Let’s say your school district is ahead of the curve and, instead of relying on spreadsheets, is using Standard Education’s dashboards. One of our most popular dashboards among customers is the attendance dashboard.
Our dashboards are updated nightly and pull in two data points to monitor chronic absenteeism:
But once you have the attendance data in front of you, how can you put it to work in your school district? Here are three ways to implement it and increase engagement across your school district.
Sending personalized postcards with students' names, number of days absent, and missed school details reduced absences by 7.9 percent in two districts, according to a study by Harvard's Center for Education Policy Research—cost-effective and potentially low effort for the school staff. At the heart of it, it demonstrates the positive impact of personalized communication and relationship building on improving school attendance.
For students at higher risk, schedule meetings with them and their guardians. Review the situation together and provide resources as you learn more about their circumstances. In tandem, inform teachers and counselors about the situation to ensure ongoing communication and check-ins.
Read more: How Standard Education is Helping School Districts Combat Chronic Absenteeism
Standard Education updates student data in the dashboards nightly, ensuring that you always have the most up-to-date information and can intervene early with those at risk of chronic absenteeism.
Our dashboards flag individual students who are at risk based on their attendance patterns, and this information is accessible on both our teacher dashboard and at the district level.
What should a teacher do if they notice a student has been absent too often recently but doesn't know what to do next? It's essential to have a straightforward process for alerting school leaders and developing a plan to support the student. By monitoring early warning indicators daily, educators can spend more time supporting students before they become chronically absent or fail courses.
Strong partnerships between guardians and the school are also key to improving attendance. According to one 5Essentials Survey, a school in the 10th percentile for family engagement had a chronic absenteeism rate of 21%, while a school in the 90th percentile had a rate of only 15%—a six percentage point difference.
When dealing with students who are frequently absent, it's important to understand the reasons for their absence on an individual basis. Typically, the issue is not with the child but with the family as a whole. It's crucial to find effective ways to keep parents informed about their children's progress in school, including attendance and grades so that early intervention can take place when necessary. Communication should occur regularly, whether through text, email or in a language the parents understand, rather than just when there's a problem.
Empower your school district to proactively identify and address chronic absenteeism trends with ease using our dashboards and coaching from our education experts. We aim to help lessen the workload and empower your educators to take the lead with the right insights. Book a demo today with Standard Education to see how we can help implement initiatives that make a difference.
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