Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Oregon SD Improves Attendance with Help from Software

  • By Yvonne Marquez
  • 10/02/19

Grants Pass School District 7 has improved absenteeism within the last two years with the help of a software program that tracks enrollment and notifies parents of absences.

The Oregon school district recently compiled attendee record data and according to their findings, absenteeism has improved by 3.7% — from 14.3% in 2017 to 10.6% this year. The improvement equates to around 220 students showing better attendance.

Director of Secondary Education Trisha Evens told a local news station that five years ago the district noticed absenteeism was high from a state report and implemented a plan to change it.

In 2018, the district began using software called School Innovations and Achievements that tracks absences and notifies parents.

Evens says they meet with students who are at a high risk for absences and their parents. The school discusses with them what may be going on that would make them absent from school. Then they set up a program with incentives to encourage better attendance.

“It really does start with that intentional relationship that we’re trying to build as the adults with the students that come in.” Evens said.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Montclair State University Starts Construction on $120M STEM Building

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $120-million Interdisciplinary Science Building, according to university news. The university partnered with HoK Architects for the project’s design, and it’s scheduled to open in time for the 2028–29 academic year.

  • Hawaii Elementary School Reopens Following $25M Campus Modernization

    Haʻaheo Elementary School in Hilo, Hawaii, has reopened to students following a three-year, $25-million campus modernization and expansion project that significantly increases the school's instructional space while preserving one of the island's oldest educational institutions, according to local news.

  • University of Pennsylvania Releases Design of Future Physical Sciences Building

    The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) in Philadelphia, Penn., recently released renderings of an upcoming 350,000-square-foot Physical Sciences Building, according to news release. The facility was designed by CO Architects and will unite the university’s departments of Physics and Astronomy, Mathematics, and Earth and Environmental Science.

  • Q&A: How to Prevent Kitchen Grease Fires in Commercial Kitchens

    School cafeterias and university dining halls serve thousands of meals daily, relying on high-heat equipment like fryers, grills, and ovens. While these operations keep students fed, they also generate significant grease-laden vapors. Without proper controls, this grease becomes a silent fire threat. As a certified exhaust cleaning specialist and business coach who has helped hundreds of institutional facilities achieve NFPA 96 compliance, I emphasize that proactive grease management isn’t optional; it’s a core fire/life safety practice.