Students who miss 18 or more days in a school year – just 10% – are considered chronically absent, which can hurt their academic achievement and put them at-risk of dropping out. Students who attend school regularly are more likely than students who are chronically absent to:
- Graduate and go on to college
- Score higher on standardized tests
- Learn to read well by the critical 3rd grade milestone
- Be more engaged in school, feel better about themselves and are less likely to be depressed
- Build good habits for school and life (How many employers will tolerate a worker who misses 10 percent of work days?)
- Break the cycle of poverty
- Talking to them about the importance of going to school on time every day
- Staying involved in their lives by asking them about their classes, friends and schoolwork
- Helping them develop good habits like going to bed early and finishing their homework
- Getting them involved in clubs or other after-school programs
- Planning appointments and vacations when school is out of session
- Forming strong relationships with their teachers and administrators
- Good attendance starts the night before. Children need about 9 to 11 hours of sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation. When the lights go out, so should the cell phones, videos games and computers.
- Establish positive evening routines that allow time for your child to complete homework. Being prepared can help lessen your child's anxieties when it comes to attending school the next day.
- Don't promote or tolerate your child being absent from school. Talk to your child about the importance of attending school every day.
- When family assistance is needed, reach out to friends and neighbors, your place of worship, a local community organization or other networks of support instead of allowing your child to miss school.
- Health is a priority, and that means mental health too. Don't be afraid to ask how your child is doing, or whether he or she is feeling depressed.
- Get to know the folks in your child's school - from teachers and administrators to school safety officials and lunchroom aides. They are like an early warning system when it comes to absenteeism, and they might be aware of any problems, like bullying, that your child is facing in school.
- If your child is missing 2 or 3 days of school per month, he or she is already on the wrong track. This will end up totaling more than one entire month of lost school by the end of the year. Don't forget: sending your child to school is required by law.
As a parent of a high school student you might feel you can't help your child with their math assignment or the big paper they are writing in English class. But by making sure your child goes to school every day, you are improving their odds of being successful in all their classes.