Being in school can make all the difference in a student’s success story.
Students who are in school learn more, achieve at greater levels and are more likely to graduate. Metro Schools wants the best for our students, and together we can make sure they’re reaching their full potential. To put it simply: Attendance Matters! We want our students in school All Day. Every Day.
Did you know if students miss just two days per month, every month, they are less likely to graduate from high school? By third grade, chronic absenteeism can lead to a 50-day instructional gap – more than a quarter of a school year. By the time they graduate, that student has missed 140 days – almost a whole year of schooling.
Regular school attendance is critical to the development and education of children; it is also one of the most powerful predictors of future success, both in school and after graduation.
“MNPS is ramping up our communication about attendance through our districtwide Attendance Matters 2.0 campaign,” said Dr. Carol L. Brown, the district’s director of attendance services. “Every student and school in the district are receiving helpful resources to monitor attendance and manage absenteeism. We can see the impact our Attendance Matters campaign had last year, so we want to ensure we are doing it bigger and better this year! Because Attendance Matters! All day, every day!”
Poor attendance creates significant learning gaps and hinders the opportunities for academic, social and emotional growth as well as the possibilities for success that daily schooling offers to each student.
Attending school and learning is a progressive activity, meaning each day’s lessons build upon those of the day before. The students who are present and participate in discussions, experiments, demonstrations and other classroom activities gain a much more valuable and tangible experience than those who are absent.
It’s easy to overlook how absences add up and impact a student’s success, but even a few days here and there can affect student achievement. Habitual absenteeism leads to frustration for the student and for the teacher. Students will have a difficult time keeping up with their classmates academically and commonly fall behind.
It is important to remember that being late to school or leaving school early also results in missed time in class and can affect students just as absences do.
Help Your Student Succeed
As a parent, your support for student attendance is critical. Here are a few ideas to help your child show up every day:
- Set up for success the night before – lay out clothes, pack your bookbag and do whatever else you can at night to give yourself an easier morning.
- Rhythm and routines – help your children maintain a morning routine that gets them out the door on time.
- Talk about the importance – school is just as important as a job, and showing up on time is crucial.
Metro Schools puts the health of students first, so we recognize it is important to keep your child home while they are sick, and there are cases when students must be absent due to unknown circumstances. Of course, students who are sick should stay home to reduce the risk of spreading illness until they feel better and are no longer contagious. Prioritize your health.
But as soon as students feel better, they should be back at school and ready once again to learn and succeed.