Getting Beyond Negative Perceptions about Parents

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Getting Beyond Negative Perceptions about
Parents Key Insights about Engaging Parents in
Ending Chronic Absence PARENTS ARE THE SECRET
SAUCE WEBINAR SERIES ? FALL 2015
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• Featured Speakers

Jill Habig
Ben H. Chida

• California Department of Justice
• Attorney General Kamala D. Harris

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Supporting Parents Success Microsite

• The Science The Data Why This Matters
• Proven Promising Programs, Tools Resources
• Programs in Action/Bright Spots
• Measuring Success
• Engaging Parents in GLR Coalitions

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Ad Council CA Attorney General
Reducing Chronic Absence
by Informing Parents

For more info, visit oag.ca.gov/truancy
For more info, visit oag.ca.gov/truancy
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Lots of Kids Are Living the Same Story
83 of Students Chronically Absent in
Kindergarten 1st Grade Are Unable to Read
On-Level by 3rd Grade1
Students Who Cannot Read On-Level in 3rd Grade
Are 4x More Likely to Drop Out Than Kids Who Can2
People Who Drop Out Are 8x More Likely to Be
Incarcerated than People with High School
Diplomas3
Its no surprise that a child who misses school
falls behind in school its also no surprise
that falling behind in school leads to worse life
outcomes. We just need to connect the dots.
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For more info, visit oag.ca.gov/truancy
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We Have an Attendance Problem in Our Elementary
Schools
Last year, 230,000 elementary school students in
California were chronically absent4
That includes 14.2 of kindergartners and 8.8
of first graders in California5
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The Attendance Problem Widens the Achievement Gap
30.2 of African-American Boys in Kindergarten
Were Chronically Absent6
75 of chronically absent7 and 90 of severely
chronically absent8 students are low-income
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For more info, visit oag.ca.gov/truancy
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What Causes the Attendance Problem? Heres What
Researchers Say
The causes of chronic absenteeism are complex
and vary from school to school. (Public health,
transportation, poverty, etc.)9
BUT
A lack of parental understanding about the
importance of daily school attendance can lead to
higher rates of absenteeism, as parents may not
fully understand the negative outcomes associated
with missing school.10
Parents who have low levels of education
themselves simply do not understand the
importance of regular school attendance.11
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Are They Right About Parents? We Tested the
Hypothesis
We partnered with the Ad Council, a non-profit
organization with expertise in public messaging,
to go directly to the source Parents. We talked
to them to learn more.

• With support from the California Endowment, we
  asked 2 big questions
• Why are kids chronically absent?
• What can we do about it?

The answers to the questions were really
interesting.
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Heres How We Tested the Hypothesis (Research
Methodology)
Phase 1

• Parent Ethnographies
• In-home interviews of 24 parents of chronically
  absent K5 students
• Approx. 2 hours each
• 9 Spanish, 15 English
• 8 in LA, 8 in the Bay Area, and 8 in Central
  California

Expert Interviews School administrators,
teachers, parent liaisons, and policy experts
Phase 2
Conducted 823 telephone and online surveys (573
in English and 250 in Spanish) to validate Phase
1 findings and test 4 messages
We just received the final findings in September
2015.
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For more info, visit oag.ca.gov/truancy
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Heres Who We Talked To and Why (Demographic
Breakdown)
All parents had annual household incomes below
50,000 per year
Because 75 of chronically absent12 and 90 of
severely chronically absent students are
low-income
Because parents are key allies in addressing
Californias elementary school chronic absence
and truancy crisis, and we wanted to hear
directly from them
Parents of students in public elementary schools
(K-5) who missed 10 days in the previous year
Representative samples of all ethnic/racial
backgrounds, with oversampling of African
American and Latino parents
Because theres an ethnic/racial attendance gap
We wanted to zero in on the most affected families
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Parents Have Only the Best Intentions
How likely are you to do the following in the
2015-16 school year?
93
92
90
91
82
65
Very Likely
Somewhat Likely
During both phases of research, it was absolutely
clear that parents have big dreams for their
children and have the best intentions.
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My child shouldnt miss a day of kindergarten
unless its unavoidable.
I hope my child graduates high school and goes
to college.
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Parents Agree that Some Absences Were Avoidable
We asked parents How often did your child stay
home even though they probably could have
attended? Although parents responded that most
absences were unavoidable, 74 responded that at
least some were avoidable.
Keep in mind This is what parents are willing
to say to an interviewer.
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Parents Dont Think Early Grade Absences Are a
Big Deal
who say its a big deal to miss at this grade
level
Spanish-Speaking Parents
English-Speaking Parents
Parents are about 2x more likely to say that
attendance is a big deal in high school than
kindergarten
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A couple absences a month isnt a big deal.
18 absences a year is way too many.
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There was a mismatch between the ideal and
actual numbers of absences
We asked parents Approximately how many days is
it okay for your child to miss in a school
year? The majority of parents said fewer than 9
days.
gt20 days 10-20 days 4-9 days 1-3 days 0 days
Keep in mind All of the respondents were
parents of students who were absent 10 times
last year
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Parents Underestimate the Number of Year-End
Absences

