January 10, 2024 |Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Education, Healey-Driscoll Administration, Lynn Public Schools, News, State of MA

Massachusetts Launches Campaign Highlighting the Importance of School Attendance

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Messages aim to reach families, schools, service providers and community

The Healey-Driscoll Administration is launching a public outreach campaign to raise awareness of high absenteeism rates in schools across the state.
 
School attendance levels have improved since the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic but are still below what they were before the pandemic began. At a time when students are still struggling to recover academically and need the supports that schools offer, too many students are absent.
 
To help get students back in the classroom, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has launched a multilingual campaign that includes a television and radio public service announcement featuring Education Secretary Dr. Patrick Tutwiler, billboards and transit ads, email, and social media messages. Many of the messages refer to resources DESE offers to schools and districts related to chronic absenteeism, including family engagement resources, guidance on attendance policies and best practices for schools (download), and information on initiatives designed to promote welcoming and supportive school environments for all students.

“Common sense and research both tell us that students have a harder time learning when they miss school, especially when they miss more than three weeks of school,” said Governor Maura Healey. “While students should stay home when they’re sick, regular attendance should be as much a part of students’ lives as it was before the pandemic. We’re proud to launch this ad campaign to spread the word about resources available to families and schools to help get kids back into the classroom.”

“Massachusetts has some of the best teachers in the country, and they’re ready to welcome students and families into their school community,” said Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll. “In collaboration with families, schools can help address students’ needs and help students to grow and thrive.”
 
In addition to the awareness campaign, DESE previously launched the Chronic Absenteeism Recovery Initiative, allocating approximately $4 million of the agency’s remaining federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to award participating districts and educational collaboratives $10,000 each to address chronic absenteeism. The Department expects that local funding will enhance those grants. Districts can use those funds to strengthen or scale family engagement initiatives or student tracking and monitoring programs, or to provide attendance recovery academies. Attendance recovery academies are programs that take place outside of the school day (such as on weekends or during vacation weeks) for a minimum of four instructional hours per day to help chronically absent students make up missed school days and learning. The programs are intended to reengage students and provide academic/enrichment-based learning opportunities that count toward attendance recovery.
 
“Absenteeism is really a manifestation of an unmet need. We need to work with students and families to understand the barriers to attending school they’re facing – and remind them that when students aren’t in the classroom, they’re missing out on much more than their education,” said Secretary Tutwiler.“Schools offer counseling, extracurricular activities, meals, and the chance to learn with and from students’ peers. If students aren’t there, they can’t benefit from these opportunities.”
 
Before the pandemic, 13 percent of Massachusetts students were chronically absent, meaning they had missed 10 percent or more of the school year, or at least 18 days. During the 2022-23 school year, 22 percent of students – close to 1 in 4 statewide – were chronically absent.
 
Chronic absenteeism is affecting schools throughout the country. In Massachusetts, all grade spans – elementary, middle, and high schools – have chronic absenteeism rates well above pre-pandemic levels, and this is particularly true in elementary schools. During the last school year, the chronic absenteeism rate in elementary schools was more than double what it was before the pandemic.

“Chronic absenteeism affects almost three-quarters of the schools in our state. No matter where we’re from – rural, suburban or urban districts – we’re in this together as one community. With the well-being of our students as our top priority, we’re eager to welcome them back to school, to work with families and to ensure that every child’s journey is filled with joy and learning.”

Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley

The Chronic Absenteeism Recovery Initiative builds on the significant investment and historic policies the Healey-Driscoll administration delivered this year for students and schools. As of this year, public school students have permanent, universal access to free lunch and breakfast every day in school, many are receiving mental health screenings and accessing evidence-based and trauma-informed social emotional learning supports, and the state has a new framework for more inclusive and comprehensive health and physical education. The state is also fully funding the Student Opportunity Act, delivering the largest investment in K-12 schools in our state’s history to reduce opportunity and achievement gaps.

For more information about efforts and resources to address chronic absenteeism please click here.

The above press release was submitted to us by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.