ܹ̳

Student Well-Being Video

Cleveland Schools Use Incentives, Parent Outreach to Reduce Chronic Absences

March 23, 2018 7:57
Email Copy URL

Just a few years ago, the Cleveland school district realized it had a big problem when half of its 40,000 students were considered chronically absent. District leaders teamed up with community partners to tackle the problem in a citywide, public relations blitz. The slogan “Get to School, You Can Make It” was printed on billboards, t-shirts, and even grocery store bags. Students are given bus passes and uniforms, and staff members even call parents to encourage them to bring their children to school. A community college offers scholarships, local businesses check attendance before hiring, and the Cleveland Browns players visit schools regularly to reinforce the message. Over the last two years, Cleveland’s chronic absenteeism rate has dropped from 50 percent to 30 percent.

Related Tags:

Video

School & District Management Video Everything You Need to Know About Electric School Buses
While electric school bus usage is growing nationally, it's not without its challenges. Here's a look at the state of transportation.
Zum electric buses are parked before a news conference announcing the Oakland Unified School District as being the first major school district in the country to use 100% electric school buses at the Zum/OUSD bus yard in Oakland, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024.
Zum electric buses are parked before a news conference announcing the Oakland Unified School District as being the first major school district in the country to use 100% electric school buses at the Zum/OUSD bus yard in Oakland, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024.
Jeff Chiu/AP
Reading & Literacy Video Teaching Content and Supporting Reading Through Disciplinary Literacy
Get up to speed on what disciplinary literacy is and how teachers can start thinking about it—no matter their subject.
School & District Management Video How This Principal Manages Student Behavior—Without Too Many Rules
Principal Tracie Anderson Swilley brought students on board to make big changes to her school’s culture.
Recruitment & Retention Video Recruiting and Retaining STEM Teachers: A Former White House Adviser's Take
A retired teacher and former White House policy adviser has some ideas for schools leaders looking to recruit and retain in STEM.
Teacher Nathalie Roy, left, talks to her Glasgow Middle School students about using papyrus and learning about writing with smelly squid ink on the papyrus in Baton Rouge, La., on Aug. 23, 2019. This unlikely elective course open to students at Glasgow Middle School in Baton Rouge connects traditional classical studies with STEM.
Teacher Nathalie Roy, left, talks to her Glasgow Middle School students about using papyrus and learning about writing with smelly squid ink on the papyrus in Baton Rouge, La., on Aug. 23, 2019. This unlikely elective course open to students at Glasgow Middle School in Baton Rouge connects traditional classical studies with STEM.
Bill Feig/The Advocate via AP