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Progress in reducing chronic absenteeism; community survey available
As the Poughkeepsie City School District continues to seek community input for addressing the issue of chronic absenteeism, strategies already implemented are yielding positive early results.
Through December, the percentage of students characterized as chronically absent was down more than 18 percentage points compared to a year ago. And, two schools – the Early Learning Center and Krieger Elementary – have been honored as the first two winners of the district’s attendance incentive program.
Parents, students and community members are encouraged to provide their thoughts on how to reduce chronic absenteeism through the district’s online survey available here. A student is considered chronically absent if they miss 10% of their school days, which equates to two or three days a month. Research has shown students who are chronically absent are more likely to struggle at the elementary level to gain the literacy skills needed to thrive, and are less likely to ultimately graduate from high school. This is particularly true of children in poverty.
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the problem of chronic absenteeism nationally, and Poughkeepsie has taken steps to respond to the issue, such as prioritizing engagement with families, incentivizing and acknowledging attendance achievements, and instituting the Everyday Labs system for notifying families of attendance trends. Most recently, the district in December launched an incentive program in each school building and the Attendance Matters social media campaign.
Through December 2024, 33.2% of district students were chronically absent. While that number remains too high, it represents a decrease from 51.4% in December 2023. Six of seven district school buildings experienced a significant drop; the percentage at the Early Learning Center saw a decrease from 90% to 43.6%, and Poughkeepsie Middle School saw a drop of 42.4% to 18%, the lowest in the district.
On average, district students were absent 6.8 of the 71 potential attendance days through December. However, students characterized as chronically absent missed an average of 14.9 days during that span, punctuating the difficulties for such students to keep up with their classmates in learning.
Addressing chronic absenteeism during the winter months is especially important, as factors such as frigid outdoor temperatures and the spread of illness can discourage attendance.
The district every Monday has been posting messages discouraging absenteeism and explaining the value of attending school through its Attendance Matters social media campaign, and encouraging all other community organizations and businesses to repost the messages to educate their own followers on the issue.
Under the incentive program, schools each month are competing to see which can reduce chronic absenteeism the most and which can have the highest overall attendance percentage.
For the first month, the Early Learning Center led all schools by reducing chronic absenteeism by 2%, and Krieger had the highest attendance, 88%. Both schools are receiving $500 to be used on elements to enhance the educational environment, at the principals’ discretion. The uses span from new pencils and children’s supplies to new games at recess.
The program was established through Community Schools and financed through a My Brother’s Keeper Family and Community Engagement grant.
“What better way to kick off the competition than for the earliest learners to lead the way and set an example for all schools to improve?” Community Schools Executive Director Natasha Brown said of the first winners. She noted the importance of getting the word out on how chronic absenteeism, even for pre-K and kindergarteners, can impact educational progression. “Parent education is one of the biggest things we can do to reduce absences for the little ones.”