A PROJECT TO IMPROVE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE RATES

100 INDIANAPOLIS STUDENTS. 1 YEAR.

THE PROJECT

The Need:

• *23% of Indianapolis students missed more than two weeks of school last year. 7% missed more than 3 weeks.

• *Daily student attendance correlates strongly with graduation rates and juvenile delinquency cases.

• *Students in this pilot project are slated to attend high schools that currently have graduation rates of less than 60%. Neighborhood crime rates are high.

The Goals:

• *Increase school attendance rates of program participants.

• *Identify barriers to school attendance and connect families with resources to address these challenges.

• *Increase participants' knowledge about the importance of school attendance and its connection to long-term academic and career success.

• *Improve communication between the parents and schools

The Plan:

• MCCOY is leading this collaborative project focused on increasing school attendance for 91 elementary school students living in public housing communities. This innovative program will develop a best practice model in the field of promoting school attendance and improving high school graduation rates.

2011-2012 Program

The kick-off workshop for this pilot project occurred in July 2011 and the final celebratory event will take place in June 2012. We will continue our momentum throughout the year by offering Attend To Your Future (ATYF) program participants 4 workshops to address barriers to school attendance. During workshops, residents with perfect attendance will be recognized with certificates of achievement. We will also ensure the relevance and effectiveness of our workshops by collecting evaluations from program participants and implementing their feedback. Quarterly newsletters are also being distributed to program participants so resources, support, and encouragement continue to be communicated throughout the year.

In partnership with Indianapolis schools, we are tracking attendance data of students in the ATYF program through weekly reports. If attendance problems arise, the Indianapolis Housing Agency provides individual family interventions with information of community support and resources to overcome barriers to school attendance. This service is not depicted on the calendar because it is being provided continuously throughout the year. 

Take a look at summaries of our workshops:

- July workshops at Laurelwood Apartments and Blackburn Terrace

- October workshops at Laurelwood Apartments and Blackburn Terrace

- January workshops at Laurelwood Apartments and Blackburn Terrace

Check out the ATYF newsletters!

August Newsletter: Blackburn Terrace, Laurelwood

September Newsletter: Blackburn Terrace, Laurelwood

December Newsletter: Blackburn Terrace, Laurelwood

March Newsletter: Blackburn Terrace, Laurelwood

Interested in volunteering at the next ATYF workshop?

Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it via email or phone

317-921-1263

Thank you to our sponsors and partners!