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Q&A
Attendance trends and strategies in community schools
3:19:08
·
138 sec
Council Member Rita Joseph asks about the difference in attendance trends between community schools and other schools, particularly in the context of the pandemic. Flavia Puello-Perdomo from the DOE discusses the findings and strategies being implemented.
- Community schools experienced less of a decline in attendance rates post-pandemic compared to the rest of the city
- The impact on chronic absenteeism was not as severe in community schools as in other schools
- Best practices from community schools are being applied to address absenteeism across the city
- Strategies include targeting shelters with attendance teachers, focusing on food security, and leveraging community partnerships for support services
Rita Joseph
3:19:08
And around these social safety nets, I always talk about attendance.
3:19:12
So what are you seeing the difference between attendance trends in schools that are community schools versus schools that are not?
Flavia Puello-Perdomo
3:19:18
What I can say is that when we looked at these preliminary approach to looking at ten years and we look at in particularly chronic absenteeism rate that when we compare citywide and the dip that we had post pandemic with community schools, their rate that they were impacted was not as great as the rest of the city.
3:19:40
So just to give you a sense, so it's not just looking at like where we are because to begin with community school starts with these are typically schools that have lower attendance rate
Sheree Gibson
3:19:50
Correct.
Flavia Puello-Perdomo
3:19:51
That have students that have demonstrated more challenges.
3:19:53
But even as we recoup from COVID and of the attendant challenges that we have seen in New York City and across the country, we see that the impact has been less in community school because of the infrastructure that exists.
Rita Joseph
3:20:04
So how are we taking some of that best practices and applying it since we have a absenteeism rate across the city?
3:20:11
How are we using that?
3:20:12
Right?
3:20:12
Policy data is supposed to drive that work.
3:20:15
Right?
3:20:15
How are we using that?
Flavia Puello-Perdomo
3:20:17
So we're doing different things.
3:20:18
So in my case because I have the privilege to be able to lead not just community schools but also students in temporary housing, some of the things that we do is like look at our infrastructure within community schools, which students in temporary housing represent about 10% of the overall population in DOE.
3:20:37
But when we look at students in community schools and temporary housing, they represent about 20%.
3:20:43
So part of what we try to do is like look at the things that have made an impact there for that 20% and how do we look to align those practices with the rest of our schools, including doing pilot program work with attendance teachers to target shelters.
3:21:03
Looking at things like access to food security and other things that we have in community school where we have a large number of food pantries.
3:21:12
Looking at some of the CVOs that we have within our communities even if they're not servicing the school, but like what is what is impacting and what are the supports that are happening outside like support with mental health clinics so that we can actually build from that.