Bitzer & Lewis FINAL RIRS
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Transcript of Bitzer & Lewis FINAL RIRS
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)