Attendance Still Matters…

As a young girl, my family relocated from New York to Florida in the late eighties. I vividly recall that my mother made a concerted effort to move during the holiday season to cause minimal disruption to my education experience. We arrived in Miami just ahead of the winter holidays, with the understanding that this would provide ample time to get registered at the local school and acclimated to our new residence and surrounding community. At that time, attendance initiatives were much more stringent – and even included staff that helped substantiate the imperativeness of students being in school each day. Many schools employed truancy officers who were tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that children were in school on time each day. Moreover, the accrual of three tardies equated to one absence, further driving home the point that student attendance was not just considered important – it was the expectation across K-12 institutions.

In more contemporary times, I now serve as an administrator – and student attendance remains a critical issue. Student attendance impacts everything from district and school funding to the ever-expanding achievement gap evident in classrooms nationwide. According to Florida State Statute Sections 1003.26 and 1003.27, a student demonstrating truancy is explained as anyone under 16 who does not have regular school attendance. As Florida is a 'compulsory education' state, regular school attendance is required of students ages 6 through 16, with the understanding that at age 16, a child can take legal measures to remove herself from the … While the implementation of this mandate may appear different across counties and school districts, the state considers truancy under the following tenets:  A juvenile who has amassed 15 or more unexcused absences, typically within ninety-day period. There is also language in the law to account for older students who may have accumulated excessive absences without the knowledge of a parent or guardian.

While some areas in Florida have experienced great success with regular school attendance, it continues to create challenges for many communities, particularly after the pandemic in 2020. According to an article in Florida Politics, student absenteeism is at an all-time high in our state following the COVID-19 outbreak nearly five years ago. At the close of 2023, statistics indicate that 30% of students in Florida are documented with eighteen absences in a school year. In light of the fact that an instructional year includes 180 school days, this means that nearly one million learners still need ten percent of the contact hours necessary for academic preparation in our school buildings.

As an elementary school principal, much time is spent disaggregating school-wide data, specifically academics and attendance. Administrators work closely with their central and district office counterparts to identify students facing severe academic consequences. Regrettably, those are often individuals with significant attendance deficits, even at this early stage. It would be fair to assert that most schools – traditional and non-traditional spend an inordinate amount of time addressing the causes of chronic absenteeism – and how this deficit may be counteracted in our school communities. Many schools develop attendance action plans and related incentives to promote the importance of healthy school attendance practices. For example, we announce the grade level with the best attendance as part of our daily school announcements. We also post class and grade-level attendance in a central location in our building. Students can see how they compare with their counterparts, which spurs healthy competition in our school community. Students who achieve a certain number of perfect attendance days in their class or grade level are eligible for various activities such as an ice cream social, a popcorn party – or even a 'lunch bunch' with the administration. Students with the highest attendance rates in their classes or across grade levels are also eligible for specific field trips. They will be able to participate in special activities held at the end of each quarter.

While much effort is put into making school a place of learning that all students want to come to, it is germane to note that this does not guarantee that such tactics will have a noteworthy impact on student attendance. Many children – certainly those of elementary school age – are not responsible for ensuring they arrive at school each day ready for learning. Overwhelmingly, that is the responsibility of an adult. With this in mind, educating parents on the importance of regular student attendance has also been necessary. In addition to the numerous webinars, social media initiatives, and multitude of resources available through our district, many school administrators have resorted to hosting parent events before, during, and after the school day. This is an opportunity to provide families with valuable information on providing optimum learning experiences for their children – starting with routines and behaviors in the home. Although success has been incremental, it appears to be trending in the right direction! What are some things that you have done at your school or in your district that have brought success in this area?

Tanisha Cunningham is the Principal at Barbara Hawkins Elementary School, in Miami-Dade County.