Helping Students Improve their Attendance

Many CPS schools have tried different strategies to improve their students’ attendance, and, at Burroughs Elementary School, the secret weapon is Ms. Brandy Allen. As a special education classroom assistant, these duties are outside of her normal job responsibilities, but she explains that she is happy to do it because she has come to love the students at Burroughs. 

She explains that each year at Burroughs brings something new, and working with students of all grade levels has been a refreshing and joyful experience because she is always learning from the kids she works with. Get to know more about her efforts below.

Why was being part of an attendance initiative at Burroughs so important to you? 

I noticed that some students were missing school, and it seemed to be like they were doing so just for fun or to get attention from their friends. When I would check in with those kids, it would mean a lot to them that I even noticed they were gone. This made them want to come to school more. 

Our initiative started with just a random batch of students, and we would do weekly check-ins and give them a little incentive if they were at school all week. This year, we’ve really stepped our game up. We even had a staff versus student volleyball game for students with high attendance, and that was so encouraging for the students and made them look forward to coming to school. 

If you had to do your initiative over, would you do anything differently? 

When we started last year, we were only testing out our strategies with a random batch of kids. Our focus now is on our Tier II students, who have around 90 percent attendance. We want to get them to at least 95 percent. 

If I were to do anything differently, I would focus more on the entire school from the start. We have students whose attendance rate is around 100 percent who have said: What about me? I would like to do more work with students in different groups and not just Tier II students. 

What advice would you give to other schools who want to improve their attendance rates? 

Start by checking in with your students and showing them your enthusiasm and encouragement. Small incentives can also show them that you care about them. Starting small is totally fine, and you can adjust your plan as you monitor their attendance. 

What is your message to the students you have worked with? 

I see you. You’re improving. I’m so proud of you, and keep up the good work. We love having you here, and your being here matters. It makes a difference. So, thank you for showing up every day!