Our seven participating districts collectively raised regular attendance by 3%!
Social media posts, videos and graphics are available to download and use on your own websites and social pages to get the word out about the importance of regular attendance as well as to ignite needed conversation surrounding solving this epidemic.
Highlights of the year for the SOESDĀ attendance team:
- Development of a regional Chronically Absent Prediction Tool (CAPT)
- Three Regional Round Table gatherings: our network shared best practices with job-alike peers and heard from leaders across the region and state who are successfully leading positive change in regular attendance gains
- Positive Discipline training for district teams by Jody McVittie from Sound Discipline
- Highly Effective Data Team training from Scott Perry
- Empathy interview and progress monitoring training from Chalkboard
- Quarterly district attendance team meetings with SOESD Attendance Team
- Initiated Southern Oregon Regular Attendance Marketing Campaign
All of our participating districts individually raised regular attendance: experiencing 1% – 9.5% gains!
Successful change ideas implemented by our participating districts:
- Forming a district-wide attendance team and meeting regularly
- Sending positive messages and letters using asset-based language to families and students
- Implementing empathy interviews to discover root causes of chronic absenteeism
- Holding informational family nights with dinner and discussions of needs included
- Check-in/Check-out system for chronically absent students with an adult they trust, using a time card system with a punch clock (the kids thought it was fun!)
- Developing a district-wide attendance handbook/attendance plan
- Developing positive scripts for phone calls to parents/families to be used throughout the district
- Holding listening sessions with families to discover root causes of chronic absenteeism
- Developing school-wide acknowledgment programs for improved and regular attendance
- Conferencing with chronically absent students
- Conducting home visits and leaving a “door hanger” on the door handle with available resources if no one answered
- Developing PBIS lesson plans to use next year to teach about the importance of regular attendance
- Holding weekend retreats to educate staff and “appreciate” the problem of chronic absenteeism in order to identify positive next steps to increase regular attendance
- Greeting students at the entrance to the school with music and conversation
- Student Information System training provided to attendance staff