NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Chronic absenteeism, which is defined as missing 10 percent or more of school days per year, results in harmful academic consequences ranging from being unable to read proficiently to dropping out of school. Disturbingly, as many as 7.5 million K-12 students nationwide miss nearly a month of school every year. In a new white paper titled “Developing an Action Plan to Improve Classroom Attendance,” David M. Hardy, Jr., the CEO of Lorain School District in Ohio and a recognized leader of multiple district turnarounds, describes how schools can establish a strong cultural foundation and put systems in place to improve student attendance.
In the paper, which is published by Kickboard, the maker of the Kickboard school culture system, Hardy explains how to develop and implement a three-tier intervention model to address the root causes of chronic absenteeism. He shares practical tools and strategies that schools can use to improve attendance and ensure that all students feel welcomed, safe, and supported at school. He also discusses how schools can identify early warning signs and provide targeted interventions and support to get students back on track to reaching attendance goals.
“While the causes of chronic absenteeism vary, it is a warning sign that something within a school or a student’s life needs to be addressed and adjusted to keep learning on track,” said Hardy. “By creating a positive culture and developing systems to catch attendance problems early, we can keep students in school and engaged in their learning and reduce the need for more intensive interventions later on.”
Before joining the Lorain School District, Hardy served as the deputy superintendent of academics for St. Louis (Mo.) Public Schools where he led an academic turnaround that increased the district’s Annual Performance Report score from 40.5 points to 104.5 in three years. Prior to that, he served as the chief of academic supports at the School District of Philadelphia and the executive director of regional achievement for State of New Jersey Department of Education.
For a free copy of the white paper, visit http://bit.ly/2KL5hYG.
For information about Kickboard or to schedule a free demo, visit https://www.kickboardforschools.com.
