0:00:00.530,0:00:04.980 thank you for your interest in this 0:00:02.700,0:00:08.250 three-part webinar series on addressing 0:00:04.980,0:00:10.830 chronic absenteeism in Kentucky this 0:00:08.250,0:00:13.320 third webinar entitled improving a sense 0:00:10.830,0:00:15.809 of belonging explores the impact when 0:00:13.320,0:00:17.940 students caregivers and the community 0:00:15.809,0:00:21.320 have a strong sense of belonging in a 0:00:17.940,0:00:21.320 school and district 0:00:22.650,0:00:27.100 this webinar series is produced by the 0:00:25.330,0:00:30.190 Kentucky Department of Education x' 0:00:27.100,0:00:31.510 division of student success with support 0:00:30.190,0:00:33.820 from the Appalachian Regional 0:00:31.510,0:00:37.650 comprehensive center funded in part by 0:00:33.820,0:00:37.650 the US Department of Education 0:00:39.800,0:00:44.550 reviewing from the first two webinars 0:00:41.570,0:00:46.800 many parents and students do not realize 0:00:44.550,0:00:49.110 that just missing two days each month 0:00:46.800,0:00:52.110 can be a problem and often leads to 0:00:49.110,0:00:54.090 falling behind in the classroom a child 0:00:52.110,0:00:57.330 is considered chronically absent after 0:00:54.090,0:01:00.180 missing 10% of their academic year for 0:00:57.330,0:01:03.360 any reason excused as well as unexcused 0:01:00.180,0:01:05.790 absences plus suspensions the root 0:01:03.360,0:01:08.850 causes of chronic absenteeism fall into 0:01:05.790,0:01:11.660 four main reasons myths about missing 0:01:08.850,0:01:13.770 school barriers to getting to school 0:01:11.660,0:01:17.340 versions and negative feelings about 0:01:13.770,0:01:18.860 school and disengagement with school the 0:01:17.340,0:01:21.780 first two webinars to find the issue 0:01:18.860,0:01:23.790 identified causes explored research and 0:01:21.780,0:01:26.460 presented Kentucky strategies for 0:01:23.790,0:01:28.680 addressing chronic absenteeism this 0:01:26.460,0:01:30.660 webinar is going to focus on improving a 0:01:28.680,0:01:33.560 sense of belonging for both students and 0:01:30.660,0:01:33.560 caregivers 0:01:35.329,0:01:38.460 there are two objectives for this 0:01:37.770,0:01:40.829 webinar 0:01:38.460,0:01:42.450 first we explore how improving a sense 0:01:40.829,0:01:44.729 of belonging for both students and 0:01:42.450,0:01:47.490 caregivers can impact chronic 0:01:44.729,0:01:49.829 absenteeism second we share some 0:01:47.490,0:01:51.330 national and Kentucky strategies to 0:01:49.829,0:01:54.619 improve a sense of belonging for 0:01:51.330,0:01:54.619 students and caregivers 0:01:55.320,0:01:59.560 the following description from the 0:01:57.820,0:02:01.870 National Center on safe supportive 0:01:59.560,0:02:03.700 learning environments helps us think 0:02:01.870,0:02:05.140 about how we can define a sense of 0:02:03.700,0:02:07.810 belonging for our students and 0:02:05.140,0:02:10.090 caregivers opportunities exist 0:02:07.810,0:02:11.920 everywhere in the system from the 0:02:10.090,0:02:14.230 physical environment to academics and 0:02:11.920,0:02:16.090 school discipline the key to 0:02:14.230,0:02:18.520 implementing any strategy is having 0:02:16.090,0:02:20.080 respectful trusting and caring 0:02:18.520,0:02:22.980 relationships throughout the school 0:02:20.080,0:02:22.980 learning community 0:02:24.110,0:02:29.280 so how do schools and districts improve 0:02:27.660,0:02:33.770 the sense of belonging for all of their 0:02:29.280,0:02:33.770 students to positively impact attendance 0:02:34.560,0:02:39.340 the second webinar addressed the general 0:02:37.390,0:02:41.590 approach and strategies from the 0:02:39.340,0:02:43.750 attendance works multi-tiered system of 0:02:41.590,0:02:46.870 