Attendance crucial to academic success
Woody Allen is famous for saying that “80% of success is just showing up.” As we move into July and schools across the county, state and country review the data and assess the effects of the pandemic on student learning, one item becomes very clear: too many of our students are not “showing up.”
Educators concerned about student attendance, prior to the pandemic, are even more alarmed at truancy rates from this most recent school year.
Schools have never offered more support for students in the areas of academics, mental health, and social and emotional learning. Lenawee County schools are making wise and intentional use of additional federal dollars available to schools to address the academic and social emotional needs of students. These dollars are being used for additional counseling, social work, teacher support and academic intervention to help address learning loss and mental health challenges resulting from the pandemic.
Unfortunately, with the alarming rate of truancy, many of our students most in need of these supports are not at school to benefit from them. School attendance at all grades is crucial, however, consistent attendance is even more critical at the early grades. One key takeaway from the increased efforts to promote literacy at the early grades is that “in grades K-3 kids are learning to read, after third grade they are reading to learn.” Students below grade level are at a significant disadvantage for school and post-secondary success. Research is clear that 64% of students with satisfactory attendance in kindergarten and first grade are reading at grade level by third grade, while only 17% of students who did not have satisfactory attendance read at grade level in third grade. Experts have identified reading proficiency by third grade as one of the most important indicators of long term success.
Along with encouraging your child to read for at least 20 minutes every day, and/or reading to them, the most important thing you can do to help ensure your child's success in school and after graduation is to make sure you are getting them to school. This will also pay dividends later in life. Employers clearly communicate that the employability skills that students learn in school are just as essential as academic knowledge. One of these key traits is attendance. Employers share with school leaders how crucial it is that students have good work habits and can be counted on to come to work consistently. There is no better time to build this habit than in the early years of school and throughout school.
As we move into mid-summer, I encourage you to take full advantage of the down time and opportunities that summer provides for families. I also hope that you will reflect on your child's attendance, and if necessary, set up a plan with them to ensure that next school year they attend school consistently to fully realize the benefits that education can provide them. If you think it would be helpful, set a reminder in your calendar to contact your child’s school in August to partner with school staff to create and implement a plan to ensure that your child “shows up” next school year and builds the foundation that will allow them to realize their hopes and dreams.
Nate Parker is superintendent of Adrian Public Schools.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Nate Parker: Attendance crucial to academic success
