Even Excused Absences Can Hurt Student Learning

  1. Updates
  2. News
  3. Playworks for School
  4. School Climate

September is Attendance Awareness Month. Five tactics to improve school wide attendance and therefore student learning.

September is Attendance Awareness Month. Students who have good attendance do well in school and in their future workplace. Unfortunately, 1 in 10 students nationwide and 1 in 4 students in some cities are missing too much school. Missing 10 percent of the school year (just 2 to 3 days each month) is call chronic absenteeism. Chronic absences affect not only the students missing school, but the entire classroom because teachers must help with work missed while trying to instruct the whole class.Attendance Works, an initiative that promotes the important role of attendance to student success, is sharing four key strategies that schools, parents and communities across the nation can take to improve school attendance.

  1. Engage families and the entire community. When communities work together to address attendance issues, changes come faster. Schools can provide information to families about the importance of attendance, help families who are struggling to get their students to school and provide incentives to students attending school.
  2. Fix transportation. Something as simple as just getting to school can be a challenge for some students. Cities can improve bus systems. Schools can provide students with bus passes or schools buses. And communities can organize walking school buses.
  3. Address health needs. Health problems may keeps students at home. Schools and medical professionals can work together to connect families to needed information and health care.
  4. Track the right data. Schools may be missing data by only tracking average daily attendance or unexcused absences. But chronic absenteeism occurs when students miss school due to excused absences, unexcused absences and even suspensions. Attendance Works shares data tools on their website for any school to use.

We’d like to add one more tactic…

Create a school community where every child wants to be. When students want to come to school, they are more likely to be present daily and on time. We can create a positive school climate, especially at recess, where every child feels welcomed by including inclusive play and playfulness throughout the school day. Let’s make play a school norm!

How do you make attendance a priority in your community?
 

More Updates


New England AmeriCorps Coaches
New England AmeriCorps Coaches

March 13, 2023

AmeriCorps Week 2023 ›

Join us in saying #AmeriThanks to our Playworks AmeriCorps Coaches! During #AmeriCorpsWeek, we are sending out giant Whoosh Claps to our 56 AmeriCorps Members completing their service year with Playworks. These Coaches are working in schools in 7 regions, impacting 31,791 kids each and every day. “For the kids and the future of our youth…

January 19, 2023

Introducing New Members of Playworks Board of Directors ›

Playworks is thrilled to welcome five new members to our National Board of Directors. Each brings a unique set of talents and perspective that will support Playworks’ mission. The individuals who joined the Playworks Board in December 2022 and January 2023 are: Leslie Boissiere Vice President, External Affairs Annie E. Casey Foundation Leslie oversees the Annie…

kids playing catch
kids playing catch

January 10, 2023

Understanding the Complex Simplicities of Play ›

Play is a behavior that is natural and has existed for thousands of years and across species. It combines a set of made-up rules or norms and a willingness to explore. Researchers, scientists, and doctors have studied the effects of play on kids–and adults–and understand that this natural behavior has tremendous benefits. As the American…