After pandemic drop, schools in Republic and Willard team up to fight chronic absenteeism

Post-pandemic, much about school in Republic and Willard has returned to the way it was before the virus with one glaring exception: Student attendance levels.

The side-by-side districts in western Greene County used to count on attendance hovering at or just above 95% — meaning most students were missing seven or fewer days a school year.

That average number of missed days soared into double-digit territory during the pandemic and has not yet come back down.

Chronic absenteeism, defined as students missing 10 or more days a year, has become a problem in school districts across Missouri and the U.S.

Republic Superintendent Matt Pearce and Willard Superintendent Eric Wilken said each district has worked on ways to combat the issue. This year, they are joining forces.

They said teachers and principals have stressed the importance of showing up since the first day of class on Aug. 21 but the neighboring districts will also launch a joint campaign — aimed at increasing awareness for students, parents and the community — after Labor Day.

"We collaborate a lot on many things and this was just a natural fit," Pearce said. "It is a U.S.-wide attendance issue, it is not just a Republic or Willard or Springfield so we are trying to figure out how we can get back to putting the emphasis there and ... trying to make sure that our kids aren't missing additional days when they aren't sick."

Attendance at school linked to academic performance

The message will be focused on how much students miss when they are not present to learn.

"It is one of the indicators of success for students, especially students in high school," Pearce said. "We're trying to help our students and our staff and our community to understand."

He said missing an extra day here and there adds up quickly.

"When they miss an extra day of school a month, all of a sudden instead of being at 95% attendance, you're at 85% attendance," he said. "When you add those (missed days) up over the course of 13 years, you have missed almost a whole year."

Both districts provided charts showing how high school students who missed the fewest days last year achieved the high grade point averages. GPA is a factor that colleges consider in admissions and scholarship decisions.

"We want to put out information about how attendance effects academics," Wiken said. "That needs to be the main focus."

For example, Republic high school students with an attendance of 98% or higher averaged a 3.4 GPA while students with attendance of 92-94% averaged a 2.6 GPA.

Wilken said the emphasis has to start in the earliest grades.

"In kindergarten, first grade, second grade, they're learning early reading and early math skills," he said. "When they're missing a big chunk of the year, they are missing a big chunk of foundation."

Pearce said students who develop academic skill gaps in the early grades will have to catch up or they will likely lag behind peers.

"There is a lot of academics missed when you go from, say, 95% attendance to 85% and that is where the concern comes in," he said.

Incentives, as well as enforcement

In charts provided by Republic and Willard, attendance last year was down at every grade level when compared to the 2018-19 year.

The goal for each district is to once again reach attendance of 95% or more.

Pearce and Wilken said they know there are times when students and employees have to be gone, especially if they are sick, but the goal should be to show up if possible.

Both districts plan to dangle a carrot, using incentives and celebrations to encourage attendance, especially in the preschool, elementary and middle school grades.

"The incentives and the push may look a little different from school to school," Wilken said.

On the flip side, they plan to step up enforcement by making calls and sending letters home if a student starts to miss too many days.

Wilken said the letters spell out consequences a student may face if they continue to miss school. "Since COVID, we have not sent those out," he said.

Pearce said Republic started sending the letters again in spring 2023 after nearly three years of not doing so.

More: First look at Missouri student scores for last year 'depressing,' state board member says

The superintendents said the unprecedented nature of the pandemic meant attendance took a backseat to health concerns and parents were encouraged to keep children home if they were exposed to COVID-19 or were showing signs of the virus.

"That's the season we were in," Wilken said.

Pearce added: "We were all so freaked out and concerned and we were quarantining people. And knowing what we know now, we would have had a difference approach. But, we had to live through it to where we are now."

He said showing up to school every day pays off in other ways.

"Another lesson learned during the pandemic is we don't need to be apart from each other, we need to be together and build our culture and build that camaraderie amongst students and staff," Pearce said.

Republic GPA by attendance

The Republic district looked at the connection between students' attendance range and grade point average or GPA.

• Attendance of 98-100% − 3.4 GPA

• Attendance of 95-97% − 3.1 GPA

• Attendance of 92-94% − 2.6 GPA

• Attendance of 89-91% − 2.5 GPA

• Attendance of 86-88% − 2.4 GPA

• Attendance of 80-85% − 2 GPA

• Attendance of 79% or less − 1.6 GPA

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Republic and Willard work together to improve school attendance