Addressing Chronic Absenteeism: How Afterschool Programs Are Building School-Day Engagement and Improving Attendance. Issue Brief No. 80

Abstract

The issue brief spotlights five exemplary afterschool programs that embody these essential characteristics in their programming and strategies to re-engage students. Down in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the Baton Rouge Youth Coalition (BRYC) connects 8th-12th grade students with a "nucleus of adult support," including mentors, counselors, and program staff. Together, they support students' academic and personal journeys through tutoring, mental health counseling, and college application assistance. Over in San Francisco, California, the Jamestown Community Center is helping strengthen students' connection to school by aligning school-day lessons with a multitude of enriching, hands-on activities, from cooking-infused literacy lessons to skateboarding. Older students are even encouraged to develop and pitch their own enrichment activities. And, in Washington, D.C., Critical Exposure is deepening students' investment in their schools by training youth to identify inequities within their school communities and use photography and storytelling to organize and create solutions. The brief also spotlights Reality Changers in San Diego, California, and R.E.A.C.H. in Skowhegan, Maine. Although varied in their approaches, during the interviews we held with each organization, all program staff shared the same core belief: when students feel heard, safe, and have a sense of community, they are more likely to show up and be engaged.