"Eighty percent of success is showing up."
Attendance programs work with schools, parents, students and their families in order to find solutions that decrease truancy and increase student success. These solutions are built step by step with the help of a skilled Neutral. Rather than using broad and punitive approaches to treat the symptoms, attendance programs look carefully at each student to discover the reasons why they are not attending school. Resolving these problems happens in a cooperative and non-confrontational manner, ensuring that all parties work together to give the young person what they need.
Attendance programs are appropriate for all stages of education from kindergarten through college. Many states and school districts have made attendance programs like ours a standard, core part of their school environments. The benefits to schools, families, and students are well documented.
Attendance programs ensure that all required parties are involved and have a voice in the process, including
- Students.
- Parents.
- Siblings.
- Family members.
- Teachers.
- Administrators.
- Coaches.
- Counselors.
- Therapists.
- Psychologists.
- Social workers.
- Other members of the school community.
Attendance programs focus not only on the challenges to student attendance, but also on the resources available throughout the family, school, and larger community. One goal is to find those resources and match them with students who require them. Not only can attendance programs prevent truancy and improve academics, but they can also prevent youth from entering into the juvenile justice system.