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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.
00:00:15 --> 00:00:19 Now here's your host, Adam Bush. Hello, everyone. Welcome back to Your Morning
00:00:19 --> 00:00:22 Boost. Thanks for joining me again today, Boosters. Happy Friday.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:26 Today, I want to talk about something important and something that we're always
00:00:26 --> 00:00:32 trying to do on a daily basis, and that is getting our students to school every single day.
00:00:32 --> 00:00:35 We all know that missing school really throws kids off track,
00:00:35 --> 00:00:39 and it's tough to keep up with learning when you're constantly playing catch-up.
00:00:39 --> 00:00:41 So, how do you tackle this?
00:00:41 --> 00:00:45 First, we need to get a good look at the problem. Let's dig into our school
00:00:45 --> 00:00:47 data. Who's missing the most school?
00:00:47 --> 00:00:51 Are there certain grades or groups of students that are struggling more than
00:00:51 --> 00:00:53 others? Do we have any patterns emerging?
00:00:53 --> 00:00:57 Are absences higher on certain days of the week? Once we have this picture,
00:00:58 --> 00:01:00 then we can start asking why.
00:01:00 --> 00:01:05 Why is it? Is it transportation issues? Do we have students facing homelessness right now?
00:01:05 --> 00:01:09 Or maybe there are some other serious mental health challenges going on?
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 Are there family situations that are impacting attendance?
00:01:12 --> 00:01:15 We need to understand the root of the problem before we can really,
00:01:15 --> 00:01:19 truly find the right solution. And then we want to try to build a support system
00:01:19 --> 00:01:22 that works for as many students as possible.
00:01:22 --> 00:01:25 Again, we're going to start with students. Obviously, we want to make sure that
00:01:25 --> 00:01:27 our students are coming to school.
00:01:27 --> 00:01:31 We want to create a school where students feel excited to come and learn.
00:01:31 --> 00:01:35 That means a positive and inclusive school environment. Let's make sure every
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 student feels valued and respected.
00:01:38 --> 00:01:43 Start with regular school-wide celebrations. Try to get these going a little bit more often.
00:01:43 --> 00:01:47 And maybe a perfect attendance week with special activities and rewards for
00:01:47 --> 00:01:51 classes, or implementing a morning meeting routine in every classroom that helps
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 build community and checks in with students.
00:01:53 --> 00:01:57 Then also make sure that our attendance policies themselves are clean,
00:01:57 --> 00:02:02 they're clear, they're fair, and they're commuted effectively to both students and families.
00:02:02 --> 00:02:07 I know that we tell people about the importance of school, but we always have
00:02:07 --> 00:02:08 to keep reminding people as well.
00:02:08 --> 00:02:12 There's a lot going on, and we can always come up with reasons not to come to school.
00:02:13 --> 00:02:16 We've got to make sure everybody understands the reasons to come to school.
00:02:16 --> 00:02:20 Now, you're going to have students that are also just struggling with this. So try to get proactive.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:23 Use that data to identify the students who might be starting to miss school
00:02:23 --> 00:02:27 a little bit more often, and then try to implement an early warning system that's
00:02:27 --> 00:02:30 going to flag students with maybe three or more absences in a month.
00:02:30 --> 00:02:34 And then start having regular check-in with those students. Get out ahead of this.
00:02:34 --> 00:02:37 Maybe it's just a quick chat with their teacher or counselor,
00:02:37 --> 00:02:41 see how they're doing, and reaching out to families, maybe a quick phone call
00:02:41 --> 00:02:44 or even a home visit if you have some time to see if there are any barriers
00:02:44 --> 00:02:46 that the school can help them overcome.
00:02:46 --> 00:02:51 Maybe even offer some flexible scheduling options for students who need to make up some missed work.
00:02:51 --> 00:02:54 They've been gone a little bit. The amount of work that they've missed might
00:02:54 --> 00:02:56 look daunting. It might look impossible.
00:02:56 --> 00:03:00 Is there a way for us to be able to flux that around a little bit and make it
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 seem like this is something we can actually accomplish?
00:03:03 --> 00:03:05 Now, students who also need extra help,
00:03:05 --> 00:03:09 Some of those kids might need that extra boost. They might need some one-on-one tutoring.
00:03:09 --> 00:03:14 Again, catching up on missed work. Try to knock off that mountain of missed work that they have.
00:03:14 --> 00:03:17 Maybe they need to connect with, you know, local food bank or community health
00:03:17 --> 00:03:19 center if there's some basic needs that are there.
00:03:19 --> 00:03:23 We can try to partner with those programs or even some mental health professionals.
00:03:24 --> 00:03:28 Provide counseling and support. Try to, again, explore those pathways that students
00:03:28 --> 00:03:32 can get the support that they need so that they can reconnect with school and
00:03:32 --> 00:03:36 reconnect with positive adult role models and then hopefully also increase attendance.
00:03:37 --> 00:03:40 Now, remember, this is not a set it and forget it type of thing.
00:03:40 --> 00:03:43 We need to keep an eye on what's working and what's not.
00:03:43 --> 00:03:46 Need to regularly review that data and adjust your plan accordingly.
00:03:47 --> 00:03:50 Gather feedback from students, families, staff, get their input.
00:03:51 --> 00:03:55 Celebrate successes, but then also acknowledge the hard work of everybody involved.
00:03:55 --> 00:03:59 Getting our kids to school every day, it isn't just about attendance numbers.
00:03:59 --> 00:04:02 It's about giving every single student the best chance to succeed.
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 It's a good time for us to try to continue to work on that to make that happen.
00:04:05 --> 00:04:09 Thanks for listening to your Morning Boost. Hope it's been a great week for you.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:13 Check out our other programs and offerings that we have on the AWB Education Network.
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 And if you'd like any further assistance or any partnership,
00:04:17 --> 00:04:18 we'd happy to help with you.
00:04:18 --> 00:04:24 Reach out to us. Find our contact information at www.awbeducation.org.
00:04:24 --> 00:04:27 Until Monday, have a great weekend. You've certainly earned it.
00:04:27 --> 00:04:30 We will talk with you again on Monday. You have been listening to your Morning
00:04:30 --> 00:04:35 Boost by AWB Education in partnership with Grundmeyer Leader Services.
00:04:35 --> 00:04:40 You can find out more about our services by clicking on the links in the description.
00:04:40 --> 00:04:45 Remember, you are doing this vital job that only a few can do.
00:04:45 --> 00:04:49 So until next time, thank you for your service to your community.