Principal and Community School Directors
Roughly 1 in 5 students in New York City is chronically absent. Students miss school for hundreds of reasons, including transportation, health, bullying, and lack of engagement. To combat chronic absenteeism, the City of New York, launched the Every Student, Every Day Campaign in 2014.
Chronic Absenteeism
A chronically absent student is defined as having missed 10% or 18+ days in a single school year.
Students who attend school regularly are less likely to fall behind and more likely to achieve success in school and beyond.
Learn more from a recent webinar: The Big Idea: Cracking the Code on Chronic Absence (September 24, 2018, 60 min) with Sarah Peterson (Director of Research and Development, Office of Community Schools, NYCDOE); Sarah Jonas (Deputy Executive Director, Office of Community Schools, NYCDOE); and Julie McGarry (Program Manager, High School Initiatives Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence)
Creating a Welcoming and Supportive Climate
The Principal and Community School Director's focus on attendance makes the biggest difference in combating chronic absenteeism by creating a welcoming and supportive climate, offering programs that meet student needs, and a system for recognizing good and improved attendance.
Take Action: Attendance Planning
Starting the school year with a set plan of action will help your school address students' chronic absences throughout the year. Identifying target students (Those with a history of chronic absence in the previous year or already missing two days in September) is a key place to begin. Community Schools focus on student interventions according to the following tiers:
Tier 1 Students - Attendance above 90%
Tier 2 Students - Attendance between 80% - 90%
Tier 3 Students - Attendance below 80%
Use these tiers and resources below to help your students improve their attendance.
Organizing Resources
As a key component of the Every Student, Every Day Campaign, Principals and Community School Directors lead the school to address the issue of chronic absence.
Identifying & Monitoring Impact
Eliminating Chronic Absenteeism: Identifying Target Students
(Webinar Deck, September 26, 2018)
Community Schools Strategy
Attendance Program Toolkit
(Principal's Portal)
Every Student, Every Day Toolkit (U.S. DOE)
Google Slides: What is Chronic Absenteeism ?