City of Pearland Mayor Kevin Cole has joined a nationwide effort to celebrate Attendance Awareness Month in September. It has pledged to raise awareness about the value of regular school attendance and focus on reducing chronic absenteeism in the new school year.
Pearland ISD and the City of Pearland 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.
Nationally, 5 million to 7.5 million miss nearly a month of school in annual excused and unexcused absences. Starting as early as kindergarten or even preschool, chronic absence predicts lower 3rd-grade reading scores. By middle school, it’s a warning sign that students will fail key classes and drop out of high school.
Being chronically absent disproportionately affects children from low-income families and communities of color, creating attendance gaps that exacerbate achievement gaps in local schools. This is not just a matter of truancy. Many children, especially in the early grades, miss school too much because of chronic health problems, unreliable transportation, or housing moves—barriers that city agencies and community partners can help families address.
“This matters to all of us, not just those with school-age children,” Mayor Cole said. “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.”
In September, schools, city agencies, community nonprofits, faith-based groups, businesses, and others 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.
During Attendance Awareness Month, we are asking 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 Awareness Month serves as a vital reminder of the link between regular school attendance and student success,” Susan Holloway, Pearland ISD director of Student Outreach, said. “It’s an opportunity for us all to recognize and address the barriers to consistent attendance, ensuring every student has the support they need to succeed academically and personally. Showing up every day possible for school is a huge game-changer.”
