for reducing chronic absenteeism by providing families with the tools to support their students.
On Feb. 20 the district began utilizing “EveryDay Intervention,” an evidence-based program that monitors attendance data and sends students and their families an escalating level of reminders and support to get students back on track.
The partnership with EveryDay Labs is being funded as part of a $2.5 million, five-year Full Service Community Schools federal grant the district announced in November.
Reducing chronic absenteeism has been a priority for the district under Superintendent Dr. Eric Jay Rosser. The district is also planning a series of informational sessions for parents March 4-7.
As of Jan. 27, 40.1 percent of district students this school year are considered chronically absent, having missed 10 percent or more school days, and 21.9 percent are considered at-risk, having missed between 5 and 9 percent of days.
“Students have to be in school in order to learn,” said Da’Ron Wilson, executive director of school engagement for the district.
Everyday Intervention is a four-step system:
First, it monitors daily attendance data supplied by the district.
Second, it automatically identifies students who accumulate a concerning number of absences and “nudges” them with text messages and physical mail.
Third, the nudges escalate and are extended to the student’s family.
Finally, the families are given continuous support until a student is no longer classified as at-risk or chronically absent.
The messages sent are multilingual and are personalized to suit the proper grade, school and level of absenteeism for each student. According to Everyday Labs’ site, enrolled families can receive up to six mail nudges a year and texts with offers of support up to twice a month. “The nudges are short and clear, designed with busy families in mind, and help them easily keep track of their student's absences.”
The first of the nudges by mail were sent Feb. 27. Families can opt out of receiving text messages, but not the mailed notices. The support offered to families comes through either live, one-on-one assistance with a multilingual support team, or through an AI-powered bot. The support team “helps answer families’ questions and connects them to resources that help them overcome attendance barriers,” according to the site.
According to Everyday Labs “research shows that mail-based interventions help promote positive attendance over time, while text-based communications support short-term actions needed to make long-term progress.”
More than 2,000 schools use the service, which the company estimates has prevented almost 2 million absences nationwide.
The program “offers the district a low-lift, evidence-based approach to attendance improvement for better academic outcomes,” Wilson said. “It proactively uses absenteeism data to provide family and student support and streamlines family outreach to maximize resources and mitigate barriers to student learning.”
Informational meetings
Parents and guardians can meet with district caseworkers at a series of informational meetings labeled “Every Day Counts.”
Kiera O’Loughlin, caseworker for the high school, said parents can “learn about the misconceptions in regards to attendance, tips on achieving perfect attendance, resources to improve attendance, data that shows how attendance directly affects their child's future and more.”
She said parents will be asked to participate in games “that will demonstrate the effects it has on children when they arrive to school late.”
Schedule of meetings:
- March 4, noon: 7 Eastman Terrace in the community room
- March 5, noon: 21 Williams St. in the community room
- March 6, noon: 10 Rinaldi Blvd. in the community room
- March 7, 4 p.m.: 120 Hudson Ave., in the gymnasium
Anyone who attends will be entered into a raffle for a free television. Light refreshments will be served.
For more information, contact elementary school caseworker Ariel Bland at 845-874-7884; middle school caseworker Melyssa Gomez at 845-475-6004; or O’Loughlin at 845-874-9751.
