The California Department of Education reports the following celebration months to be aware of .
National Hispanic Heritage Month
Sept . 15 – Oct . 15
Web resources include the Library of Congress at https :// www . hispanicheritagemonth . gov /? p = 10 ; the Smithsonian at https :// goo . gl / VabKor , and the National Education Association at https :// goo . gl / xjrp1S . In addition , the CDE César E . Chávez webpage at https :// goo . gl / YkypJj provides model curriculum for kindergarten through grade 12 and links to resources including a biography of Chávez available in multiple languages .
The 50th anniversary of Native
American Day , Sept . 22
Honor our national heritage and recognize the contributions past and present of Native Americans to California . Find resources to use with students of every grade level at the National Museum of American History at https :// goo . gl / S3FCCJ , the Public Broadcasting System at https :// goo . gl / wD3rUL , and the Library of Congress at https :// nativeamericanheritagemonth . gov /? p = 10 .
Constitution Week Sept . 17 – 23
Engaging resources help students understand the importance of our national constitution throughout the history of our country and today . The National Constitution Center features the Constitution Hall Pass , an exploration of American ’ s constitutional history and stories of “ We the People ” at https :// goo . gl / sENBoV .
Attendance Awareness Month
In addition , we ’ re well into Attendance Awareness Month , and it ’ s a good time to reflect on the connection between engagement and school participation , according to the nationwide initiative Attendance Works .
The initiative ’ s 2017 campaign focuses on relationship-building as a fundamental approach to any strategy for improving student attendance . Improving student attendance is essential for ensuring students are on-track to learn and succeed . Attendance Works says that as many as one out of 10 students in the U . S . are chronically absent , meaning they miss 10 percent or more of school days , or nearly a month of the school year .
To help principals and teachers build a culture of attendance throughout the school year , Attendance Works has created a toolkit that includes strategies to infuse attendance in everyday activities . Visit www . attendanceworks . org .
In California , Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson has encouraged school districts and staff to remind families about the importance of daily attendance and help them overcome challenges that can lead to chronic absenteeism .
“ Interventions to reduce chronic absenteeism should be supportive and not punitive ,” Torlakson said . “ There are many students who miss school days due to issues beyond their control at the start of the school year , like an illness or transportation problems . It is important to identify and link students and families to appropriate school and community resources when students miss the first days of school .”
As part of California ’ s efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism , recently enacted legislation expanded the role of attendance supervisors to include tracking student attendance , promoting a culture of attendance , and developing interventions to reduce chronic absenteeism .
For the first time , the California Department of Education is collecting chronic absenteeism rates in the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System ( CALPADS ). This data is critical in helping school administrators and atten-
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September 18 , 2017 EDCAL 7
Celebrate cultures , Constitution and attendance this month
dance supervisors identify where chronic absenteeism is concentrated in each school district .
“ Chronic absenteeism has been linked to high dropout rates , poor literacy skills , and behavior issues that could lead students down a path away from school and toward the criminal justice system ,” Torlakson said . “ This new statewide data will tell us where we need to focus our attendance improvement efforts as a state and as a diverse set of educational communities .”
The data will allow schools to review their chronic absentee rates and compare them to other schools in California . The data will also be included in the California School Dashboard as one of the multiple measures of progress that parents , teachers , administrators and community members can use to evaluate their schools and districts .
To provide additional support to combat chronic absenteeism , the CDE administers California Learning Communities for School Success grants . The program , established in 2016 , awards funds to eligible districts and county offices of education to help with excessive truancy , reduce chronic absenteeism rates , and keep children in school .
Grants are awarded annually for three years . More information is available at www . cde . ca . gov / ls / ss / se / schoolsuccess . asp .
For information about sample policies to address high chronic absenteeism rates and California ’ s school attendance review board process for improving school attendance , visit www . cde . ca . gov / ls / ai / sb .