Authors: Jennifer E. Bitzer & Abby S. Lewis Advisor: Dr. Natalie K. Person

“If we apply these metrics [absent 10%

of days enrolled] to the roughly 50

million students enrolled in grades pre-

k to 12 in America’s public schools, we

estimate that from 5 to 7.5 million

students each year are not attending

school regularly.” (Balfanz & Byrnes, 2012)

•Chronic Absenteeism • 10% or more of the days enrolled or

missing a month or more in a school year. • Excused and unexcused absences

included

•Truancy • Only unexcused absences from school • Number determined by district

•Compulsory education • Laws make it illegal to miss school

Patterns of Absenteeism

Highest Rates Grades K, 6th, 9th, 12th Lowest Rates Grades 3rd, 4th, 5th

Low income students gain the most and lose the most from being absent.

9th grade attendance

9th grade performance

High school graduation

Kindergarten attendance

1st grade academic

performance

5th grade academic

performance

Memphis in Context: • 42.1% of the 18 and under population is living under the poverty line. • During the 2010-2011 school year there were 3,725 homeless students in the greater Memphis area.

• 94.8% of students qualify for Title I status in Memphis City Schools.

Achievement School District: • Tennessee Race to the Top funds established a statewide district designed to help raise standards and achievement in low-performing schools • Aims to bring the bottom 5% of TN schools to the top 25% in five years • 68 of the 85 bottom 5% of schools are in Memphis

2013 School Merger:

School Level:

Individual schools have preventative measures to reduce truancy, including letters explaining attendance expectations, school-wide meetings, and incentives for students with good

attendance.

District Level:

When a student has 5 unexcused absences, Shelby County Schools (SCS) sends a letter to parents/guardians requesting a meeting about the child’s absences to formulate a plan of

action to insure the child is in school.

Law Enforcement:

After 10 unexcused absences, the case goes directly to the District Attorney’s Office, who can refer the

parent/guardian to court or work with the family to alter their previous plan formed with SCS.

Tardiness

Transportation Peer Influence

Mobility Suspensions Parents/Guardians

Buses are not provided to elementary students living within 1 ½ (elementary) or 2 (middle and high school)

miles from school

When students are tardy they miss out

on valuable instruction time and disrupt the class as a

whole

Gang presence, bullying, and academic performance can all

prevent a child from feeling safe at school

On average, 30% of students in Memphis

change schools at least once a school year

In the 2011-2012 school year, Memphis City

Schools reported 26,115 total suspensions,

which pushes students further behind in class

Students depend on parents as a leader

and mentor to guide them through their

education

District Attorney’s Truancy Reduction Initiative • Goal: “To identify at-risk truant students and to offer an early intervention strategy that affirms parental responsibility, provides academic support and encouragement to students, and strengthens the relationship between local law enforcement and the school system in effort to make the community safe.”

• At target elementary and middle schools, at-risk students can voluntarily be part of a mentoring program where they are paired with an adult to guide them.

• Prior to intervention, students were truant 10.5 days out of every 100; after mentor pairing, truancy dropped by 5.6%.

Unified School District

(SCS)