​How Portland is tackling elementary chronic absenteeism

In an effort to better support its youngest learners, Mississippi implemented sweeping education reforms, including introducing a standardized “science of reading” curriculum, providing more teacher training and support with in-school literacy and math coaches, and holding back third-grade students who don’t meet their reading skills benchmarks. Over a decade, the number of students reading at grade level has climbed from 12 percent to 35 percent, and the state now ranks among the top ten nationally for fourth-grade reading scores.

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an approach to student behavior that focuses on how well students embody five standards — respect, responsibility, readiness, safety and pride — and awards points based on their behaviors that can be redeemed for rewards. PBIS offers an alternative to the “zero tolerance” student behavior policies that have been known to hurt academic achievement, particularly among students of color. Studies show that schools with a PBIS approach saw classroom removals decrease by 58% and out-of-school suspensions decreased by about half.

The Wonderland Gifted Girls Academy provides free education to girls in Oyo State, Nigeria, to increase educational opportunities for girls and give them a foundation to build their future on.

Since implementing a “science of reading” curriculum, Sharswood school has seen its reading scores jump, with 43 percent of all students scoring proficient or advanced and and more than half of third grade students meeting the mark. Teachers says a big factor in the successful implementation has been the flexibility to tailor resources to each classroom and the support of an onsite literacy coach.

By revamping curricula, ramping up tutoring for students and coaching for teachers, and implementing stronger accountability measures, such as school report cards, attendance plans, and testing requirements that lead to students being held back if not met, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana have managed to recover from pandemic learning losses at a time when other states are struggling to catch up.

To curb academic backsliding as students returned to the classroom following the COVID-19 pandemic, Boone County Schools tried various initiatives, such as encouraging teachers to keep students on track by not trying to catch them up on everything they missed during remote learning. This ensures students are learning the material relevant to their grade level, and has yielded significant improvements in academic performance.

The Teaching at the Right Level program, or TaRL, provides tailored lessons in reading and math to primary students in Borno, grouping them by their level rather than their grade or age for engaging activities designed to build their literacy and numeracy skills. When it was first piloted, the number of students able to read a simple paragraph grew from 14 percent to 45 percent, while the number of students able to complete subtraction problems grew from 11 percent to 59 percent.

The Graficka Street school uses flexible classroom design, dedicated assistants for children with special needs, participatory school culture, and proactive family outreach to create a more inclusive learning environment. Since inclusive education legislation was passed in 2016, the share of students with disabilities educated in mainstream schools has grown from 65% to 77%, with schools like the Graficka Street elementary school helping increase access.

The Wisdom Hub Nursery and Primary School enrolls students alongside those who are differently-abled, allowing them to learn in the classroom together. The combined classroom approach teaches students to embrace diversity, nurturing an inclusive educational environment where each child can thrive. The Wisdom Hub opened in 2013 and has since seen over 300 children with special needs cross into secondary school.

To help address chronic absenteeism, Project Rebuild works with families to determine the root cause of school absences and connect them to needed resources and services. In the 2022-23 school year, 81 percent of families referred to the nonprofit completed the program, with a total of 61 families participating. Only one percent of families who participate have to be referred again for continued truancy concerns.