support framework for improving chronic 0:02:43.750,0:02:48.400 absenteeism the strategies that will be 0:02:46.870,0:02:51.340 presented in this webinar 0:02:48.400,0:02:53.170 also be used according to need for 0:02:51.340,0:02:55.660 example building positive relationships 0:02:53.170,0:02:58.930 can be a successful universal strategy 0:02:55.660,0:03:00.850 benefiting all students whereas a school 0:02:58.930,0:03:03.190 may choose to assign caring adults to 0:03:00.850,0:03:05.020 targeted students or invite caregivers 0:03:03.190,0:03:08.050 to specialized programming as an 0:03:05.020,0:03:09.700 intensive intervention as strategies to 0:03:08.050,0:03:11.370 improve a sense of belonging are 0:03:09.700,0:03:13.690 presented throughout this webinar 0:03:11.370,0:03:16.450 consider which students and caregivers 0:03:13.690,0:03:18.400 would benefit the following slides will 0:03:16.450,0:03:19.690 explore some recognized strategies to 0:03:18.400,0:03:22.320 improve a sense of belonging for 0:03:19.690,0:03:22.320 students 0:03:23.930,0:03:28.500 threshold greetings are an easy way to 0:03:26.130,0:03:30.390 make students caregivers and community 0:03:28.500,0:03:32.700 members feel a sense of belonging in a 0:03:30.390,0:03:34.260 school and district this could be a 0:03:32.700,0:03:35.910 teacher greeting students as they enter 0:03:34.260,0:03:37.560 the classroom or an administrator 0:03:35.910,0:03:38.250 greeting students as they get off the 0:03:37.560,0:03:41.310 school bus 0:03:38.250,0:03:43.230 Hamish Brewer the author of relentless 0:03:41.310,0:03:45.390 and Virginia principal of the year 0:03:43.230,0:03:47.099 models greeting students daily by 0:03:45.390,0:03:49.140 positioning his office in the middle of 0:03:47.099,0:03:52.340 the school where he says hello and talks 0:03:49.140,0:03:52.340 to students throughout the day 0:03:53.530,0:04:00.350 this video clip by Edutopia details the 0:03:57.350,0:04:02.240 power of relationships in school listen 0:04:00.350,0:04:04.190 as Linda darling-hammond and Pamela 0:04:02.240,0:04:06.290 canter discussed the science behind 0:04:04.190,0:04:08.720 positive relationships and optimal 0:04:06.290,0:04:10.190 conditions for learning we know that 0:04:08.720,0:04:11.870 attendance improves when a school 0:04:10.190,0:04:14.330 community offers a welcoming environment 0:04:11.870,0:04:16.190 that emphasizes relationships and 0:04:14.330,0:04:19.510 stresses the importance of going to 0:04:16.190,0:04:19.510 class every day 0:04:20.590,0:04:27.100 as educators we know making learning 0:04:24.610,0:04:28.720 authentic and culturally relevant to all 0:04:27.100,0:04:31.270 learners is the key to student 0:04:28.720,0:04:33.040 engagement whether it's connecting 0:04:31.270,0:04:34.990 learning to the real world and future 0:04:33.040,0:04:36.760 plans or ensuring that all students 0:04:34.990,0:04:38.710 experience the curriculum in a way that 0:04:36.760,0:04:39.280 makes sense in the context of their 0:04:38.710,0:04:43.180 lives 0:04:39.280,0:04:45.630 relevance matters dr. Roger Cleveland a 0:04:43.180,0:04:48.250 professor from Kentucky State University 0:04:45.630,0:04:50.260 advocates for educators to respect and 0:04:48.250,0:04:52.930 tap into the funds of knowledge students 0:04:50.260,0:04:54.760 possess learners come to school with 0:04:52.930,0:04:56.740 life experiences and cultural practices 0:04:54.760,0:04:59.440 that are important to the way in which 0:04:56.740,0:05:01.630 they learn and find meaning when 0:04:59.440,0:05:03.610 educators respect and tap into these 0:05:01.630,0:05:06.250 funds of knowledge students feel 0:05:03.610,0:05:10.770 supported and engaged which positively 0:05:06.250,0:05:10.770 