With schools back in session, September is national Attendance Awareness Month, and Neptune Township school superintendent Dr. Tami Crader is asking families and the community this year to help solve the problem of chronic absenteeism.
In Neptune, approximately 18 percent of students are absent for 10 percent of the school year, Crader said in a letter addressed "To the Community" and published on the official website of Neptune Township.
"We can't afford to think of absenteeism as simply an administrative matter," she said. "Good attendance is central to student achievement and our broader efforts to improve schools. All of our investments in curriculum and instruction won't amount to much if students aren't showing up to benefit from them."
Crader sees a combination of monitoring and intervention by parents with help from the community as at way to tackle the problem.
"It's up to parents to build a habit of good attendance, enforce bedtimes and other routines and avoid vacations while school is in session," she said, but there's also room for help from outside the home.
If children are missing class because of concerns about traffic safety or community violence, the district will work with parents, police and traffic officials to develop safe routes to school, Crader said. "Volunteers from businesses, faith-based groups and non-profits can provide that extra shift of adults we need to mentor chronically absent students and reach out to parents."
The district also will set attendance goals for principals and schools, Crader said.
According to Crader, studies have shown that chronic absence in kindergarten and first grade suggest a child is less likely to read proficiently by third grade, and is more likely to struggle in school.
Chronic absence in middle school is also a leading indicator of whether a child will drop out of high school, she said.
In Neptune, approximately 18 percent of students are absent for 10 percent of the school year, Crader said in a letter addressed "To the Community" and published on the official website of Neptune Township.
"We can't afford to think of absenteeism as simply an administrative matter," she said. "Good attendance is central to student achievement and our broader efforts to improve schools. All of our investments in curriculum and instruction won't amount to much if students aren't showing up to benefit from them."
Crader sees a combination of monitoring and intervention by parents with help from the community as at way to tackle the problem.
"It's up to parents to build a habit of good attendance, enforce bedtimes and other routines and avoid vacations while school is in session," she said, but there's also room for help from outside the home.
If children are missing class because of concerns about traffic safety or community violence, the district will work with parents, police and traffic officials to develop safe routes to school, Crader said. "Volunteers from businesses, faith-based groups and non-profits can provide that extra shift of adults we need to mentor chronically absent students and reach out to parents."
The district also will set attendance goals for principals and schools, Crader said.
According to Crader, studies have shown that chronic absence in kindergarten and first grade suggest a child is less likely to read proficiently by third grade, and is more likely to struggle in school.
Chronic absence in middle school is also a leading indicator of whether a child will drop out of high school, she said.
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