• Meet with parents at the beginning of the school year to let them know how important attendance is.

• Build student relationships.

• Make the school a place where parents and students feel welcome and want to be.

• Be clear with your students and let them know at the beginning of the year that attendance is very important.

• Teachers, principals and other school staff should set a good example by having good attendance.

• Make sure all staff members are aware of and follow the school policy regarding absences. It is very confusing for students when one teacher is very lax and does not mind absences and another teacher is very strict.

• Give out monthly awards to students who were not absent that month. Even making mention that a student has not been absent since the beginning of the year when calling roll or reading the morning announcements can make an impact.

• Talk to students about why they were gone and let them know they were missed. If students start slacking off with school attendance, deal with the problem right away.

• Find out underlying reasons for poor attendance, so you can deal with the real problem. For example:

  • Is there a bully students are scared of?

  • Is there a very strict teacher students are trying to avoid?

• Forge a relationship with local businesses so that they cooperate in encouraging students to go to school and not congregate at businesses during school hours.

• Work with the faith community to make parents aware of the importance of attendance and what the law requires.

• Plan home visits for students with excessive absences.

• Host special attendance events.

Additional Attendance Suggestions/Strategies:

• Generate an attendance report for students who have missed three or more days this semester (or the last four weeks etc.). (Not including Dr. notes)

• Meet with all students by grade level (upper grades in elementary). Give them a copy of their attendance. Talk to them etc.

• Generate an attendance report that list absences by the days of the week. Note students who have missed consistently on Mondays and Fridays. Mail letters home that show the percentage (handwritten in red) of absences that were on a Monday and/or Friday. For example, the percentage for a student who has missed 10 days of school with 7 of those days being on a Monday and/or Friday would be 70%. Also, include a copy of the student’s current attendance report.

• Generate a list of students who have exceeded their PC calls, had an attendance conference, or have been to or referred to court. They will receive ? (should be something that requires their time and not school time) for days missed that are unexcused from this point forward. These students will be required to bring a doctor’s note or be excused by the nurse for any absences from this point forward.

• Generate a list, from the above data of students, who could be retained because of attendance. Set up a Principal/Counselor/teacher meeting with the parents. Parents should receive a folder with their child’s attendance, grades, discipline, all tests and benchmark results, etc.

• Develop a team (should include an administrator) that will go the home or work place for those parents who do not show up for the meeting.

• Your home liaison and/or attendance clerk should start checking on students who are absent as soon as school starts.

• Use the Parent Notification System each evening to place a call to ALL students who missed that day. The message should be a friendly message to the parents that shows the principal/assistant principal is concerned about their child’s wellbeing and hopes their child gets well and that he or she was missed today.

• Create a “sticker” calendar chart to be posted in the front office for a select number of chronically absent students. Students would place a sticker on the chart each day they came to school. Students would be eligible for some form of reward after so many days of attendance. Determine the worst 5-10 attendance students for the chart activity.