impacts achievement and attendance 0:05:12.150,0:05:16.780 extracurricular activities and social 0:05:14.500,0:05:19.150 time are important to students feeling a 0:05:16.780,0:05:21.400 sense of belonging to a school the 0:05:19.150,0:05:23.500 National Education Association published 0:05:21.400,0:05:26.800 a research brief on chronic absenteeism 0:05:23.500,0:05:29.050 which stated extracurricular activities 0:05:26.800,0:05:31.180 and clubs before and after school 0:05:29.050,0:05:33.280 programs and summer learning are 0:05:31.180,0:05:36.130 examples of extended learning that can 0:05:33.280,0:05:38.440 aid in reducing chronic absenteeism by 0:05:36.130,0:05:39.880 creating a sense of belonging expanding 0:05:38.440,0:05:43.260 connections to caring adults and 0:05:39.880,0:05:46.210 offering engaging academic enrichment 0:05:43.260,0:05:48.340 also extended programs can occupy 0:05:46.210,0:05:50.350 students time before and after regular 0:05:48.340,0:05:51.820 school hours giving parents and 0:05:50.350,0:05:53.590 guardians the peace of mind that their 0:05:51.820,0:05:56.950 child is in a safe and enriching 0:05:53.590,0:05:59.830 environment many of us remember Lucas 0:05:56.950,0:06:01.720 shown here the 80s fictional high school 0:05:59.830,0:06:03.640 student whose acceptance by the football 0:06:01.720,0:06:07.270 team was critical to his sense of 0:06:03.640,0:06:08.290 belonging social time is natural during 0:06:07.270,0:06:10.720 the course of a day 0:06:08.290,0:06:14.650 examples include recess for elementary 0:06:10.720,0:06:17.590 and open periods for secondary in 2017 0:06:14.650,0:06:19.930 the CDC recommended at least 20 minutes 0:06:17.590,0:06:22.990 of a day be unstructured physical 0:06:19.930,0:06:24.580 activity and play however without 0:06:22.990,0:06:26.950 structure this time might lead to 0:06:24.580,0:06:29.560 problems such as exclusion and bullying 0:06:26.950,0:06:32.050 there are resources from Playworks and 0:06:29.560,0:06:33.640 teaching tolerance for example to help 0:06:32.050,0:06:37.860 address these concerns and keep 0:06:33.640,0:06:37.860 important social time in a student's day 0:06:38.940,0:06:46.780 in the 2017 Kentucky youth risk behavior 0:06:43.960,0:06:49.510 survey over eleven percent of high 0:06:46.780,0:06:52.510 school and 10.5% of middle school 0:06:49.510,0:06:54.610 students identified they do not have an 0:06:52.510,0:06:57.180 adult in their life that they trust and 0:06:54.610,0:06:59.800 can talk to about serious problems 0:06:57.180,0:07:01.900 research shows involving caring adults 0:06:59.800,0:07:05.110 and students lives can make a difference 0:07:01.900,0:07:08.290 the Harvard making caring common project 0:07:05.110,0:07:11.260 promotes relationship mapping using this 0:07:08.290,0:07:13.180 strategy school staff identify youth do 0:07:11.260,0:07:15.880 not currently have positive connections 0:07:13.180,0:07:17.590 with school adults those students are 0:07:15.880,0:07:21.430 then paired with a supportive adult 0:07:17.590,0:07:24.039 mentor within the school at this year's 0:07:21.430,0:07:25.930 persistence to graduation summit dr. 0:07:24.039,0:07:28.030 Roger Cleveland from Kentucky State 0:07:25.930,0:07:31.300 University described one school's 0:07:28.030,0:07:33.130 relationship board to 10 the principal 0:07:31.300,0:07:35.919 ask building staff to identify a group 0:07:33.130,0:07:38.620 of at-risk students about 50 kids and 0:07:35.919,0:07:40.960 those names are placed on a large board 0:07:38.620,0:07:43.690 in a private location for only staff to 0:07:40.960,0:07:45.700 see the principal ask staff to put their 0:07:43.690,0:07:47.710 initials next to a student name or names 0:07:45.700,0:07:49.240 