Michigan schools get creative, competitive, to curb high absenteeism

In Muskegon County, two neighboring school districts are competing for a sparkling trophy.

But it’s not for sports. It’s for student attendance.

The winner gets the trophy, bragging rights and a special celebration for students with five or fewer absences in seven months.

But the big prize? In theory, the students spend more time in the classroom in a state where nearly 28% of students are missing 10% or more of the school year.

“It came together very quickly,” said Oakridge Superintendent Tom Livezey, who pitched the idea to Holton Superintendent Adam Bayne. “It was just a fun, positive-spirited thing of how we could do a win-win thing and bring awareness to the efforts that we’re trying to accomplish.”

The competition is one of several efforts across the state to increase student attendance.

The “Show Up Challenge” runs October through April. Officials are hoping to lower Oakridge’s chronic absenteeism of 28.1% and Holton’s 33.5%.

“We don’t want people to miss school,” said Bayne. “We want them to be there because we miss them when they’re gone.”

Meanwhile, a group of five intermediate school districts covering eight counties is running a public information campaign urging students to miss fewer than five days of school.

The “ Strive for Fewer Than 5” effort includes the Bay-Arenac ISD, Gratiot-Isabella RESD, Clare-Gladwin RESD, Midland County ESA and Saginaw ISD.

Mount Pleasant Public Schools Superintendent Jennifer Verleger told Bridge that while the campaign has existed for years, the change now is explaining to parents when a child should be considered too sick to come to school.

“We firmly believe that a series of absences will just lead to more absences unless we do something to intervene to make a positive difference,” said Verleger.

The campaign uses paid advertising and has been viewed 508,000 times, said Maggie Wisniewski, the family engagement and literacy hub coordinator for the region.

At Gratiot-Isabella RESD, Attendance Systems and Support Coach Scott Hemker said roughly 80 people attended four days of training about building relationships with families and tackling barriers to attendance.

“The awareness is the first piece and then getting families and parents to understand that when kids miss school, it can really have an impact on learning,” said Hemker.

Varied efforts

There are generally three ways to affect attendance, said Jeremy Singer, an assistant professor of education at University of Michigan – Flint, where he studies absenteeism.

You can change student and parent behavior, improve student experiences in school or reduce barriers to attendance, Singer said.

Statewide, there are efforts to change high school experiences and graduation requirements with hopes that students would be more engaged.

Holton and Oakridge schools have health clinics that allow students to get medical care without leaving school.

Holton runs school-wide monthly competitions for attendance. The winning grade gets recognized with a special hot breakfast or bragging tags for their backpacks.

Oakridge has washers and dryers for students who need laundry services, mentorship programs and student appreciation days.

Singer said an incentive may lead to a modest increase in attendance but schools can’t do it alone. Singer co-authored a study that found “26% of schools increased their focus on incentives since the pandemic” during last school year.

Singer urged state leaders should look to other factors that influence attendance like transportation, employment and child care.

This story was originally published by Bridge Michigan and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.