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

  • Phoenix School District Breaks Ground on New Prep Academy

    The Creighton Elementary School District near Phoenix, Ariz., recently broke ground on a campus replacement for Biltmore Preparatory Academy, according to a news release. The new space will allow the school to expand its enrollment by 50 percent for K–8 students and accommodate modern, collaborative learning styles.

  • Virginia Tech Tops Out New College of Engineering Building

    Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., recently celebrated the topping out of Mitchell Hall, which will soon stand as the largest College of Engineering building on campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with Skanska on the 285,500-square-foot facility, which has an expected completion date of winter 2028.

  • University of Kentucky Reopens Scovell Hall

    The University of Kentucky recently reopened Scovell Hall, part of the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE), following comprehensive renovations to the 120-year-old facility in Lexington, Ky., according to a news release.

  • Tennessee Middle School Completes Health, Life Safety Renovations

    The Giles County Board of Education in Pulaski, Tenn., recently announced that a series of renovation projects has been completed at Bridgeforth Middle School, according to a news release. The district partnered with Wold Architects & Engineers and Brindley Construction to modernize building systems at one of the district’s oldest schools.