:03:05 Is there this culture that values and celebrates attendance?
00:03:06 --> 00:03:09 Is that the theme that is going through our school? The other thing we want
00:03:09 --> 00:03:12 to talk about is take a quick inventory of what available resources do you have.
00:03:13 --> 00:03:16 Obviously, there are lots of plans out there, and there's all sorts of programs
00:03:16 --> 00:03:19 that will help to guide student attendance. But what can we afford,
00:03:19 --> 00:03:22 and what do we have the manpower to be able to actually run?
00:03:22 --> 00:03:26 So what internal resources are there? Do we have counselors?
00:03:26 --> 00:03:27 Do we have social workers?
00:03:27 --> 00:03:31 Do we have a mentor program set up, and are these people currently dedicated
00:03:31 --> 00:03:33 to attendance? Is that part of their role?
00:03:33 --> 00:03:37 Maybe there are existing community partnerships that we can leverage a little
00:03:37 --> 00:03:39 bit to address non-academic barriers.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:43 Try to identify those gaps in the resources that are going to hinder our effective
00:03:43 --> 00:03:46 intervention and possibilities. Is there a realistic way to partner with our
00:03:46 --> 00:03:48 community to address these gaps?
00:03:52 --> 00:03:56 So to recap today, we now know that improving our system for addressing student
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 absenteeism is going to start with an internal audit. review our data,
00:04:00 --> 00:04:04 assess our policies, gather diverse feedback, examine our school culture,
00:04:04 --> 00:04:07 and we're going to inventory our resources.
00:04:07 --> 00:04:10 It's like checking the pulse of our attendance efforts. We're going to identify
00:04:10 --> 00:04:13 what's wrong, what's weak, and where we need to apply a little bit more focused energy.
00:04:14 --> 00:04:18 This self-reflection is going to be the foundation for creating a truly responsive
00:04:18 --> 00:04:21 and effective attendance support system.
00:04:21 --> 00:04:24 Thanks for listening today. I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday.
00:04:24 --> 00:04:27 We'll be back again with more on student absenteeism tomorrow.
00:04:27 --> 00:04:30 So thank you for listening. We'll talk with you again tomorrow.