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United Way of Southwest Alabama / Uncategorized  / United Way, MCPSS, & Mobile County Commissioner Merceria Ludgood Pledge to Engage Community, Families, & Students to Reduce Chronic Absenteeism

United Way, MCPSS, & Mobile County Commissioner Merceria Ludgood Pledge to Engage Community, Families, & Students to Reduce Chronic Absenteeism

United Way of Southwest Alabama (UWSWA), Mobile County Public School System (MCPSS), and Mobile County Commissioner for District One Merceria Ludgood have joined a nationwide effort to celebrate Attendance Awareness Month in September and have pledged to raise awareness about the value of regular school attendance and focus on reducing absenteeism in the new school year.

UWSWA, MCPSS, and Commissioner Ludgood recognize that good attendance is essential to academic success. But far too many students are at risk academically because they are chronically absent. Chronic absence is described as missing 10 percent of the school year – or about 18 days – for any reason, excused or unexcused. That’s the point at which absenteeism begins to affect student performance, research shows.

For the fourth year in a row, UWSWA is working to help reduce chronic absenteeism by raising awareness among parents and guardians about the impact of school attendance on academic achievements. In partnership with MCPSS and Commissioner Ludgood, UWSWA has distributed more than 30,000 flyers with tips for developing good attendance habits to families at every MCPSS elementary school.

Nationally, 5 million to 7.5 million miss nearly a month of school in excused and unexcused absences every year. Within MCPSS, 12.1% of students, which equates to more than 2,500 students, were chronically absent during the 2013-2014 school year, according to Alabama School Connection. Starting as early as kindergarten or even preschool, chronic absence predicts lower third grade reading scores. By middle school, it is a warning sign that students will fail key classes and drop out of high school.

Low-income students are four times more likely to be chronically absent than other soften for reasons beyond their control, such as unstable housing, unreliable transportation, and a lack of access to health care.

“This matters to all of us, not just those with school-aged children,” said Mobile County Commissioner Ludgood. “When our schools graduate more students, on time, our communities and our economy are stronger. We have more people who are prepared for the workplace and more engaged in our community’s civic life.”

AttendAchievePoster-8

“We know that good attendance is necessary to narrow the achievement gap and reduce the dropout rate. We need to start early to develop good attendance habits,” said MCPSS Superintendent and UWSWA Board Member Martha Peek. “Children must be in school to benefit from daily instruction in order to be successful learners.”

In September, schools, city agencies, community nonprofits, faith-based groups, businesses, and others around the nation are committing time and resources to raise public awareness, map local attendance gaps, and work with community partners to improve school attendance starting as soon as children enter school.

“September is a particularly good time to focus on attendance,” said UWSWA President & CEO Clifford Grimes. “Research shows that students who miss two to four days in the first month of school are more likely to become chronically absent during the school year. By paying attention to absences early in the school year and early in a child’s academic career, we can turn around attendance and achievement.”

During Attendance Awareness Month, we are asking school leaders, community advocates, parents, and students to act upon these critical first steps to help stem chronic absenteeism:

  • Build a habit and a culture of regular attendance
  • Use data to determine when and with whom chronic absence is a problem, and
  • Identify and address barriers to getting children to school

Attendance improves when schools engage students and parents in positive ways. To help promote good attendance, UWSWA and Commissioner Ludgood will host Attendance Celebrations to applaud outstanding attendance at Mobile County public elementary schools. Classes with fewer than three absences from September 1 to 30, 2016, are eligible and may be selected to receive a fun-filled classroom celebration.

For more information about United Way’s Attendance Awareness initiative, please contact the United Way of Southwest Alabama office at 251-433-3624.

good-attendance with UW logo

Mobile County Commission

The Mobile County Commission is a three-member governing body, which represents the 415,000 residents of Mobile County. The County Commission provides funding for the county courthouse, jail and operations and facilities of the Sheriff, License Commissioner, Revenue Commissioner and Probate Judge. Maintaining infrastructure such as road and bridges is a primary function of county government. Additionally the Commission implements innovative and efficient customer service strategies that addresses the needs of its diverse population. It is a leader in workforce and economic development activities throughout the southwest Alabama region.  For more information, visit us at www.mobilecountyal.gov.

About Mobile County Public School System

The Mobile County Public School System (MCPSS) is the largest in the state of Alabama with approximately 59,000 students in 90 schools.  MCPSS earns state and national recognition and holds a record of 99.6 percent of highly qualified teachers.  Accredited by national standards of AdvanceEd, the mission of the MCPSS is to graduate prepared and productive citizens. Offering a variety of pathways to academic and career success, visit us at www.mcpss.com for more.