as a commitment to building a 0:07:47.710,0:07:51.520 relationship with that child 0:07:49.240,0:07:54.160 starting with talking for two minutes 0:07:51.520,0:07:56.349 over ten days in a row to get to know 0:07:54.160,0:08:00.370 that student on a personal level hence 0:07:56.349,0:08:02.470 to ten each student on the board needs 0:08:00.370,0:08:04.090 three sets of initials so that they feel 0:08:02.470,0:08:05.889 that they're at least three adults in 0:08:04.090,0:08:09.400 the building who care about them as a 0:08:05.889,0:08:11.139 person check and connect is a mentoring 0:08:09.400,0:08:13.330 intervention program out of the 0:08:11.139,0:08:14.979 University of Minnesota where students 0:08:13.330,0:08:17.740 are referred when they show warning 0:08:14.979,0:08:21.160 signs such as poor attendance behavioral 0:08:17.740,0:08:23.050 issues and/or low grades the check 0:08:21.160,0:08:25.210 component refers to where the mentors 0:08:23.050,0:08:27.340 monitor student performance while the 0:08:25.210,0:08:28.930 connect refers to mentors providing 0:08:27.340,0:08:31.060 interventions to help students solve 0:08:28.930,0:08:33.919 problems build skills and enhance 0:08:31.060,0:08:36.300 competence 0:08:33.919,0:08:38.520 restorative circles and which students 0:08:36.300,0:08:41.010 come together and peer mediated small 0:08:38.520,0:08:44.340 groups to talk ask questions and air 0:08:41.010,0:08:46.470 grievances not only reduce absences due 0:08:44.340,0:08:48.990 to disciplinary reasons but create a 0:08:46.470,0:08:52.110 safer fairer school climate shown to 0:08:48.990,0:08:54.120 improve attendance rather than punishing 0:08:52.110,0:08:56.370 students with disciplinary measures that 0:08:54.120,0:08:59.490 push them out of school and perpetuate 0:08:56.370,0:09:03.230 absenteeism restorative practices move 0:08:59.490,0:09:03.230 the way for other strategies 0:09:04.580,0:09:09.930 here from Andrew Thomas a counselor at 0:09:07.770,0:09:12.390 Wagner high school about how they're 0:09:09.930,0:09:14.589 using circles in ninth grade to address 0:09:12.390,0:09:17.230 conflicts 0:09:14.589,0:09:18.670 but one thing we also want to do is we 0:09:17.230,0:09:21.339 want to repair that harm whether that 0:09:18.670,0:09:25.060 harmony between two students or teacher 0:09:21.339,0:09:27.490 and a student and what we do is we have 0:09:25.060,0:09:29.319 circles with students and we sit down 0:09:27.490,0:09:32.290 and kind of talk about what situation 0:09:29.319,0:09:35.199 happened what what kind of caused the 0:09:32.290,0:09:36.670 conflict the issue to happen and we we 0:09:35.199,0:09:38.199 kind of talk about the replacement be 0:09:36.670,0:09:40.749 neighbors you know how can we have acted 0:09:38.199,0:09:42.819 differently and so that you know they've 0:09:40.749,0:09:45.100 complement are not as far as it should 0:09:42.819,0:09:46.509 have gone and we can just kind of repair 0:09:45.100,0:09:48.999 that harm whether that makes students a 0:09:46.509,0:09:51.610 student or teacher to student and we as 0:09:48.999,0:09:55.300 our pity RP committee um help lead those 0:09:51.610,0:09:58.540 circles now watch this easy classroom 0:09:55.300,0:10:00.970 strategy appreciation apology and AHA 0:09:58.540,0:10:02.379 that can be used in any classroom to 0:10:00.970,0:10:04.209 build a community and a sense of 0:10:02.379,0:10:06.220 belonging through a few minutes of 0:10:04.209,0:10:08.639 reflection in your classroom on a daily 0:10:06.220,0:10:08.639 basis 0:10:09.889,0:10:13.619 you've just heard about several 0:10:11.910,0:10:15.869 strategies to increase the students 0:10:13.619,0:10:19.289 sense of belonging take time to reflect 0:10:15.869,0:10:21.149 