September 1, 2024
School districts across the country are recognizing and participating in Attendance Awareness Month in September. At the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, it's a time to kick off a year-long education campaign prioritizing the importance of consistent and daily attendance at school. (We already started a soft launch in August when school returned to session.)
According to Attendance Works, regular attendance fosters a classroom community between teachers and students. Students who attend school are more likely to succeed academically. Students gain background knowledge from discussions while learning in school. Attending school also provides time for social interactions with peers. Research shows that when students are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of the school year or 18 days over an entire year), they are less likely to read proficiently by third grade, achieve in middle school and graduate from high school.
Did you know that chronic absence has more than doubled since the start of the pandemic, from 8 million to an estimated 16 million students nationwide. That’s one out of three students. Absenteeism has risen among all student groups, at every economic level. Black, Latino and Native American students, students living in poverty, students with disabilities and English language learners have been especially affected.
The district, your child's school, and teacher want to partner with you to understand and address any challenges families face inside or outside of school that cause a student to miss school and/or disengage. By attending regularly, students, their families and the school can forge strong relationships and better support one another for the benefit of the student.
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