RIDE Launches Student Attendance Tool Statewide

Published on Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Research Partnership with Harvard Will Expand Resources for Teacher Attendance

PROVIDENCE, RI – After a successful pilot, the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) announced today that its Attendance Nudge Tool is now available to every school in the state. More than 120 schools statewide have indicated that they intend to use the tool this year, with 23 districts participating in training this week on implementing the tool in their school community.



Built internally by RIDE team members, the Attendance Nudge Tool tracks student attendance and helps schools reduce chronic absence by more closely engaging with families. The tool was created in direct response to feedback from the field that this is a challenge for schools.



“The research is clear that chronic absence has a significant impact on student achievement, but this isn’t just about data. We are helping schools to understand their data, and then supporting them to improve it. A strong school culture where students and teachers want to be in school every day is a first step in improving outcomes, and we’re excited to be working with so many schools to improve attendance with this innovative approach,” said Angélica Infante-Green, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education.



The Attendance Nudge Tool is linked to an online portal that is updated daily with student attendance data. Principals log in and see a list of students who are at risk of becoming chronically absent, defined as missing 10 percent or more of the school year, or roughly 18 days. Users then have the option to generate either a backpack letter or a text message, both geared towards families. The messages underscore the importance of school attendance and compare the child’s attendance with his or her peers, not unlike the energy efficiency letters that many households receive.



“Students who are chronically absent are less likely to read on grade level and more likely to drop out of high school, and yet, many students and families don’t realize how quickly the days add up,” said Barbara Cottam, Chair of the Rhode Island Board of Education. “Chronic absence translates to just two days per month, so we need all stakeholders to work together to ensure that families know what chronic absence is and how it can negatively impact their child’s achievement.”



Hennessey Elementary School in East Providence was the first school to pilot the tool, and in its first year, reduced chronic absence by 2 percentage points.



“The Attendance Nudge has been an efficient and effective tool that we utilize at Hennessey as a critical part of our multi-step process to reduce chronic absenteeism,” said Lindsey Reilly, Principal of Hennessey. “The Nudge consistently reinforces our primary messaging to families of the importance of being at school each day, on time, ready to learn. It also provides an opportunity for the school to offer family support to engage as partners in improving attendance.”



Johnston Public Schools was the second district to volunteer for the pilot, with five schools participating. The district initially embraced the tool at the elementary level, and is now expanding to use it at the middle school.



"As a first year principal, the Attendance Tool was a great resource for me to quickly review students' attendance data on a daily basis, and immediately and easily notify ECC families of a concern,” said Keri Autiello, principal of the Early Childhood Center. “The Nudge and Backpack Letters are a subtle way I was able to communicate to ECC families the importance of regularly attending school. I love the Backpack Letter that graphs the child's accumulated absences from school compared to the typical kindergarten student.”



In addition to the tool, RIDE has made public an Attendance Leaderboard, updated daily online, that shows the student chronic absence rates of every school in the state, giving students, parents, and communities a better understanding of attendance patterns in their own school. The Leaderboard lives on RIDE’s website, as part of a page that offers a host of resources, articles, and best practices to support schools in improving student attendance.



At the same time that RIDE is providing data and support to schools for student attendance, Infante-Green says the agency is making teacher attendance a priority, as well.



“Our message to students has been that you can’t learn if you’re not there. Likewise, if the regular teacher is consistently absent, the same level of meaningful teaching and learning cannot take place,” she said. “We must, collectively, recognize the value of school attendance and the demonstrable effect it has on student achievement, school culture, and all measures of school performance.”



This fall, RIDE will partner with Harvard University to research patterns of teacher absence and try to determine what interventions would be most effective in changing behaviors. As part of this work, RIDE is working to create a school-level Attendance Leaderboard specifically for teachers.



“We are committed to helping Rhode Island reduce teacher and student absences and, in the process, to develop their muscle to pilot and test solutions for other challenges,” said Dr. Tom Kane, faculty director of the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University and a professor of education and economics at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.



“My collaborator Carly Robinson and I are looking forward to working with the Rhode Island Department of Education and other stakeholders to use data analysis and behavioral science to improve attendance patterns and ultimately help the students and families of Rhode Island. We are particularly excited to work with educators in Providence, and are hopeful that this partnership can help support a broader turnaround strategy in the district,” said Dr. Todd Rogers, professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and director of the Student Social Support R&D Lab.



For the initiatives surrounding both student and teacher chronic absence, RIDE is hoping to serve as a key support to schools, not only providing transparent, accessible data, but also working with schools and districts to understand the data and then deploy strategies for improvement that have been proven effective.



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