School Administrators talking

After our K-12 family discussion on student attendance problems I decided to look for research on the topic. Chronic absence (20% plus) at Central Butte School is generally confined to two cases a year in the most senior classes; however, I am aware that a much larger number of students are absent for avoidable reasons throughout the year.I have not found what I am looking for: anything relevant to successful approaches to the problem. This British study conducted by the UK Department for Education and Skills (2003) revealed little to guide me, but it did reinforce my perceptions about the gap in perspective different stakeholders offer. What I am drawn to is the school related factors that speak to the lived experience of students when they do attend school.

Executive Summary

Introduction

The issue of school attendance is currently the focus of intense activity in schools and LEAs [Local Education Areas] in England. It is also a high priority policy concern (DfES, 1999; DfES, 2002) for which the Government has set a target to reduce levels of non-attendance by one third by 2002. Despite these efforts, pupils’ absence remains a puzzling and complex problem. This report presents results from a 12-month study of absence from school. The study explored the views of younger pupils, parents, teachers, and others working closely with pupils about the causes of absence, the roles parents play in non-attendance, and the measures taken by LEAs and schools to reduce absence levels. Information was gathered from 13 primary schools and 14 secondary schools in seven LEAs in various parts of England. In all, 143 education professionals, five police service representatives and 528 secondary school pupils were interviewed, and 662 primary school pupils and 373 parents completed questionnaires.

Summary of findings

The importance of good attendance

All the LEAs and teachers in our sample believed that good attendance was important because it is linked to pupils’ attainment and future career prospects. They pointed out that poor attendance has adverse effects on Key Stage 2 and 3 tests and is associated with disruptive behaviour. Nevertheless the priority given to attendance varied amongst LEAs and schools because some had been more successful at addressing the problem. Many LEA representatives thought that schools were over-ready to accept the reasons given for absence. In contrast, teachers stressed that they followed advice on attendance given in LEA guidelines and DfES Circulars.

Several LEA representatives and some head teachers thought that it was unhelpful to distinguish between different types of authorized and unauthorized absence because parents often condoned their children’s absences. Most thought it was important for schools to be proactive in investigating absences, work in partnership with other agencies and build a culture of learning within a community.

Parents’ views about truancy

In the main parents believed that school-related factors were the cause of pupils’ poor attendance. However, most parents still thought that their children’s education was valuable and believed that good attendance was important. Parents of poor attendees were less positive about school and more likely to keep their children off school.

The causes of truancy

27% of the 662 primary school children said that at some time they had truanted without their parents’ knowledge. They highlighted school-related reasons for their truancy. Being bullied was the most likely cause. Other reasons included boredom, dislike of teachers and avoidance of tests. Most pupils thought their parents would keep them off school for reasons which schools would consider acceptable, but a few indicated that their parents authorized absences which were unacceptable to the school. Personal reasons to miss school included the desire to impress friends and moodiness.

16% of the 528 secondary school pupils admitted to having skipped school at some time. In schools with all-white intakes, girls in Years 7, 8 and 9 were more likely to truant than boys. Very few pupils from ethnic minority groups admitted to truancy. Secondary pupils’ reasons for absence focused on school rather than home and included boredom, problems with lessons and teachers, anticipation of trouble, frustration at school rules, the size and complexity of secondary schools and fear of returning after a long absence. Bullying, having no friends and peer pressure to ‘bunk off’ were also mentioned. Some pupils mentioned home-related factors such as distress when parents split up, and a few noted personal factors such as laziness and the habit of poor attendance.

LEAs and teachers suggested a wide range of causes of truancy. Most mentioned home factors, which included parents putting a low value on education, disorganized lifestyles and inadequate parenting. Primary school teachers believed that parents condoned most truancy. In contrast, LEA representatives and secondary school teachers thought that school factors were an important cause of absence. These included inappropriate curriculum, teaching, school attitudes, racial harassment, bullying and peer pressure. In addition, secondary school teachers noted the influence of personal factors such as low pupil self-esteem and embarrassment at perceived inadequacies.

It is difficult to influence "parents putting a low value on education, disorganized lifestyles and inadequate parenting" or "laziness". I do think that addressing "inappropriate curriculum, teaching, school attitudes, racial harassment, bullying and peer pressure" in our schools is attainable.

Recently, I was fortunate enough to attend the National Middle School Association Conference in Nashville. I attended a session on Technology to Improve Learning, a book and session by Michael Muir. While he gave a snapshot of all the ways computers are used in schools (administrative uses, teacher uses, content-area uses), he focused the session on using the computer as a tool for learning.

Muir says there are three types of computer-use in schools. Firstly, we generate computer activities which are connected to the curriculum; secondly, curriculum content is enhanced through teacher use, perhaps with a power point presentation or internet site; finally, the computer can be used to build higher levels of thinking. Clearly, sustaining methods (automated practices which were done manually before computers ever existed), such as drill and practice, online text and teacher presentation, do not justify purchases of technology. If we are truly justified in major technology investment, we must take technological purpose to a new level – a disruptive level, where tasks and higher thinking levels are only possible because of technology. Such disruptive possibilities include digital storytelling, inquiry and information access, web-quests, project-based learning with multimedia, word-processing, blogs, wikipedia, pod/vodcasts and social bookmarking, to name a few. If technology is part of our students’ culture (and it is and will continue to be), then it is inherent upon us, their teachers, to find a way to build it into the curriculum – at all levels.

In other words, school administrators need to expect the use of higher levels computer-use in their schools, and we need to supervise to ensure that it is happening.

If it is, indeed, inherent upon us to do so, to what level do we expect such computer-use? How far do we go? Furthermore, how do school administrators command that teachers equip themselves with the skills to do so?