ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, October 8, 1996 TAG: 9610080053
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
ROANOKE'S SCHOOLS have received a federal grant to expand work on a truancy-prevention project.
With the help of a $385,160 federal grant, Roanoke will establish an intensive truancy-prevention program in all of its elementary and middle schools during the next two years.
The school system's success in a pilot project in three schools helped it win the federal money to expand its effort to help reduce absenteeism, Superintendent Wayne Harris said Monday.
The number of children missing more than 25 days at Fallon Park and Hurt Park elementary schools was reduced from 106 to 26 last year. Jackson Middle School also reported similar success before it closed for renovation a year ago.
"We have clear empirical evidence that our approach has worked," said Harris, adding this was one reason that Roanoke was one of only 28 school districts in the nation to receive a truancy-prevention grant.
Staunton was the only other locality in Virginia to receive funds under the federal program.
In trying to improve student attendance, Roanoke schools have worked closely with the parents, community and social service agencies and the juvenile court in the pilot project.
"Truancy is a community problem - not just a school problem," Harris said at a Monday news conference to announce the grant and explain how the money will be used.
"We can't reduce truancy without the help of the community. We need everyone's help."
After pupils have 10 unexcused absences, school officials investigate and work with social service and community agencies to develop a plan for improving attendance. In other cases, pupils with a large number of absences and their parents are referred to the juvenile court.
During the 1994-95 school year, 34 percent of Roanoke's 13,000 students missed more than 10 days, which was 5 percentage points above the state average. Salem's rate was 25 percent, and Roanoke County's, 21 percent.
Harris has made improved attendance one of his priorities. He has set a goal of a 10 percent annual reduction in the number of students who miss more than 10 days.
Twenty Roanoke schools showed improved attendance during the past year. Six met the goal of a 10 percent decrease in students missing more than 10 days.
The federal money will allow truancy-prevention services to be provided in 11 additional elementary schools and five middle schools. Coupled with local and state dollars, the grant will enable the program to be expanded to all elementary and middle schools, he said.
"We will focus our services in elementary and middle schools because we want to instill habits of attendance in our students when they are young," said Ann Harman, executive for student services.
She said the city will continue to try to reduce absenteeism in the high schools, but the grant money will be spent in the lower and middle grades.
"Our main effort will be to make contact with the family and to break the habits of students who are missing school," said Harman, who supervises the truancy-prevention program.
With more counselors, more home visits can be scheduled with the parents of children who have high absenteeism, she said.
Charles Kennedy, director of truancy prevention for the schools, will coordinate the effort to reduce absenteeism. Kennedy helped initiate the pilot project when he was principal of Jackson Middle School.
Harman said each child with high absenteeism will have an "adult connection" at school - a teacher, counselor or someone who talks with him or her each day.
"It will be someone who will check with the child daily to see if they're in school and how they're doing," she said.
This year, the school system has also created a "student support team" of psychologists and teachers to work with students who miss more than 10 days.
Harman will hold a series of workshops for parents during this school year that will offer advice on homework, test-taking skills, improving attendance and what to do if a child won't go to school.
"We're trying to bridge the gap between the schools, parents and community to help keep children in school," she said. "We're trying to get everyone working together."
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