on your practice and the strategies how 0:10:19.289,0:10:22.829 might you enhance those or incorporate 0:10:21.149,0:10:24.479 new strategies to increase student's 0:10:22.829,0:10:27.269 sense of belonging in your classroom 0:10:24.479,0:10:29.429 school and district additional resources 0:10:27.269,0:10:32.209 to support your practice are included at 0:10:29.429,0:10:32.209 the end of this webinar 0:10:34.160,0:10:39.240 improving a sense of belonging for 0:10:36.300,0:10:41.399 caregivers is important too as Hamish 0:10:39.240,0:10:44.730 Brewer advocates schools and role 0:10:41.399,0:10:46.829 families not students Tracey Knowles 0:10:44.730,0:10:49.380 senior director of the National Center 0:10:46.829,0:10:51.329 for families learning emphasizes that 0:10:49.380,0:10:53.130 attendance as a caregiver behavior 0:10:51.329,0:10:55.050 especially in the early grades 0:10:53.130,0:10:59.389 therefore it's imperative that 0:10:55.050,0:10:59.389 caregivers are involved in the solution 0:10:59.910,0:11:05.860 in this clip Tracy knows discusses the 0:11:04.120,0:11:08.940 benefits of a strength-based approach 0:11:05.860,0:11:08.940 with caregivers 0:11:09.340,0:11:15.260 school leadership needs to come with a 0:11:13.250,0:11:17.000 belief that all parents have something 0:11:15.260,0:11:18.920 about you to contribute to the success 0:11:17.000,0:11:22.610 of their own children and the success of 0:11:18.920,0:11:24.650 the school it is important and it is the 0:11:22.610,0:11:26.090 school's responsibility to educate the 0:11:24.650,0:11:29.300 parents on how to help that child 0:11:26.090,0:11:32.000 succeed sometimes that takes longer than 0:11:29.300,0:11:34.610 than other times but it's critical to 0:11:32.000,0:11:37.460 have that belief and come from an asset 0:11:34.610,0:11:39.380 asset based lens and rather than a 0:11:37.460,0:11:42.290 deficit based lens when working with 0:11:39.380,0:11:45.110 families all families do want their 0:11:42.290,0:11:47.690 child to succeed all families have very 0:11:45.110,0:11:49.910 different educational experiences and 0:11:47.690,0:11:52.400 those play into their current attitudes 0:11:49.910,0:11:56.480 as parents about about their child's 0:11:52.400,0:11:58.310 attendance it's important to understand 0:11:56.480,0:12:00.220 school climate and the sense of 0:11:58.310,0:12:02.990 belonging for different stakeholders 0:12:00.220,0:12:04.760 traci knowles senior director of 0:12:02.990,0:12:07.280 education for the national center for 0:12:04.760,0:12:09.260 families learning suggests including 0:12:07.280,0:12:10.880 parents and school climate surveys as a 0:12:09.260,0:12:13.250 possible tool for getting their 0:12:10.880,0:12:16.670 perspectives and to begin building their 0:12:13.250,0:12:19.730 leadership skills focus groups student 0:12:16.670,0:12:21.770 council involvement and PTA or PTO input 0:12:19.730,0:12:24.800 are additional strategies for student 0:12:21.770,0:12:26.450 and parent voice the larger community 0:12:24.800,0:12:28.910 within and beyond the school district 0:12:26.450,0:12:30.290 can also be powerful in getting students 0:12:28.910,0:12:33.020 and families involved 0:12:30.290,0:12:36.800 for example adult education providers 0:12:33.020,0:12:39.230 doctors offices nonprofits social 0:12:36.800,0:12:41.420 service agencies and businesses can be 0:12:39.230,0:12:43.340 more powerful if they work together and 0:12:41.420,0:12:46.390 have a common messaging goals about 0:12:43.340,0:12:46.390 student attendance 0:12:48.449,0:12:52.990 caregiver leadership is an intervention 0:12:51.100,0:12:55.779 which the National Center for families 0:12:52.990,0:12:57.850 learning has had success developing with 