Attendance Awareness Month: Attend and Engage

September is Attendance Awareness Month. It’s the beginning of the school year, a perfect time to emphasize to students and families the importance of showing up at school.

Educators know that chronic absenteeism is bad for students; it often causes increased drop-out rates, lower grades, and diminished classroom engagement. Having that conversation with students is important; they should know that their presence in school has a purpose.

Here are some of the ways educators can work with students and their families to create a culture that celebrates the value of showing up to school:

• Tell your students that their attendance matters. Establish procedures for students to follow if they miss school so that they can keep up with their schoolwork.
• Make the classroom a healthy, safe, and welcoming environment for students.
• Encourage students to talk about their goals; discuss with them the importance of attending school to achieve those goals.
• Engage with family members. Talk to them when you have concerns about their student’s attendance, but also before it becomes a problem. Tell them you value their child’s presence in the classroom, and that you appreciate the family’s efforts to get them to school.
• Promote clubs and co-curricular activities that advance a sense of belonging and peer connection for students.
• Keep the school counselors in the loop: If you notice that a child would benefit from interventions such as health care or mental health supports, alert social workers who can help them access those services. If a child needs help with external barriers such as transportation, clean clothes, etc., counselors or school administrators should be aware of that as well.