• We asked each parent about his or her childs
  absences in two ways
• Was your child absent an average of 2 or more
  days a month?
• Was your child absent more than 10 days over the
  year?
• 60 of parents said their child was absent an
  average of 2 days a month, but not 10 days a
  year

Missed an average of 2 days per month 90
Missed 10 days annually 30
The math If a child is absent an average of 2
days a month, then she is absent far more than
10 days a year
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Parents Want to Track Absences
We asked parents How likely is it that you will
track absences in the 2015-16 school
year? Between 90-96 of parents said they were
likely to track absences.
Very likely Somewhat Likely Unlikely
Parents want to do whats best for their kids.
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Most High-Absence Parents Reported that Their
Schools Had Not Contacted Them
Only 42 reported that a school official,
including a teacher, contacted them about
attendance in the last 6 months.
72 of parents reported that they most trust
teachers to talk to them about absences.
BUT
We need to make it easier for teachers and school
leaders to talk to parents about absences.
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Schools Inadvertently Reinforce Some
Absence-Causing Beliefs
School Behaviors that
Reinforce Attendance Reinforce Absenteeism
Class rewards for good attendance (e.g. popcorn or ice cream parties) Individual recognition for students with good attendance Impersonal letters Teachers send work home in response to absences Teachers do not address absenteeism issue with the parent Parents do not feel their child is safe in school High levels of absenteeism in the class

• Impersonal Letters
• Easy to disregard
• Many parents felt the school miscountedbut
  parents couldnt verify because they werent
  tracking absences
• Many parents felt that the school didnt
  understand them
• Sending Work Home
• Parents thought that completing a makeup packet
  caught their child up for the missed days work
• Teachers Not Addressing Absenteeism
• Most parents reported that they regularly
  communicate with their childrens teacher, but
  never about absences

Reinforces parents existing attitudes and
behaviors toward absences
Big motivators for kids, but not parents
For more info, visit oag.ca.gov/truancy
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We Tested Four Messages
All Absences Are Equal Absences have the same
consequences
Attendance Matters Early attendance later
success
Absences Add Up 2 absences per month chronic
absence
Bad Habits Early absence later ditching
Believable and persuasive Fact that education is
sequential was new information
Believable and persuasive Didnt realize that 2
absences per month was excessive
Never thought about the habits being formed Too
negative Not my child
Never thought about the consequences of excused
absences Unbelievable some absences are OK
Some combination of attendance matters and
absences add up is most effective.
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Release Actionable Tools for School Leaders to
Deliver the Message
72 of parents reported that they most trust
teachers to talk to them about absences but Only
42 of parents reported that school leaders,
including teachers, talked to them about absences.
By the beginning of October, well release all of
our research and a toolkit for school leaders to
deliver the most effective messages. We will
have a draft up by late September for feedback.
SO
We can use feedback help disseminating the
toolkit.
For more info, visit oag.ca.gov/truancy
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Two-Year Public Education Campaign to Empower
Parents
Parents need help connecting the dots 2
absences per month chronic
absence and early attendance later success
By the summer of 2016, we hope to launch a
two-year, multimedia public education
campaign. The goal will be to deliver the most
effective messages to parents via multiple
conduits.
SO
We can use help finding investors.
For more info, visit oag.ca.gov/truancy
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Tools to Easily Track Absences
90-96 of parents say they want to track
absences but judging by the gap between
reported monthly absences and annual absences,
most parents arent really doing it now.
Building on the research of academics like
Professor Todd Rogers, we are exploring
opportunities for a text messaging platform that
will empower parents to more easily keep track of
their childs absences.
SO
We can use help finding investors.
For more info, visit oag.ca.gov/truancy
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Works Cited
1 Alan Ginsburg, Phyllis Jordan, Hedy Chang,
Absences Add Up How School Attendance
Influences Student Success (Sept. 2014). 2
Donald J. Hernandez, Double Jeopardy How
Third-Grade Reading Skills and Poverty Influence
High School Graduation, The Annie E. Casey
Foundation (2012). 3 John M. Bridgeland, et al.,
The Silent Epidemic Perspectives of High School
Dropouts, Bill Melinda Gates Foundation (March
2006). 4 Office of the Attorney General,
California Department of Justice, In School On
Track Attorney Generals 2015 Report on
Californias Elementary School Truancy
Absenteeism Crisis (2015). 5 Id. 6 Id. 7 Id. 8
Office of the Attorney General, California
Department of Justice, In School On Track
Attorney Generals 2014 Report on Californias
Elementary School Truancy Absenteeism Crisis
(2014). 9 Nauer, Kim, et al., Center for New
York City Affairs at the New School for
Management and Urban Policy, Strengthening
Schools by Strengthening Families Community
Strategies to Reverse Chronic Absenteeism in the
Early Grades and Improve Supports for Children
and Families (2008). 10 Id. 11 Center for Court
Innovation, From Absent to Present Reducing Teen
Chronic Absenteeism in New York City (2013),
23. 12 Office of the Attorney General,
California Department of Justice, In School On
Track Attorney Generals 2015 Report on
Californias Elementary School Truancy and
Absenteeism Crisis (2015).
For more info, visit oag.ca.gov/truancy
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Yolie Flores, Senior Fellow Campaign for
Grade-Level Reading yflores_at_gradelevelreading.net