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 Attendance Plays a Key Role in Drop Out Prevention : The majority of students who drop out first start coming to school late and then stop attending school on a regular basis. In many cases their tardiness increases and attendance decreases over several years. In the year before dropping out, it is common for students to attend school less than 70 percent of the time. Absence from school and class is the #1 cause of poor student achievement. 

 A Better Strategy & Attendance Policy: In some districts, no formal response to student absence or tardiness is required until students miss a certain number of consecutive days (e.g., five). This tells schools it is okay to do nothing until it is almost too late. It also leads some students to become expert manipulators of the system, always missing one day short of a mandatory response. A better policy demands that every absence or lateness have an immediate action to help students understand the importance of being punctual to school or a job. And because young minds require repetitive reinforcement, it is crucial to post school start times throughout your building to remind students of their daily responsibility to be on time to school or class. Early School success goes hand in hand with good attendance!