ATTENDANCE
Principals’ and school staff meet once per week as an Attendance committee discuss the attendance issues of the school. Parents and students may not realize that even excused absences, if they accumulate, can be a problem and lead to falling behind in the classroom.
We utilize back-to-school letters, social media, phone calls from teachers, counselors and our CBO, rob calls (ideally personalized by classroom or at least school) to communicate when school starts and weekly , what attendance policies are in place and how important attendance is for student achievement. While parents are the primary target for elementary outreach, students should be included in the messaging campaigns by middle and high school. The committee keep a rolling agenda so that we keep an accurate record of the students in need. We discuss 407's, daily attendance as well as attendance in classes. We examine the data looking for patterns of absence for example is the child absent most Mondays and Fridays, are the absences connected to child care issues. When a issue is recognized and documented the CBO Grand Street Settlement and the Guidance Counselors make out reach. This can take the form of home visits with the attendance teacher or wellness checks with the CBO and Guidance Counselor.
We maintain ongoing two-way communication, including collecting up-to-date contact information and encouraging families to ask for assistance if they face barriers such as transportation issues, job loss, unstable housing arrangements or health concerns. We keep messages positive while mentioning that families will be contacted if absences start adding up.
CEP GOALS By June 2024, Chronic Absenteeism for All Students will decrease 6%, from 26% in June 2023 to 20% in June 2024, as measured by Chronic Absenteeism Results.
Attendance Meeting
The Weekly Attendance Team Meeting is a weekly meeting to focus on students' attendance and and how the team can best mitigate the circumstances around low attendance This meeting is run by the Community School Principal and the Community School Director, this in-person or virtual meeting is a vital part of a proactive attendance strategy in NYC Community Schools. We keep a rolling agenda to make sure we keep track of our intervention efforts.
Core Capacities
Shared leadership supports families as drivers of school engagement and learning so that...
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Authentic school governance connects families through forums and events, and offers targeted adult education
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Family leader expertise is valued and developed through a "ladder of engagement"
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Teachers, CBOs, and families collaborate to support student learning
Delivers the right services to the right student at the right time through...
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New community partners to provide integrated services
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Extended Learning Time, which ensures coherence in curriculum and instruction across the school day
Nurtures students' connection to the school and the community through integrated supports that...
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Develop students' academic and personal behavior
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Create supportive environments
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Improve relationships (students:adults and among students)
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Give students a sense of ownership/leadership in the school
Captures a portrait of the whole child using...
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Data inquiry to drive instruction, services, programs, and policies
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Services which are monitored for ongoing impact
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School / CBO partnerships that align interventions with data
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Case management which occurs across disciplines and teams