Boston Public Schools' new campaign to tackle absenteeism seeks to reward students for improved attendance while identifying why some kids 'chronically' miss school.
At New Mission High in Hyde Park, many students jump into the school day by first hitting the gymnasium.
Physical education and health teacher Shawn Polk tells students the day's intramural sports program session is over and its time for the kids to get to class. Students across Region 8 are a diverse group, and a lot of them face a range of challenges with ties to socio-economic problems: from academic struggles to transportation headaches to mental health issues. Many live in households that primarily speak languages other than English, and in some cases, their families depend on them to work part-time while attending school.
The district also entered partnerships with local businesses to offer kids free services as a reward for good attendance. For example, students could win an attendance “chip” to redeem at a local barbershop or salon for a free haircut. Still, McCarthy touted how relationship-building acts as a core focus of the campaign, improving how districts take a greater interest in students' lives by asking peers and staffers to reach out more to students and their families — or even conduct home visits to find out what families need.
In the spirit of the"Win the Day" pilot, the school organized a raffle this month to award prizes, like movie tickets or field trips, for good attendance.
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