Missing school relates to missing graduation & positive
experiences. . . and what to do
Missing school is a
big deal. When students miss class, they have to catch up and when one absence becomes
many, this may lead to a failure to graduate, according to growing research.
In Hawaii’s public
schools, “chronic absenteeism” means missing 15 or more days of school during
the school year. Hawaii’s Department of Education doesn’t count
prekindergartners’ and medical-emergency absences as part of chronic
absenteeism.
However, when it comes
to how absences affect on-time graduation or the failure to graduate,
there’s no difference between excused, unexcused, counted or uncounted
absences. A student is either present in class or not. It’s not about why
a student is absent, but rather it’s that a student is absent.
Across-the-board
findings
Here’s how absences
have hurt students, says The Importance of Being in School: A Report on
Absenteeism in the Nation’s Public Schools by John Hopkins University:
· Chronically absent students in
prekindergarten and kindergarten often continue that pattern and are more
likely to fail and have lower achievement.
· Students who came to school
academically ready but were chronically absent in kindergarten and first grade
scored almost 100 points below good attenders on third-grade math tests and 60
points less on reading tests.
· Children from low-income families
who were chronically absent in kindergarten achieved at the lowest level in
fifth grade.
· Students with high test scores who
missed 10 or more days of school each semester were more likely to fail than
students with low test scores who missed five or less days.
· Nationally, students with 10 or more
absences in the 10th grade were three times as likely to drop out, according to
the National Center for Education Statistics.
In the
Windward District
Chronically absent
students have felt test anxiety and anger, and experienced banishment from peer
groups, said Laie Elementary School Counselor Debra Hilweh of the things she’s
seen on campus. “Absenteeism affects academics and social connections. ... The
more the student misses, the harder it is to play catch-up. Many give up,"
she said of tardy and absent students.
“Good school experiences
aren't often the case for students who are chronically absent," said
Kahuku High and Intermediate Interim Principal Annette Ostrem. "Loss of
learning influences students' motivation, knowledge and readiness for future
classes, and may impact them well into adulthood."
Furthermore, "it
is obvious that attendance and related absenteeism are key indicators for
monitoring student learning in high schools,” said Castle High Acting Principal
Darrel Galera.
Hawaii
parents face the law
Parents and legal
guardians are responsible for their children’s absences. If there is
educational neglect – failure to give children proper educational care and
attention – those adults may pay a price. Examples of educational neglect are
failing to enroll a child in school and allowing a child to continually miss
school.
Immediate consequences
for parents, said Windward District Social Worker Patt Sornsin, can include:
· standing before a judge and
explaining why their child is not attending school
· facing a court order to attend
services like parenting and anger-management classes, and counseling/therapy
· receiving judge’s orders to appear
in court more often
· answering to state agencies like the
departments of human services and health if the judge says so.
Present-in-class payoffs
Besides graduating on
time and avoiding the law, good attendance can:
· lead students out of poverty
· result in children from low-income
families gaining more literacy skills than classmates from higher-income
families during kindergarten and first grade
· produce readiness for college,
career and community.
Just do
it
Parents are asked to
ensure that students attend school whenever they’re healthy and to always
message the school when their child is absent, regardless of the number of
absences or the reasons. Excuse notes for illnesses, and visits to the doctor
and dentist will allow students to make up schoolwork but these absences count
toward chronic absenteeism, as mentioned in this report’s second paragraph.
At Laie Elementary,
the Attendance Matters program motivates students to attend school daily
and on time. Each month, one class in each grade with the best attendance and
least tardies gets to share a traveling trophy. The one class with the best
attendance in the entire school gets a larger trophy in its class each
month. Sometimes they enjoy longer PE periods and healthy rewards.
"Attendance
Matters takes advantage of students' competitive nature and positively reinforces
attendance from a group approach," said Principal Matt Ho. "The best
way to get students to school is to instill the self-drive to want to come to
school daily and on time.” Parents and the community can also see attendance
data in Laie’s newsletter.
Other schools message
parents through phone calls, emails and letters each time a student is absent.
Additionally, Kahuku High and Intermediate contacts parents when their child’s
absences reach five days. At 10, parents get a letter requesting a conference.
Furthermore, in early
2014, the Be Pono - Be in School campaign that includes 16,000 students
in all 31 Windward District schools will launch a video contest with celebrity
judges and exciting prizes, said Paula Wong, district educational specialist.
Take
control
Tardiness and
absenteeism challenges "can be resolved earlier by seeking support from
your school,” Kahuku High's Ostrem said. “Contacting the counselor can start
your child’s return to class and learning."
Guardians can also talk
with their child’s teacher, ask for help if needed, and take advantage of
school websites and technology for attendance information.
The efforts and
evidence surrounding chronic absenteeism are in: From prekindergarten forward,
good attendance leads to a high school diploma. Coming to school every day now
means graduating on time later.
