September is "Attendance Awareness" month. Student attendance is not just a key factor for student success in September, but all school year. Students who do not attend school regularly have major negative consequences related to academic achievement.
Missing a school day means a missed opportunity for students to learn. In today’s era of heightened accountability for states, districts, and schools, the connection between student attendance and learning is being studied more closely than ever.
High-quality attendance data is crucial because of its strong link to student achievement. While teacher effectiveness remains the most important school-related factor in student success, chronic absenteeism can hinder even the best teacher's ability to provide learning opportunities. Research shows that students with regular attendance tend to perform better academically than those who are frequently absent. This connection between attendance and academic performance can be observed early in a child's education. Absenteeism that begins in Kindergarten tends to indicate a student's school career attendance.
Poor attendance has serious long-term implications. Studies show that high school dropouts often have a history of negative behaviors, including chronic absenteeism throughout childhood, at much higher rates than graduates. This pattern of absenteeism is often evident as early as kindergarten, with students who eventually dropped out missing significantly more days in first grade than their peers who completed high school. By eighth grade, this trend becomes even clearer, and by ninth grade, attendance is a key predictor strongly correlated with high school graduation.
We want to be a part of a solution for school absenteeism. At WWPS, we reward grade levels for the highest average daily attendance for the month. Help ensure that your child is among the students who help their grade level win the monthly contest and receive the reward. Having your child attend school daily can be an indicator of academic success!