Strategies to Improve Attendance: Get Schooled & NYC

Peer Learning Network

Strategies to Improve Attendance:Get Schooled & NYC

October 12, 2011

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Agenda• Welcome, Agenda & Hopes

for Webinar (15 min)

• Get Schooled (15-20 min)Carol Rava Treat

• New York City (30-40 min)Leslie Cornfeld

• Handout for Older Teens (10 min)

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Introductions

Name Title & Organization

City and StateOne thing you hope to learn

in 1 sentence !!

ATTENDANCE WORKS WEBINAROCT 12, 2011

Our Mission

Our ultimate goal is to improve high school graduation rates and college success rates.

We aim to motivate and inspire young people through the use of media, technology and popular culture.

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National Content / Programming (on-air,

online, & on the ground)

A Powerful Approach

School Based Engagement

Strategies

Reach & Results

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Combining engagement and media strategies to affect outcomes

Improved Student Outcomes

• Schools partnering with Get Schooled have seen significant increases in attendance and course passage rates

• Winning school in the Spring 2011 Attendance Challenge posted 7% attendance increase and sustained it!

High Levels of Youth Engagement

• Get Schooled has engaged over 1 million people in the last year

• The Get MotivatEDChallenge had 280,000 people participate in one of the components

• A recent celebrity text challenge directly engaged more than 350,000

Broad Media Reach

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Initial focus on two milestones that matter for educational success

Attendance• Underscore attendance as a critical predictor of high school graduation rates

• Dramatically increase awareness of low attendance rates

• Create demand for better attendance data collection

• Improve attendance within Get Schooled network schools

• Create a blueprint of “best practices” based on our work within the network

College Affordability

• Underscore importance of early FAFSA completion as a predictor for college success

• Improve early FAFSA completion nationally

• Improve early FAFSA completion among community college students and low-income high school seniors inside and outside of the network

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Studies show that attendance is one of the most significant predictors of student achievement and dropping out. Students with more than 20 absences in any given year have only a 19 percent chance of graduating.

Attendance is a key predictor of high school graduation

• In New York City a third of students are absent for a month or more

• In Baltimore, 41.9% of high school students missed a month or more of school days

• In the state of Florida, 15% of high school students are out 21 or more days each year

• In Milwaukee, 74% of students had five or more unexcused absences in a semester

• In DeKalb County Georgia, 41% of high school students missed five days or more each year

Cities And States With Low Graduation Rates Post High Absenteeism Rates

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A different approach to engagement

CompetitionEveryone rises to a challenge and plays better when faced with a stronger opponent.

Pop CultureNicki, Trey, Carmelo, and Homer all may have as much influence as a parent, peer or principal.

TechnologyDirect to mobile, twitter, Facebook – we need to go to where kids are.

IncentivesA little recognition for kids and adults goes a long way and can help reinforce your goals.

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Competition motivates11

Students love competition and friendly challenges can help everyone improve –and tracking progress real-time brings a much-loved gaming element.

Pop culture excites12

Connecting to youth using pop culture – singers, actors, movie/tv characters, recognizes the variety of influences in their lives, and helps ensure that youth are surrounded by the education messages that will motivate them.

Technology connects13

Get Schooled uses media both to expand reach exponentially… with strategic use of social media tactics and far-reaching traditional efforts (PSAs, web banners, etc.)

…and to activate target audiences to engage with GS in measurable ways

Rewards and Incentives that Engage and Excite

• Scholarships• Movie passes• Retail gift cards• T-shirts, hats, notebooks…• Teacher supply funds• ‘Field trip’ funds• ‘Trophies’• Celebrity shout-outs• Texting opportunity with celebrities• Celebrity-driven events• Whole-school recognition by in-

person celebrity• Localized press/blog outreach• TV/Radio opportunities

Incentives recognize14

Outcomes matter mostGS has clear goals (issue awareness, brand awareness, engagement and outcomes), and tracks every activation to gauge progress and impact.

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100%

25% 75%

0%

50%

ENGAGE‐O‐METER

108%

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Impact to-date16

GS Dashboard – a monthly view of year to date and lifetime performance.

Early lessons learned inform strategy moving forward

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Surround youth with messages everywhere they go

Always have clear call to action – PSAs alone don’t work!

Let youth drive the conversation

Give them instant feedback – it’s the Polaroid culture

Be creative – motivation doesn’t need to cost

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Q & A(Click on hand icon, or write 

questions)

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Q & A

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Handout for Parents of Older Students

• Brief Background • How might you use this handout

in your work?• What would help you use it?

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Contact:

Hedy Changhedy@attendanceworks.org

Cecilia Leongcecelia@attendanceworks.org