Combating chronic absenteeism, more districts are working to create a “culture of belonging”

Rochester CUSD 3A in Illinois invites students and community members to participate in High Five Fridays, welcoming pre-K students to school. Superintendent Dan W. Cox says “schools need to belong to students and to the community."When Darlene Atkins became principal at Westlawn Middle School in Alabama in August 2020, the school suffered from chronic absenteeism, rampant teacher turnover, and loads of behavior challenges.  

“We couldn’t have whole group meetings without fights, or grade-level activities without police officers present, and people had a negative perception of the school,” says Atkins. The middle school for grades 6-8 enrolls 500 students and is part of the Tuscaloosa City Schools.  

Believing that improving the culture and developing a sense of belonging were crucial, Atkins formed a School of Character team that determined six core values that Westlawn students should embody, including kindness, perseverance, and integrity. “We wanted to make our building a safe haven and show kids how to rise above what’s happening in our community,” Atkins says. Westlawn was named a National School of Character by Character.org in 2022. 

Atkins and school leaders established a “House System” that assigned students to teams, or houses, named after core values, such as Kindness, Integrity, Service, and Perseverance, and students are given monthly awards for highest attendance and fewest office referrals. Houses compete in sports and other games and activities. “We provide them with the feeling of belonging to something larger than themselves, and they learn that they have to be here to be in on the action,” says Atkins. 

As a result of these efforts, Atkins says Westlawn’s report card score is projected to increase by 10 points this year, discipline issues have dropped, and its teacher retention rate is higher than the district’s.  

“A crisis of belonging”
K-12 students are facing “an acute crisis of belonging” and school districts “have the essential duty of fostering a sense of belonging among all students,” according to a June 2024 report from the Aspen Institute, A Crisis of Student Belonging. The report goes on to state that a sense of belonging in schools is vital to academic success, improved classroom behavior, and high graduation rates, while describing rising rates of chronic absenteeism as “another indicator of the student belonging crisis."

A strategic pillar 
Elaine Kane, superintendent of Alton Community Unit School District 11 in Illinois, prioritized fostering a sense of belonging in the district’s new improvement plan. “We want to make sure that our actions and our decisions and our allocation of resources create a culture of belonging for everyone,” Kane said at the board meeting announcing the plan.  

Initiatives in the 6,700-student district include Link Crew, a program from the Boomerang Project, where high school juniors and seniors apply to become Link leaders, each responsible for mentoring a group of 10 freshmen. Leaders receive training and organize Link Day, a freshman orientation event filled with group activities designed to help freshmen build connections. The leaders continue to support their group of freshmen throughout the year. “The program shows freshmen they are cared for, and it’s a fun experience for everyone involved,” Kane adds. 

Culture-building efforts for staff include after-school wellness and yoga classes, and a staff advisory group to build connections. 

Ypsilanti Community Schools in Michigan added a student section in the bleachers after a request from the student council. Superintendent Alena Zachery-Ross says even small efforts like this can create a sense of belonging.Small changes, big results 
Sometimes, helping students feel like they belong comes down to small gestures, as Alena Zachery-Ross, superintendent of Ypsilanti Community Schools in Michigan, discovered. One simple but impactful step Zachery-Ross recently took was adding a dedicated student section in the bleachers for athletic events, after getting feedback from students. “The student council requested it—they wanted a space where they could sit together and feel like they belonged. So, we sectioned off part of the bleachers and put up a banner. The feedback has been incredible!” 

In response to other feedback from student surveys about school culture, Ypsilanti High School now plays music in the lunchroom and has themed days, like Mindfulness Monday or Cowboy Hat Friday. 

Belonging to the community 
Administrators from Wahluke Junior High School in Washington visit homes of family members to recognize their efforts in supporting students and making sure they attend school with a weekly Good Friend Award.Last year, Wahluke Junior High School in Washington introduced a weekly Good Friend Award program to help students see the value of school and boost their motivation to attend and learn. The administration recognizes a teacher-nominated family member for their efforts in supporting their student. Administrators visit the recipient’s home, set off a confetti cannon, and the student presents the award. “At first, we struggled to get nominations,” says Assistant Principal Michael Kantman. “But by the end of the year, parents were calling, wondering if they were doing something wrong if they hadn’t been nominated.” 

Rochester CUSD 3A in Illinois began hosting High Five Fridays, where community members visit the early childhood center to give “high fives” to every child as they enter the school. “When you are part of a district, you are part of something bigger than yourself,” says Superintendent Dan W. Cox. “Schools need to belong to students and to the community.”