Category: Indicators & Predictors of Absenteeism

Remote Learning Is Tough for Many Students. How ‘Early-Warning’ Data Can Help Schools Support Them

“Like the lights on a dashboard telling you something’s wrong, an early-warning system uses indicators—missed days, falling grades, or a sudden rash of disciplinary actions—to identify which students need more help. “

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US Study Finds that Text Messages to Parents Can Reduce Chronic School Absences in Elementary School

“texting parents may be an effective way to reduce chronic absence in elementary school. “

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The Urgent Need to Avoid Punitive Responses to Poor Attendance, attendanceworks.org

“What improves attendance is partnering with students and families to identify and address the root causes that lead to students to miss school in the first place, whether absences are connected to barriers to showing up for school, negative experiences in school or a lack of engagement. Root causes can also be related to misconceptions about attendance, such as thinking that sporadic absences aren’t a problem, or missing two days a month doesn’t affect learning.”

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Why so many students are missing so much school, attendanceworks.org

“There are many reasons students are absent and they fit into four broad categories: Barriers, Negative School Experiences, Lack of Engagement and Misconceptions.”

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Taking attendance for online schooling a team effort: an example from Maricopa Unified School District

“All MUSD students must submit a weekly log to the school “for evidence of learning time.” Each student must also either be present for the daily synchronous lessons or submit work for the day on an online platform. “

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Use Live Class Time to Center Relationships: By delivering content to students working at home, teachers can save live classes for what’s most important—the personal interactions that solidify learning.

“What made going to school meaningful?For both of us, that answer is simple: It was the human connections we made.”

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Measuring Daily Attendance and Participation During COVID-19 – An Invaluable Tool for Reducing Educational Inequity

“Until new research examining absenteeism in blended or distance learning settings can be conducted, we advise continuing to monitor which and how many students miss 10% or more of learning opportunities.”

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Promising Practices Brief:Improving Student Engagement and Attendance During COVID-19 School Closures

“The brief provides a resource to
states and districts on promising practices in measuring
and improving attendance and engagement during
extended school closures.”

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Districts Pivot Their Strategies to Reduce Chronic Absenteeism During Distance Learning by Wade Tyler Millward

“Hedy Chang, executive director and founder of Attendance Works, says that when the new school year resumes, school officials may well find more students at risk for chronic absenteeism due to economic or housing instability. Parents may have lost their jobs, students may need to work to support the family, family members may have died due to COVID-19. And students may be unwilling to return to school in person if they have a health condition or live with someone who is more vulnerable to the virus.”

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Tracking Student Attendance Under Remote Learning Is a Complicated Mess

“Tracking student attendance under remote learning this spring was complicated and oftentimes ad hoc, a messy process that could continue to be a big problem if schools return to full-time virtual learning anytime this school year or do some combination of in-person and online education.”

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