When students are chronically absent, it puts them at higher risk for academic failure and dropping out of high school. In the years following the pandemic, national chronic absenteeism rates have nearly doubled, and now 66% of schools experience challenges with chronic absenteeism.
Recently, ParentSquare released a new guide to help schools and districts address their challenges with chronic absenteeism to create positive solutions that encourage school attendance. The guide, Showing up for Success: Family Engagement Strategies for Chronic Absenteeism, includes research and practical communications-based strategies for improving attendance.
To connect this helpful guide with real-world examples of how schools address chronic absenteeism each day using ParentSquare, we hosted a panel discussion with school communications leaders who use the platform in their own districts. In this webinar, Shelly Reggiani, Ed. D., Taneika Taylor Tukan, Anthony Johnson, and Latoya Presley had a conversation about the ways family engagement is leveraged to improve attendance at their schools.
How can ParentSquare help address chronic absenteeism?
In our recent guide, we share research and actionable strategies that schools and districts can leverage to address chronic absenteeism. ParentSquare is a valuable tool that can help schools build strong relationships with students and families. It’s key for schools to uplift families as an asset to address chronic absenteeism, bringing parents to the table in the conversation about attendance and empowering them as partners in finding solutions to chronic absenteeism.
Schools using ParentSquare are able to engage families in a variety of ways, using the range of tools on our platform. Schools that created more posts on ParentSquare reported an increase in positive relationships between families, administrators, and teachers. Additionally, the schools that used ParentSquare to send more direct messages reported greater trust and respect between families and school staff. These connections and relationships are foundational to addressing chronic absenteeism throughout the school community.
What’s causing chronic absenteeism in your schools?
Several of our panelists said they employed surveys and interviews to collaborate with the school community and pinpoint the causes of chronic absenteeism. Taneika’s district did teacher empathy interviews, parent focus groups, student community circles at secondary levels. Shelly noted that a key part of the survey process in her district was ensuring all surveys were provided in the family’s home language.
The most common causes of absences were similar across each of the panelists’ districts: student illness, overwhelm or mental health, and challenges with engagement. Students also struggle with lifestyle barriers, such as the lack of morning or nighttime routines which can make it harder for them to get to a bus or walk to school on time.
Anthony said that ParentSquare has been central to his district’s ability to pinpoint why students are missing school, as the two-way communication features enable families to be in direct contact with school staff.
What has been your district’s most impactful strategy to improve attendance?
To address chronic absenteeism, our panelists have leveraged a variety of strategies in their districts. Latoya highlighted her district’s focus on community building centered around positivity and engagement. When a student has repeated absences, the school reaches out to check in with families about the issue, share resources to support on-time attendance, and emphasize the importance of being in school each day.
In Anthony’s district, a tiered intervention approach ensures targeted responses to a variety of different absenteeism challenges. Some families just need a reminder, while others need deeper intervention and resources. ParentSquare makes it possible for schools to build strong relationships and engagement with families, in a way that is convenient, accessible, and easy-to-use.
Part of that accessibility comes down to language preference, Shelly noted during the conversation, going on to stress that honoring families’ home languages is not just a strategy, but is also a core value in her district. Understanding who the individuals in your district are––from the bigger picture of their social identity to the layers of cultural, racial, and linguistic nuance for every family––can help widen the perspective from which districts begin to address the barriers that contribute to chronic absenteeism.
Key takeaways from the conversation
Latoya emphasized the importance of putting out clear messaging related to chronic absenteeism, even going back to the basics of the importance of attendance and the impacts of absences. On the spectrum of engagement, we so often focus on how to inform families, but Anthony noted the importance of also opening up communications to be both ways, creating two-way connections with families. These authentic connections are essential, ensuring families feel heard and are active partners in addressing chronic absenteeism.
This true partnership between families and schools is what Shelly says is key to addressing the issue of attendance. Developing these relationships begins right on campus, including cultivating a strong school culture and effectively engaging with students.
“It’s important to know our students and build core relationships that are caring and trusting,” Shelly said. “But it’s also understanding that we have this cultural need inside of our schools for belonging that centers the identity of each student. it has to be both of these things, both in partnership with a parent, but also the practices inside of the school and the school district that centers families, their identities, and their needs. That’s one of the ways we can have this really strong partnership.”
Taneika echoed this sentiment, saying that “Focusing on culture and relationships is really critical. That’s how we keep students and bring students and families into our buildings. They have to want to be there, and that is all driven by the culture and the environment that they walk into when they come to our schools.”
Read our guide on addressing chronic absenteeism
ParentSquare is a powerful tool to support schools and districts as they address chronic absenteeism. Read the ParentSquare guide to discover more actionable strategies to prevent, manage, and mitigate chronic absenteeism: Showing up for Success: Family Engagement Strategies for Chronic Absenteeism
This conversation opened up a rich dialogue about the many ways schools and districts can leverage family engagement to improve attendance. We thank our panelists for offering their unique perspectives and sharing their own experiences in their districts. To view the conversation in its entirety, check out the webinar recording.
