Newport Seeks Resolution to Chronic Absenteeism in Public Schools

If there is an answer to relieve chronic absenteeism in its public schools, Newport hasn’t found one – yet. During a public summit Thursday afternoon, about 60 teachers, administrators and parents gathered at to discuss options the school and community have to decrease the number of truant students.

According to school administrators, several factors influence truancy in students, including boredom, associating with other students who don’t go to school, feeling too far behind to catch up with school work, too much freedom at home, failing classes, lack of transportation, and bullying.

Rhode Island KIDS COUNT reported this year that Newport maintained the third lowest attendance rate of high school students, coming in at 87 percent, ahead of only Providence and Woonsocket.

The survey reported that 42 percent of high school students in Newport missed 18 or more days during the last school year, while 19 percent were absent between 12 and 17 days. The middle school has a better overall attendance rate of 92 percent, yet 25 percent of students were absent 18 or more days last year. Nineteen percent were absent between 12 and 17 times.

The school system declares students chronically absent when they miss 10 percent of classes.

During the workshop, administrators acknowledged that the problem isn’t Newport-specific, and that chronic absenteeism is a nation-wide problem. 

“The reason kids drop out is because they’ve been truant since kindergarten," said Superintendent John H. Ambrogi. "By eight grade they’ve missed so much they don’t feel good about themselves as learners. We recognize that in Newport public schools.”

Last school year, 47 students were referred for a possible family court hearing, but many did not face a judge once their attendance picked up, school officials said. Overall, 73 letters were sent home to families with students on the cusp of chronic absenteeism, who will be monitored over the next school year.

Mark McKenna, family service coordinator for , emphasized the importance of addressing truancy from each student's first day of school. He said every year between 10 to 20 students do not show up to the first day of school, and the school try to follow up with each family to see why they did not attend.

Incentives like rewarding students who have perfect attendance for the month and the year, as well as putting student’s attendance numbers on report cards, are important ways of tracking attendance and encouraging families to get their children to school every day, as well as on time.

Leaving early and coming in late are just as harmful to a student’s education as missed days, McKenna said.

“Family services are proactive in solving problems present by students who don’t want to go to school,” he said.

Ambrogi expressed frustrations at the rate of students still truant in Newport schools, despite recent efforts.

“We’re tapped out,” he said. “We think we’re doing everything that we’re supposed to be doing . . . As administrators we’re at a loss at how to make things better.”

Finding the “silver bullet” against chronic absenteeism and truancy would put Newport on the map, he said.

School committee member Jo Eva Gaines echoed similar sentiments throughout the summit that working with community organizations who might provide resources and services for truant students and families could be a way to combat the issue.

“. . .If we can get some key people to become partners, they might be right in the neighborhood to help,” school committee member Sandra J. Flowers said in agreement.

Patti DiCenso presented a different outlook on some students at the high school who are repeatedly absent, noting that some are among the highest performers of the school. DiCenso blamed it partly on “senioritis” and students view school is over in their minds once final projects and AP exams are finished.

“All of a sudden they’re taking unauthorized days [off],” DiCenso said. “Because they’re high performing we are not watching them.”

DiCenso suggested the possibility of creating a policy to combat senioritis by refusal to allow students who excessive absences to walk at graduation.  

“We need to break the generational attitude about school being complacent,” Ambrogi said at the end of the summit. “We need to change it around so it’s viewed as a place of empowerment, hope, dreams and success. I still don’t know how to do that, but we can begin to try and find a way.”