A program that connects parents of truant students with wrap-around services has seen 79 percent of participants improve attendance in one year.
Truancy is one of the biggest issues facing D.C. public and charter schools, with 20 percent of students ending the 2012-2013 year with more than ten unexcused absences. “It’s been underappreciated for too long,” Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said at an event today, adding that Show Up, Stand Out gives positive attention to the issue.
In its first year, the program connected students from 17 elementary schools in Wards 1, 2,
4, 5, 6 and 7 with a community-based organization. Of the 457 families analyzed, out of 571 who participated, 98 percent were led by single parents, 78 percent by women and 88 percent by African Americans. Families were identified by schools after five unexcused absences and referred to the program.
Of the students who received comprehensive services, 79 percent improved attendance and 76 percent were not referred to the program for a second year. Seventy-seven percent of families also reported an improvement in living conditions, while 60 percent reported improved financial conditions.
Melissa Hook, Director of the D.C. Justice Grants Administration — which leads the initiative — said they were surprised to see how “resilient” families were, and, with the help from community-based organizations, by the short amount of time it took them to overcome attendance issues “completely.”
“It’s doable, but it requires working one-on-one with families,” Hook said, adding that it’s a “straightforward process” that’s “easy to understand and easy to trust.”
“We realized that truancy was a crisis in the city,” Hook said of the program’s creation of 2012. “We looked at the solution as providing crisis intervention.” That includes helping families secure housing, find employment for parents and make plans to get students to school.
Also surprising was the 61 percent of parents who did not see truancy as a problem in their community. Simple awareness of the issue, and positive branding of the program as “proactive support, not a punishment,” was key, Hook said.
Katrina Allen, family services manager for the Edgewood/Brookland Family Support Collaborative, said they assisted families through connecting them to mental health providers, providing SmarTrip cards and teaching parents how to write excuse notes.
One mother with two children who participated in the program said it “changed her life for the better.” She faced childhood abuse and homelessness, she said through tears, leaving her unable to stick “to a consistent routine.” Her family moved from shelter to shelter, including D.C. General, and her children faced the consequences of this, including anxiety.
After becoming connected with Show Up, Stand Out, her case manager helped connect her with affordable housing, which she’s been in for almost six months, and monthly passes for bus.
“It lifts you up and helps you accomplish your goals,” she said, adding that she’s now enrolled at the University of the District of Columbia seeking an English degree and her daughter ended the school year with fewer absences and primarily “A”s.
“We still have a long way to go,” DCPS schools chancellor Kaya Henderson said, but “significant” improvements have been made. Henderson highlighted Show Up, Stand Out’s early intervention, comprehensive approach to challenges families are facing and collaboration with community organizations. “We can’t do this alone.”
Show Up, Stand Out has launched a new website with links to resources. PSAs for the program with messages like “Before he can be a CEO, he has to be a student” will appear in places like Metro stations and one the sides of buses.
Hooks said they hope to serve up to 60 elementary and middle schools, including charters, during the program’s second year. The number of students who were not referred to the program for a second year shows signs of lasting improvement.
“That means there has been a culture change for the whole family,” Hook said. “They were really able to sustain change.”
