“Attendance: The Essential Element

of Connectedness”

2nd Annual Prince William County Public Schools Nontraditional

Educational Conference

Doreen Dauer, Ed.D.,NCSP Supervisor of Student Assistance and

Prevention Programs

Objectives

• To present a framework for strategies to connect with students

• To basically improve attendance

• To offer a model for dealing with attendance issues in a non-traditional setting

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A Student Must be Present to Learn

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What is School Connectedness? “Belief by students that adults care about

their learning and them as individuals”

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Connections are especially Important for youth in alternative settings

“more risk for isolation”

Turn to your neighbor for Activity

“Characterizing Connectedness A to Z”

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1. Create decision-making processes that facilitate student, family, and community engagement, academic achievement, and staff empowerment.

2. Provide education and opportunities to enable families to be actively involved in their children’s academic and school life.

3. Provide students with the academic, emotional, and social skills necessary to be actively engaged in school.

4. Use effective classroom management and teaching methods to foster a positive learning environment.

5. Provide professional development and support for teachers and other school staff to enable them to meet the diverse cognitive, emotional, and social needs of children and adolescents.

6. Create trusting and caring relationships that promote open communication among administrators, teachers, staff, students, families, and communities.

“School Connectedness: Strategies for Increasing Protective Factors in Youth” CDC

Strategies to Increase School Connectedness

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Commitment to Education• Healthy school environment• Personal investment and act on that belief• Supportive psycho-social environment• Research indicates that in schools with a

harsh and punitive discipline climate, student connectiveness is lower.

• Mutual respect: students develop sense of safety when there is no threat of being embarrassed or teased.

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Focus Today

• Academic, social-emotional skills for success

• Trusting and caring relationships• Positive learning environment• Develop leadership skills• Family support

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Trusting Relationships

• Begin with open communication– Listening skills, active listening, paraphrasing

• Caring attitude• Faith that behaviors can change• Connection with stable peer network

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What do we know about our students?

“Resources and Assets Survey” 2007 when our seniors were in middle school

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Why do we need to survey developmental assets?

• Provide a snapshot of PWC youth in terms of values, skills, and beliefs that youth need to be successful

• Provide a baseline from which we can plan together to improve outcomes for youth

• Provide a common language and common goal for all groups

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Eight Categories of the 40 Developmental Assets®

Internal• Support• Empowerment• Boundaries and

Expectations• Constructive

Use of Time

External• Commitment to

Learning• Positive Values• Social

Competencies• Positive Identity

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Asset Summary: National (2003) vs. PWC (2007)

32%

8%17%

43%

0 - 10 Assets

11 - 20 Assets

21 - 30 Assets

31 - 40 Assets

31%

8%19%

42%

0 - 10 Assets

11 - 20 Assets

21 - 30 Assets

31 - 40 Assets

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Asset SummaryPercent of PWCS Students in Alternative Placements

17%1%

41%

41%

0 - 10 Assets

11 - 20 Assets

21 - 30 Assets

31 - 40 Assets

15

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Asset #1 Asset #12 Asset #15 Asset #20 Asset#19

National Norms

PWC Overall

PWC GR 7

PWC High

Perc

enta

ges

Family Support

School Boundaries

Positive Peer

Influence

Time at Home

Religious Community

Prince William County (2007) vs. National Norms (2003)

Top Five External Assets

16

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Asset #17 Asset #7 Asset #14 Asset #5 Asset #8

National Norms

PWC Overall

PWC GR 7

PWC High

Perc

enta

ges

Creative Activities

Community Values Youth

Adult Role Models

Caring School Climate

Youth as Resources

Prince William County (2007) vs. National Norms (2003)

Low Five External Assets

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0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Asset #21 Asset #40 Asset #24 Asset #39 Asset #28

National Norms

PWC Overall

PWC GR 7

PWC High

Perc

enta

ges

Achievement Motivation

Positive View of Personal

Future

Bonding to School

Sense of Purpose

Integrity

Prince William County (2007) vs. National Norms (2003)

Top Five Internal Assets

18

0

5

1015

20

2530

35

4045

50

Asset #25 Asset #32 Asset #37 Asset #26 Asset #36

National Norms

PWC Overall

PWC GR 7

PWC High

Perc

enta

ges

Reading for Pleasure

Planning and Decision Making

Personal Power

Caring Peaceful Conflict

Resolution

Prince William County (2007) vs. National Norms (2003)

Low Five Internal Assets

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Six Lowest Assets: What Needs Improving! Overall Group and Alternative Group

• Caring School Climate• Adult Role Models• Community Values

Youth• Reading for Pleasure• Creative Activities• Youth as Resources

Promote 40 Developmental Assets®

Especially relevant today• Empower youth to have personal

responsibility, sense of purpose, and a positive view of the future

• Develop social competencies, planning and decision-making, empathy, sensitivity, friendship, cultural competence, resistance skills, peaceful conflict resolution

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Attendance Officer Role:One Partner

• Does not have to be punitive • Parent link• Prevention • Safety and necessary advocate• Link with court system• Part of caring school family• Part of interdisciplinary team

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Strategies How can A.O. do this?

• Improve climate• Increase decision-making• Work together to improve plan• Developmentally appropriate responsibility• Empower students to communicate their

needs, feelings, hopes, and dreams • Address fears associated with safety,

bullying prevention22

Absent student

• May be disengaging or not “connecting”• May be behind academically and lost hope• May be caring for younger siblings• May be working• May be trafficked • May be discouraged• May not be healthy

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Making a connection

“Check& Connect”

Training through Special Education Department

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Pilot Prevention Program• At New Dominion (prevention of most at

risk for absenteeism): contract, student support team meetings; incentive program; face-to face

• Improve efficiency of communication through SMS

• Improve communication through initial and periodic visits by all attendance officers

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Process• Attendance contract upon entry or

contained in probation contract• Attendance committee (monthly)• Letters sent by school• Remember bi-lingual support• Personal calls by counselor• Student contact• Notify probation officer• Require doctor’s note• Brochures at back-to-school night• Personal letter regarding importance of

attendance to all• Invite conferences before too late• At all conferences mention attendance• Remember the IEP implications• Refer to base attendance officer who will

schedule with an intake officer26

Student Empowerment at New Directions

• Student Leadership Opportunities

• Student Lead Team (community service)

• Lessons at middle school (peer to peer)

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Bullying Prevention

• Model behaviors• Consistent consequences• School-wide plan• Classroom plan includes building

community• Respect and Caring leads to pride

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Bullying PreventionEmpowering students to act

• The Olweus program aims to address the by-stander mentality by supporting students to stick up for their peers who have been bullied.

• The Olweus Program gives students the words to use when they encounter bullying.

• The Olweus program gives teachers the words to use in “on-the-spot” interventions.

Nuts and Bolts

• What are your needs?

• What can we offer in Student Services?

• What can attendance officers do to help you?

• How do Attendance Officers build developmental assets?

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Attendance Officer Flowchart

Student is absent

(Unexcused)Attendance

contract signed

Attendancesecretary or

school designee

Sends letter “in danger”Counselor may call

At 5 DAYs

Referral

screened by ND Team

#calls

Counseling at school

Conferences w/student ##

If persists, 6 DAYS+, send to

base school

A.O

Review past interventions with parent and prepare Intake appt.

Many reasons for students

to be excusedSee

Regulation724-1 and Policy 742

Contact Intake Officer

File for court

Therapy at school

Flowchart of Attendance Officer

Response Unexcused Students’

Student comes from base school

has attendance hx

A.O. follows at ND

SMS documentation Attachment 1 (not supplemental form alone)

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Summary and Resources

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