Improving Attendance at Beech Grove Intermediate School:
A Recommendation Report
________________________________________
Introduction
Like other schools around the nation, Beech Grove Intermediate School is experiencing a serious problem with attendance. This has been cited as a problem and something that needs to be addressed so that Beech Grove Intermediate can achieve the attendance rate they need to become a Four-Star status school. Currently, the attendance at Beech Grove Intermediate is averaging around 95 percent. The rate needs to increase to 97 percent for the school to achieve Four-Star
…show more content…
10). In short, all of the authors agree that parental involvement and student-teacher interaction is very important in keeping absenteeism down.
Effective Policies and Parental Contact
As schools seek new programs and ideas for increasing student attendance, one of the two most frequently mentioned tactics in the literature are having an effective attendance policy and increasing communication with parents and guardians. According to Dan Vandivier (2003), a high school principal, attendance policies must be stringent and must also be persistently adhered to. He states that policies must be fair and also have “flexibility to accommodate mitigating circumstances” (Vandivier, 2003, p. 81). Vandivier’s new attendance policy no longer distinguished between excused and unexcused and allowed administration discretion in dealing with excessive absences for legitimate reasons (Vandivier, 2003, p. 81). Dougherty (1999) agrees that schools must produce a clear fair attendance policy that is up to date and standardized and communicate it.
Many studies have also shown a correlation between increased parental contact and increased attendance (Smerka, 1993; Epstein & Sheldon, 2002). Smerka (1993) noted that after mailing notices to all parents informing them of the success of the attendance program and asking for their support, the perfect
Student tardy rates have significantly hindered their attendance at CSI zero period classes. This has affected student achievement levels, and the rate at which students are retained in the CSI program, thus leading to a high student retention rate in CSI from year to year. This also results in large CSI class sizes that are not beneficial to student learning. In addition, when interviewing CSI teachers, it is apparent that numerous attempts were made to communicate with parents and remedy the attendance problem, however students continued to show up late to school, or miss zero period completely.
McConnell, B. M., & Kubina, R. M. (2014). Connecting With Families to Improve Students’ School Attendance: A Review of the Literature. Preventing School Failure, 58(4), 249-256. doi:10.1080/1045988X.2013.821649
My schools attendance policy sets out how the school manages issues around attendance. Attendance has to be monitored carefully to ensure there are no unauthorised absences or long spells of unexplained absences. Both children and parents have a
Always PRESENT: Students who are in class regularly do better in school; this is a fact. Make every effort to be in school every day. If you are absent, you have the number of school days you were absent plus one to turn in missed work. When you return to school, your missed work will be located in the Absentee folder bin. It is your responsibility to get your make-up work and turn it in on time. If you need an extension due to a long illness or other extenuating circumstance, please ask prior to the due date.
It is suggested by data from NAEP testing that school absences is one of the factors that has a negative impact on student learning and therefore on overall grade point average and test scores. In a table that shows the coloration of school days missed with the percent of student with a 3.0 of higher grade point average, in the Sioux Falls school district in South Dakota, data suggests that as
A popular method of distribution is through a Faculty and Student Handbook, which is also sent home for parents to read and realize its application to the school’s learning community and culture. Another form of announcement of the school’s disciplinary plan is through a beginning of the year school-wide assembly, as well as imaginative presentations (Marzano, R., Marzano, J., & Pickering, 2003, pg. 109). These presentations could be televised, or in-person; they could possibly consist of skits that seriously, yet humorously, depict scenarios that illustrate students expected behavior while on school grounds and may require a demonstration of resolutions to problems through the use of the school’s prevention intervention plan. There also is the offering of an open house night for parents to come into the school and discuss the school’s expectations and procedures, as well as ask questions pertaining to the school’s PBIS and management program (Marzano, R., Marzano, J., & Pickering, 2003, pg. 109); this is a highly effective way to involve and inform parents of the school’s requirements and intentions to keep and enforce a stable, solid, and safe community of engaged learners on the school grounds. One other additional method in continuously remind
Attendance policies are put in place as a means for instructors to clearly state the expectations they hold for their students. If a student does not believe they need to be educated then there are options such as to test out of the course. I do, however, understand that life is not entirely predictable and things come up that may require a leave of absence; In which case stringent attendance policies could be considered on a case-by-case basis as an exception to the rule. That being said, the author did not persuade me into believing that doing away with attendance policy completely would benefit the
Purpose of / Need for the Policy: Parental involvement is important for student success. High-quality education cannot be provided without involving parents in the learning process. When enrolling a student, parent sign a Contract of Excellence, committing to 40 parent hours each year, to help with their student’s achievement. The school will provide parent workshops, communication, clubs, and activities to coach, train, and empower parents so they can better assist their child’s quest of a first-rate education.
According to the National Center for Student Engagements, schools are most effective in achieving high attendance rates when parents, school leaders and community members work together to focus on reducing absences and truancy, and keeping kids in schools. (www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/school-attendance-issues/)
While studying or even registering for a class presents a challenge to some college students, the greatest obstacle remains, going to class. Attending college is supposed to signify a new found freedom to make many important choices regarding education without high school mandatory attendance policies. However, students everywhere are coming to the staggering realization that college is not too different from high school. Teachers still take class roll and students are still expected to be at every class on time. What next, hall monitors in the hall? The time has come for action to be taken. Colleges must abolish mandatory student attendance policies for several reasons to be further discussed.
Student absenteeism causes lost of the precious time devoted to education. Moreover, some of the children who typically stay away from school, display unsuitable and aggressive behaviors in the society. It is therefore crystal clear that any sort of unauthorized attendance is a huge matter
Parental involvement in education is a vital essential for creating a cooperative environment for the student to thrive and succeed in. When a student knows that he or she is receiving support both inside and outside the school, the chances of that child becoming responsible for and active in their education are more likely. I know that there can be difficulties including parents for many reasons. Such parents may be too busy, uninterested or just feel helpless. However, as an educator, I will still have an obligation to reach out to these parents and assist them.
Another personal related problem is jobs. Most students are working part-time in order to support themselves and their family which at times will lead to intrusion with school hours, home works, no time for studying especially to major exams and various school activities which otherwise leads to failing grade. Peer pressure is also another factor wherein these students are being led to bad influences such as drinking, drug which causes a major side effect to students (Schwartz, 1995). Schools do this in order to handle their problem. Students from broken homes are also likely to drop out of school due to the stressful situation that they have to go through and thus affect their concentration in school. Furthermore, most students who dropped out of school don't like school to begin with. These students will rebel and do anything against the school rules in order to be kicked out (Schwartz, 1995). They are likely to fail on their subjects, doesn't get along with other students, and have disciplinary problems. Oftentimes, disciplinary actions are taken before they are dropped out.
Teacher absenteeism puts students at a loss. New research suggests that teacher absenteeism is becoming problematic in U. S. public schools, as about one in three teachers miss more than ten days of school each year. U. S. teacher absence rates are nearly three times those of managerial and professional employees. First-ever figures from the U. S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, compiled in 2012, also show that in a few
Although the schooling was free and compulsory in Canada in the mid and late nineteenth century, there was a problem of absenteeism of children in schools due to various reasons. Firstly, familial economic and social reasons. Secondly, economic and social factors determining absenteeism. Next, public schools, teachers, and parents as factors influencing absenteeism. Last but not the least, public schools and teachers as determining factors of absenteeism.