What can OUSD do to increase attendance?

Leaders of the Oakland Unified Faculty District see attendance as vital to their plan to deal with a $100 million finances hole. Rising attendance by even 1% total might add $5 million in income.

That is as a result of state funds, which give the most important pool of cash for the district, are primarily based on a funding components that makes use of college students’ common each day attendance charges. A rise in attendance by a number of proportion factors might imply hundreds of thousands extra for a district seeking to discover a method out of its structural deficit.

A 2% improve in attendance might generate a further $10 million, protecting 10% of the district’s deficit. However consultants say this may take greater than “show up at school” movies. Power absenteeism charges have skyrocketed through the COVID-19 pandemic and OUSD has not but absolutely recovered.

Through the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 college years, roughly 14 to fifteen% of scholars had been chronically absent, which means they missed greater than 10% of their college time. Within the 2018-2019 college yr, when academics in Oakland went on strike for seven days, persistent absenteeism rose to nearly 32%. Within the college yr ending in 2022 this was 45% and in 2023 it was 61%. At this time, that quantity has dropped dramatically, however about 25% of OUSD college students are nonetheless chronically absent, greater than county and state averageswhich are beneath 20%.

Subsequent Wednesday, finances advisers from Hazard, Younger, Attea and Associates — the OUSD agency employed this month to supervise its fiscal sustainability efforts — are anticipated to current an in depth plan detailing the balanced-budget situation the board authorised in December.

“One-time cash can’t resolve your structural drawback,” Ruben Frutos, one of many finances advisors, mentioned throughout a particular board assembly on Tuesday. “It buys us time, generally we will make good selections, however finally your finances has to stay in a solvent state of affairs for years to come back.”

Frutos mentioned closing the hole between enrollment and attendance is vital to solvency, because the district staffs its faculties primarily based on enrollment however receives state funds primarily based on attendance.

Rising — and sustaining — excessive attendance would require a complete, district-wide method, consultants informed The Oaklandside, with sufficient educated employees at every college who perceive the varied the explanation why youngsters keep house and are capable of handle them. However now that normal cuts are on the desk, faculties run the chance of shedding these investments as they make trade-offs that pit priorities towards one another.

The core of this work is constructing relationships, says Hedy Chang, the CEO of Attendance Works, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that works with college districts to deal with persistent absenteeism.

“The sensation of being seen, the sensation of belonging, the sensation that somebody cares whether or not you come or not helps you present up at college, interval,” Chang informed The Oaklandside. “Relationships not solely assist with attendance, additionally they assist with circumstances that get youngsters enthusiastic about studying.”

A highschool that has turned the tide

At West Oakland Center Faculty, the aim is a 96% attendance charge. Meaning there are seven or fewer days lacking in a yr. The college’s present proportion is 92%, which is sort of 8 proportion factors larger than two years in the past – the most important leap amongst OUSD excessive faculties at the moment. The college has lowered the persistent absenteeism charge by greater than half, from 55% to 26%.

The important thing to that enchancment, in keeping with Neha Ummat, the college’s director, was hiring employees devoted to attendance and constructing relationships with college students. In 2022, the college employed a broad college supervisor, and an academic professional the next yr. They’re a part of West Oakland Center’s attendance group, which additionally consists of the college counselor and neighborhood companions. Throughout weekly conferences, they overview total attendance developments and particular person scholar knowledge.

This enables the group to create a layered approachAn evidence-based strategy to fight absenteeism, Chang mentioned. Degree 1 consists of all efforts geared toward all college students and households, equivalent to consciousness campaigns and clear communication of expectations.

At West Oakland Center, this implies academics in homeroom reviewing what counts as excused and unexcused absences and asking their college students to finish attendance success plans. As a part of the success plans, that are accomplished twice a yr, college students record the explanations they like coming to highschool, the boundaries that hold them from college, and attainable options to those boundaries.

The plans changed an attendance pledge the district beforehand had college students take.

“What does that always imply when folks signal pledges? What are the clear actions?” Emilio Ortega, director of the college’s Group Faculty, mentioned. “Our thought was to assist them determine the the explanation why they like coming to highschool, determine the boundaries and the precise methods we’re going to handle these boundaries, after which present them with options.”

Degree 2 help is meant to succeed in college students liable to persistent absenteeism – those that miss college 5 to 7% of the time – and that is the place incentives play an essential function. West Oakland college students with inconsistent attendance can get a cup of scorching chocolate after coming to highschool 5 days in a row. After 15 days in a row they’ve a pizza social gathering.

“Center college is the time when mother and father begin giving them the liberty to go to highschool independently,” says Ummat. “Highschool college students are motivated by meals and treats. It does not take a lot to get them excited.”

Extracurricular actions are additionally a powerful motivator, Ummat mentioned. West Oakland Center has a robust arts programand college students should present up at college to take part in performances.

Measuring absenteeism per day, along with percentages, makes it simpler to speak with households when their little one is liable to reaching the “persistent” threshold, Ortega mentioned. Power absenteeism is outlined as lacking 10% of college – two days per 30 days or 18 days per yr. By measuring per day, employees can intervene earlier, Chang says.

“You discover the kid earlier than they’ve missed a lot college that they’re academically in danger, the kid who has missed two days within the first month,” she informed The Oaklandside. “When you wait till they miss day 18, you may be too late.”

Degree 3 help is reserved for many who are most absent, and infrequently consists of partaking households and wider help companies. Ortega associated the case of a scholar who missed plenty of college because of physician’s appointments. Ortego informed the mother and father that West Oakland Center had a health center on campus and inspired the household to hunt assist there to keep away from all these absences.

West Oakland Center has a major Muslim inhabitants, and faculty leaders seen many college students lacking college throughout Ramadan, the month of fasting. Stressing the significance of going to highschool and reminding households that college students can request lodging to be extra comfy through the quick helped enhance attendance, Ummat mentioned.

“We cannot essentially allow them to do fitness center in the event that they have not eaten, and we can’t allow them to go to the cafeteria if they cannot eat, however college is a vital place for college students who’re fasting,” she informed The Oaklandside.

Emily Bailard, the CEO of EveryDay Labs, a Redwood Metropolis-based group that promotes finest practices round attendance, mentioned a complete method that emphasizes attendance from district leaders by means of web site employees is crucial.

“Really prioritizing bettering college attendance as one of many district’s key objectives means it should be a prime precedence for principals. It’s mentioned in principals conferences, knowledge is shared at each assembly, and faculty leaders are held accountable for bettering college attendance,” Bailard informed The Oaklandside. “And that this trickles down to each member of employees who helps preserve attendance as a part of their job.”

On December 3 memo from Saddler and other senior staff outlining OUSD’s attendance strategythe tiered group method is predicted to value roughly $340,000 per college to employees key positions. The report notes that these positions could be partially funded with restricted {dollars}. Any revenue OUSD sees from collaborating goes into the district’s normal treasury, the place the deficit lies.

However making certain these staffers are correctly educated is mostly the job of OUSD headquarters, which is predicted to soak up main finances cuts within the coming yr.

Bailard warned that financially strapped districts are taking the narrowest, classroom-only method on the subject of what to maintain and what to chop. She recommended districts suppose broadly about what college students must be profitable.

“Once you actually take into consideration what issues must be versus what are good to have, districts usually make the error of defining that as defending the classroom and investing within the classroom after which chopping again on every thing else,” she mentioned. “I might encourage districts at present dealing with main finances cuts to essentially take into consideration what must be prioritized in order that college students are current and able to study.”