By Request Examines

Attendance

Issues

By Jennifer Railsback

The issue of poor student attendance isn't new. Although policies have been written, sanctions administered, and children counseled, the problem still persists. In fact, absenteeism is on the rise, with some cities reporting a rate as high as 30 percent. Not only are chronically absent children at risk for more serious behaviors, such as criminal delinquency, but also their educational progress is slowed by not attending school on a regular basis. Simply put, missed school means less time for learning.

While the importance of attendance is well understood, there are no "silver bullet" approaches proven to keep children in school. Much of the research in this area has looked at the effectiveness of intervention programs that are put into place once a student has been identified as chronically absent. Other research has investigated factors that lead to an increased likelihood that a student will stay in school.

The latest issue of By Request, Increasing Student Attendance: Strategies From Research and Practice, discusses these issues and pre-sents some research-based ideas as a starting place to develop better policies and practices. The booklet also provides examples of the great work schools and communities are doing regionally to encourage school attendance.

Elementary schools such as Warm Springs in Oregon and Pablo in Montana celebrate good attendance and have conversations with parents about the importance of getting their children to school. Putnam High in Milwaukie, Oregon, and Wilson High in Tacoma, Washington, have freshman transition programs with peer mentoring. Organizations such as the Oregon Council for Hispanic Achievement work with schools to provide support to minority youth.

To obtain a free copy of this By Request, e-mail NWREL at info@nwrel.org or call Amy Steve at (503) 275-9720. An online version will be available at www.nwrel.org/request in late June.