The United States Department of Education recently released the numbers from a national study on chronic absence in schools. The study defines chronic absence as students who miss more than 15 days in a school year and found that more than six million students across the the nation fall into this category.
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Education secretary John B. King, Jr. commented, “Even the best teachers can’t be successful with students who aren’t in class.”
And while we can’t force our students to get up and come to school each day, we can take small steps to help bridge the gap. Often, we know nothing about the battles our students are facing. But teaching is all about making a difference, and sometimes that means doing the little things that may encourage them to be at school, every day.
1. Create a classroom culture where students feel included. Setting boundaries and making sure students understand what behaviors are acceptable allows students to feel safe. When our students feel safe, they’re more likely to learn, and more likely to be present.
2. Invest in students to establish a personal relationship. One veteran teacher asked her younger colleague, “Do you know something personal about each one of your students?” Our students need to know that we care about them outside of the classroom. It can be simple things such as Johnny plays travel baseball on the weekends or Laura loves to paint and wants to be an artist when she grows up. Perhaps its, Susie has 4 younger siblings that she takes care of after school. When you know about the details of their lives, students feel more connected to you, your class, and their learning.
3. Contact the parents. Sometimes just a little nudge helps remind the parents how important it is to have their child at school each day. It may also make the parent feel more comfortable sending their child to school knowing that the teacher notices when their child is absent. The study notes that absenteeism rates are highest among high schoolers, who are perhaps driving themselves or ditching the bus. A phone call to the parents might make them aware of a situation they didn’t know existed and together, you can find a solution.
4. Create a streamlined system for absent work. No matter how much effort is put into high attendance rates, there will always be absent students. Setting up a designated area of the classroom where students can go to get all of their missing assignments makes the process of getting caught up much easier for everyone involved. It also allows you to continue with instruction and then help that student individually at a more convenient time. Check out this pin for an idea of how to get started.
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