Ways Adults Can Show Up So That Students Can Be Present in Schools

This article is from guest author Sharon Bradley, an expert on chronic absenteeism.

As schools nationwide continue through another academic year, chronic absenteeism remains a significant challenge on campuses throughout the country. In my 24 years as an educator, the most common factors I’ve seen contribute to non-attendance include issues such as bullying, harassment, homelessness, transportation barriers, caregiving responsibilities, and mental health concerns. It is crucial for adults to be mindful and deliberate in their interactions with students, as their connectedness directly influences student attendance and academic success.

In my experience, to effectively teach human skills and improve school attendance, it is important for adults to actively demonstrate consistency and growth in their own social and emotional development. By modeling desired behaviors on a daily basis, educators can build trust and stronger relationships with students, creating a protective barrier against external challenges. I’ve always believed that trust is established through consistent, small actions taken each day rather than occasional grand gestures. And as trust and confidence between students, parents, and school staff develop, individuals are more inclined to disclose barriers hindering regular attendance. By obtaining this valuable information, we are better equipped to provide families with necessary resources to effectively address the underlying reasons for absenteeism.

The Second Step® programs for Kindergarten through Grade 8 provide interactive lessons and activities that enhance student participation. Studies demonstrate that heightened student connectedness leads to improved school attendance. Second Step programs are centered on fostering abilities such as growth mindset and goal-setting, emotion regulation, empathy and kindness, and problem-solving. In my opinion, ensuring that daily actions and routines are aligned with instruction is crucial for addressing absenteeism.

Below are recommended strategies for educators to genuinely and successfully boost school attendance.

Strategies for Boosting School Attendance

Growth mindset- A growth mindset can sometimes help re-engage students in the learning environment. - Believe that all students can be motivated to come to school each day. - Recognize the contributions of families and engage them as partners in the educational process.

Goal-setting- Approach chronic absenteeism work with the goal of obtaining 100% attendance.- One empty seat is one too many.

Emotion management
- Avoid assuming the reasons students do not attend school. - Manage strong emotions effectively so that your words and actions do not negatively impact others.

Empathy and kindness
- Establish community care and safety through co-designing respectful relationship agreements with students to articulate how everyone will treat each other in the classroom. - Listen to school attendance issues of students and respond compassionately, without judgment.

Problem-solving
- All school staff accept shared responsibility and “response ability” for getting students to school every day on time. - Challenge ineffective, traditional thinking/responses, and recognize that school staff members get to choose how to innovatively and effectively address emerging attendance issues. - Explore absenteeism problems collaboratively.

Adult wellness
- In addition to having positive relationships with students, educators must have a positive, safe relationship with themselves.
- Combating chronic absenteeism is a marathon, not a sprint, so prioritize your own physical and mental health.
- Creating the conditions, time, and space for self-care and community care is pivotal.

Combating chronic absenteeism is a marathon, not a sprint. I believe educators must engage in ongoing personal and professional development in order to get attendance numbers going in the right direction. Additionally, I think by implementing research-based human based programs into their attendance improvement plans and by fostering strong relationships with staff, students, and families, schools can create a culture of attendance that leads to positive outcomes for all students.