0:12:55.779,0:13:00.730 positive impacts of improving student 0:12:57.850,0:13:03.220 attendance the premise is to empower 0:13:00.730,0:13:06.100 caregivers to become community leaders 0:13:03.220,0:13:07.569 by taking ownership of initiatives this 0:13:06.100,0:13:10.389 is done through education and 0:13:07.569,0:13:16.120 encouragement listen to Tracy recall a 0:13:10.389,0:13:18.779 school beautification project another 0:13:16.120,0:13:21.490 example would be a school beautification 0:13:18.779,0:13:23.290 project where families were not 0:13:21.490,0:13:24.910 satisfied with the way this school 0:13:23.290,0:13:28.389 actually looked when they dropped off 0:13:24.910,0:13:29.769 their kids it was a little bland and so 0:13:28.389,0:13:31.870 they really wanted to make a change to 0:13:29.769,0:13:33.220 that with the help of their parent 0:13:31.870,0:13:36.519 facilitator in the Family Literacy 0:13:33.220,0:13:40.600 Program they were able to work and map 0:13:36.519,0:13:41.980 out what a a school mural would look 0:13:40.600,0:13:44.139 like that would actually run the length 0:13:41.980,0:13:45.490 of the entire school they were able to 0:13:44.139,0:13:47.560 do that as part of their academic 0:13:45.490,0:13:49.839 preparation and the math involved in 0:13:47.560,0:13:53.100 doing that and then they actually band 0:13:49.839,0:13:57.819 together recruited volunteers recruited 0:13:53.100,0:13:59.949 folks and local companies to to donate 0:13:57.819,0:14:03.029 the paint and supplies and then they met 0:13:59.949,0:14:05.139 together and created the entire mural 0:14:03.029,0:14:07.089 you've just heard about several 0:14:05.139,0:14:09.550 strategies to increase a caregivers 0:14:07.089,0:14:11.889 sense of belonging take time to reflect 0:14:09.550,0:14:14.560 on your practice and the strategies you 0:14:11.889,0:14:16.360 are to use how might you enhance those 0:14:14.560,0:14:18.399 or incorporate new strategies to 0:14:16.360,0:14:22.380 increase caregiver sense of belonging in 0:14:18.399,0:14:22.380 your classroom school and district 0:14:23.420,0:14:28.019 when the larger community works together 0:14:25.950,0:14:29.660 to improve a sense of belonging for 0:14:28.019,0:14:32.550 every student and caregiver it 0:14:29.660,0:14:35.399 positively impacts culture achievement 0:14:32.550,0:14:36.899 and attendance by implementing just a 0:14:35.399,0:14:39.410 few of the ideas and strategies from 0:14:36.899,0:14:41.279 this webinar you can make a difference 0:14:39.410,0:14:43.800 research from attendance works 0:14:41.279,0:14:45.779 demonstrates attendance improves when a 0:14:43.800,0:14:47.970 school community offers a welcoming 0:14:45.779,0:14:49.529 environment that emphasizes building 0:14:47.970,0:14:52.019 relationships and stresses the 0:14:49.529,0:14:54.630 importance of going to class every day 0:14:52.019,0:14:57.329 the key is developing a school-wide 0:14:54.630,0:14:58.940 school culture that promotes a sense of 0:14:57.329,0:15:01.529 respect and personal responsibility 0:14:58.940,0:15:03.630 where students feel connected and know 0:15:01.529,0:15:07.160 that someone notices in a caring manner 0:15:03.630,0:15:07.160 when they missed school 0:15:08.530,0:15:12.470 here are some additional resources 0:15:10.330,0:15:16.390 related to improving a sense of 0:15:12.470,0:15:16.390 belonging for students and caregivers 0:15:17.770,0:15:22.640 more information is available through 0:15:20.780,0:15:24.920 que des Division of Student Success 0:15:22.640,0:15:27.920 within the office of continuous 0:15:24.920,0:15:29.780 improvement and support thank you for 0:15:27.920,0:15:33.070 your commitment to improving attendance 0:15:29.780,0:15:33.070 for Kentucky students