Local, State, National Groups to Continue Improving Student Attendance

Getting More Kids Back in School Takes Team Effort, Critical to Improving Student Outcomes

LANSING – Michigan is improving school attendance as local and intermediate school districts, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), and state and national organizations work to raise awareness about the effects of chronic absences and to support students and efforts to raise attendance.

While these efforts are making a difference, more needs to be done – including increasing public awareness and providing additional support for students and their families – for Michigan and other states to continue recovering from pandemic-related increases in chronic school absenteeism that have affected children around the country.

Today, State Board of Education members heard a presentation on student attendance data in Michigan from Dr. Delsa Chapman, deputy superintendent in MDE’s Division of Assessment, School Improvement, and Systems Support; and Mr. Tom Howell, director, of the Center for Educational Performance and Information. 

The 2023-24 school year was the second consecutive year that both the attendance and chronic absenteeism rates improved in Michigan. During the 2022-23 school year, Michigan led the United States in recovering from pandemic-related increases in chronic school absenteeism. Still, 29.5% of Michigan students were chronically absent last school year. Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more of the school year – roughly two school days a month – for any reason.

“I appreciate the hard work that local school communities – educators, support staff, parents, and our students themselves– are doing to get more students to attend school regularly,” said State Superintendent Dr. Michael F. Rice. “It’s tough to recover from a once-a-century pandemic. That’s why actions such as the Communities In Schools ‘Being Present Matters’ public service campaign are so important. We all need to wrap our arms around children and remove barriers to school attendance. We need to improve attendance to improve student outcomes.”

Communities In Schools, the nation’s leading provider of K-12 school-based integrated student supports, launched “Being Present Matters” this school year to highlight the nationwide epidemic of chronic absenteeism and the solutions that the organization offers to reduce chronic absenteeism. The campaign’s public service announcement features a six-foot-tall paper attendance roll, imprinted with 15 million names – one name to represent every chronically absent student in the U.S.

“Being present is more than showing up – it’s about creating meaningful connections that empower students to succeed,” said Ms. Mallory DePrekel, CEO of Communities In Schools of Michigan, one of three affiliates in the state working on the project along with Communities In Schools Kalamazoo and Communities In Schools of Northwest Michigan. “Across our state, we’re making a lasting impact on attendance, behavior, and academic achievement, helping students stay on track to graduate and thrive. We’re addressing the root causes of chronic absenteeism in the schools in which we serve and ensuring that all children have the support that they need.”

Research shows there are many reasons that limit students from regularly attending school, including transportation issues, childcare needs for siblings, housing insecurity, and a lack of in-school mental health and anti-bullying supports. Communities In Schools connects children to mentors because the presence of caring adults and community resources helps students overcome barriers to attendance and other challenges that stand between them and a brighter future.                                                                         

Battle Creek Public Schools is an example of a district that has improved student attendance. Four schools increased attendance rates by 4 percentage points or more over the last three years. Battle Creek Central High School improved its attendance rate from 75.8% in 2021-22 to 82.2% last school year. Verona Elementary School improved from 82.2% to 87.8%, Springfield Middle School from 81.6% to 86.8%, and LaMora Park Elementary from 82.2% to 86.6%.

Districtwide, 10 out of 12 of schools improved their average daily attendance rate.

Battle Creek established truancy teams that include Communities In Schools student support coordinators that have resulted in faster interventions, earlier parent contact, and development of attendance improvement plans. Other efforts have included addressing access to basic needs, incentives for good attendance, phone calls, home visits, and school-wide events such as ice cream socials and pizza parties to motivate students to go to school.

Through a district-wide partnership with the Battle Creek nonprofit RISE Corp., students who have dropped out or are truant are reengaged by providing them with flexible pathways to graduation. Last year, Communities In Schools student support coordinators identified and connected students to RISE’s transportation assistance to and from school. The Communities In Schools Reading Buddies Program has led to more confident readers and students who are more likely to go to school thanks to the positive relationships built with community volunteers.

Another success story comes from Madison District Public Schools in Oakland County. Ms. Haïette Merchi-Magueramane, a dedicated student support coordinator from Communities In Schools, worked last school year to find handicapped-accessible transportation for Ms. O’Laya Rodgers, a student recovering from cancer in a school of choice district. Seeing Rodgers’ ambition to graduate and her desire to return to in-person learning after missing most of her junior year due to illness, Merchi-Magueramane collaborated with a team of advocates to eventually secure a safe and reliable way to get the student to and from school daily.

Rodgers was able to engage and excel in several activities, became a peer mentor and won the Melissa Butler Student of the Year award. She graduated last June and now attends Oakland Community College with an eye on becoming a pediatric nurse.

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