Recognizing the direct correlation between regular school attendance and student achievement, in September 2015, the Miami-Dade Schools District launched a more aggressive and strategic approach to stemming absenteeism. The 40 schools with the lowest attendance rates and the highest percentage of students with 30 or more absences were identified.
A support plan was created to:
• Identify students with attendance problems;
• Use intervention points and initiate systems for in-depth monitoring and analysis of student absences;
• Implement a system that precipitates added communication with parents and increased home visits, and
• Develop a more comprehensive system to provide adequate support and referrals to outside agencies for both students and parents.
Overall, the data from the targeted schools indicates that the percentage of students with 30-plus absences decreased from 15 percent in School Year (SY) 2014-15 to 8 percent in SY 2015-16. Additionally, the daily attendance rate in the targeted schools revealed an overall increase from 91.09 percent in SY 2014-15 to 92.80 percent in SY 2015-16
“After a year of implementation, Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ iAttend initiative is yielding remarkable results,” said Alberto M. Carvalho, superintendent of schools. “The data collected over the past year reveals that the percentage of student absences has been virtually cut in half from school year to school year. This critical data point demonstrates the depth and impact of the iAttend initiative and support programs that encourage regular school attendance.”
Additionally, the district continues to partner with various organizations that provide incentives and targeted communications to the community in an effort to promote this endeavor and increase its success. Among these organizations are the Miami Marlins, Miami Dolphins, Miami Heat, and Miami City Ballet.
The initiative includes closer monitoring and reporting of student absences, calls to parents, and more direct measures including home visits, counseling and referrals to outside agencies.
