By Alex Kincaid

In March, more than 80 Dayton Public Schools employees spent their Saturday knocking on doors and leaving information on doorknobs to spread awareness about the importance of students attending school every day. 

This may seem like a no-brainer. But all absences – even excused ones – add up and can determine how students do on tests, whether they will graduate high school, attend college or find a good job. 

The district’s walk-around campaign was just a small step in the right direction. A larger, more comprehensive attendance campaign will kick off in August. The goal is to increase student attendance, reduce chronic absenteeism and improve student success overall. 

What is Chronic Absenteeism?

Students who have too many excused or unexcused absences perform worse in school, national statistics show. About 30% of DPS students are currently chronically absent. 

Being chronically absent is not the same as being truant. Chronic absenteeism refers to missing 10% or more of the school year for any reason. Truancy refers to missing 30 hours of school back-to-back, missing 42 hours in one month, or 72 hours in one year without an excused absence. 

Poor attendance influences whether children read proficiently by the end of the third grade. And by sixth grade, being chronically absent is a warning sign that a student will drop out of high school, according to Attendance Works, a national nonprofit aimed at reducing absenteeism.

DPS is taking attendance very seriously. Superintendent Elizabeth Lolli, administrators, teachers and staff are involved in the effort to increase attendance.

DPS Attendance Campaign

Better attendance has the potential to not only improve individual students and schools, but the entire Dayton community.

Changing the way students and parents think about attendance and its importance is a big part of the campaign. We hope that through grassroots efforts, community participation and support, and consistent messaging, we will change the culture surrounding attendance. 

The campaign will kick off with a rally – complete with prizes and giveaways – in August. But the prizes will not end there.

To encourage students of all ages to get on board with the campaign, incentives will be offered throughout the school year to reward good attendance. DPS plans to use similar incentives to those that Cleveland Metropolitan School District used in its campaign: pop-up parties, bike giveaways, tickets for sporting events and even surprise visits by local celebrities! 

The district will also work to prevent absences wherever possible. This fall DPS is opening its first school-based health center for students, where all students can receive services regardless of their ability to pay. Through this clinic, we hope to reduce absences among students who do not have access to health facilities otherwise.  

Subgroups of a larger planning group will continue to work throughout the summer to finalize the details of the attendance campaign. From incentives for students to the launch event and marketing efforts, there is a lot to plan. Look out for more information about the campaign and ways to get involved this summer!