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Attendance takes high priority in CMS
Attendance Spirit Week was held last week at Paw Creek Elementary, where the fun was combined with an important message. As students enjoyed activities such as Twin Day, Superhero Day and Hat Day, they were encouraged to arrive at school on time every day and to ask their friends to do the same.
The event fell during Attendance Awareness Month, a national observance held every year in September. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has placed a high priority on attendance, which fell following the COVID-19 pandemic. Across CMS, more than 1 in 4 students (29%) were chronically absent in the 2021-2022 school year, which is more than twice as high as before the pandemic. Chronic absenteeism is when a student misses at least 10% of days in a school year for any reason, including excused and unexcused absences.
“It definitely can impact their social and emotional well-being as a whole,” said Yvette Watson, CMS school social work program specialist. “If students don’t feel engaged in the learning process, it makes it difficult for them to come to school and do their very best.”
In line with the district’s goals and guardrails, attendance plays a huge part in reaching targets for successful student outcomes. CMS is partnering with students, families and the community to promote good attendance practices.
“We can have the best teachers, the best curriculum, the best resources available to our students, but if they’re not in the seat to receive that information from the teachers and to utilize the various things that we have to support them along the way, then they’re never going to be able to close any gaps they may have with their learning,” said Dr. Matthew Hayes, deputy superintendent of academics, in a Hello CMS podcast on attendance.
CMS has developed a cross-departmental team to provide resources for school communities that support attendance and has adopted a new districtwide slogan: “Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow.” The team is providing universal practices and guidelines for school communities to and will partner with school leaders throughout the academic year for increased support in this area. Schools can promote good attendance practices by involving students in messaging, creating schoolwide contests and expressing the importance of expectations around attendance.
Watson said preventive messaging begins early and that there are comprehensive services – including school counseling, psychology and social work – that are available to address barriers that keep students from coming to school.
“We want to provide all those resources they need,” she said. “It really can change the trajectory of a student’s life if they have good support early on. The key for us as a district is to have that parent engagement. It is so crucial to our students being in their seats and ready to learn if we are reaching out and embracing our parents as partners.”
Families struggling with attendance issues should first reach out to their student’s teacher. Schools can create a plan for recovering lost classroom time. Families also can contact the school’s front-office staff to let them know their particular barrier so assistance can be given.
