Regular school attendance is a key indicator for student achievement and success. Chronic absenteeism has been linked to difficulties with reading by third grade as well as lower high school graduation rates. Addressing attendance becomes imperative, and that starts with engaging students and families in the identification and prevention of absences, as well as early intervention. Too often, however, these engagement efforts work under the false assumption that families of chronically absent students do not care and, in turn, treat them as though they are the problem. We can find ways to tap into families’ strengths and work as equal partners towards a common goal of seeing our students thrive. Parent Teacher Home Visits can help.

Many schools and districts use a multi-tiered system of support for early identification and intervention for attendance concerns. While the Parent Teacher Home Visits model prohibits targeting of students, it can be used as a foundational strategy by schools adopting a comprehensive approach to improving attendance. Research shows that students who receive a home visit are 21% less likely to be chronically absent. Moreover, all students do better in schools that implement with 10% or more of students, even if they did not receive a home visit. These measurable impacts to attendance are a by-product of an intentional effort to build relationships of trust and effective two-way communication between educators and families.