Why Every Day Counts
STRIVE
FOR LESS THAN 5
DAYS ABSENT
#EVERYDAYCOUNTS
For many students, chronic absence - missing 10 percent or
more than 18 days of school each year - is a reality. When chronic
absences begin as young as pre-K and kindergarten, students
are put on a path to fail to read on grade level by third grade,
struggling with coursework in middle school, and off track for
graduating high school.
Attendance Fast Facts
• In the Manatee-Sarasota region, nearly 10,000 students are
chronically absent.
• In some communities, chronic absence affects 1 in 4 children.
• Nationally, as many as 7.5 million students miss 10 percent
or more of the school year — that’s 135 million days!
• Students can’t learn if they aren’t there, that’s why every day
counts!
Students are more likely to succeed in academics when they
attend school consistently. It’s difficult for the teacher and for
the class to build their skills and progress if a large number of
students are frequently absent. In addition to falling behind in
academics, students who are not in school on a regular basis are
more likely to get into trouble with the law and cause problems
in their communities.
Starting in the early grades, the percentage of students missing
10 percent of the school year can reach remarkably high levels,
and these early absences can rob students of the time they need
to develop literacy skills.
The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading recognizes the
importance of looking at chronic absences, how much school
a student misses for any reason, rather than just truancy, which
only tracks unexcused absences.
Tracking chronic absence is a data-driven process that can inform
parent, family, and student engagement
programs on the impact of missing
school. Chronic absence can also
be an indicator, for communities,
of families and neighborhoods
in need of further support since
poor school attendance can be an
early warning sign of challenging
social, economic, and health
conditions.
When we work together to monitor
data, encourage a habit of
regular attendance, and
reduce hurdles that
keep children from getting to school, chronic absence will be
significantly reduced. Parents, schools, and the community can
influence excellent attendance and focus on school success.
How is attendance related to school success?
• Chronic absence in kindergarten is associated with lower
academic performance in 1st grade among all children and,
for poor children, predicts the lowest levels of educational
achievement at the end of 5th grade.
• By 6th grade, missing 20% (or two months of school) is a
critical warning sign of school drop-out.
• By 9th grade, missing 20% of school can be a better predictor
of drop-out than 8th grade test scores.
What can parents do?
• Help your child get into the habit of and learn the value of
regular routines.
• Teach your child that attending school is non-negotiable
unless they are truly sick.
• Build relationships with other families, and discuss how you
can help each other (e.g., drop off or pick up children, babysit,
assist with translation) in times of need or emergencies.
• Identify non-academic activities (drama, art, music, etc.) that
can help motivate your child’s interest in school and learning,
and seek out schools that offer those experiences.
What can schools do?
• Educate families about the adverse impact of poor attendance
on school achievement.
• Inform parents about the positive incentives students receive
for good attendance. Recognizing parents as well for their
role in their child’s attendance.
• Notify parents that their child’s absence was noticed, either
through a call home or an email.
• Reach out to families to find out what is happening if children
begin to miss school regularly. Where appropriate, refer
families to available resources in the community.
What can the community do?
• Teach parents about the importance of regular attendance,
starting in kindergarten.
• Help parents of older students understand that excessive
absence is a critical warning sign for dropping out.
• Partner with schools to provide social work and casemanagement
support to families of children with extended
absences.
• Address barriers to attendance by offering services
(economic and referring families to other available resources
in the community.) Source: attendanceworks.org
• For more information on the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading’s efforts to reduce chronic
absence nationwide, please visit GradeLevelReading.net.
/attendanceworks.org
/GradeLevelReading.net