The Attendance Summit 2024 – Addressing Our Attendance Crisis, the first of many to come, brought more than 80 educators from local schools to Mexico Middle School to focus on one question with myriad layers: Why aren’t students coming to school?

Dr. Troy Lentz, Superintendent of Mexico Public Schools, understands the profound effects of chronic absenteeism on student achievement and community well-being. Educators know that regular attendance is crucial not only for academic success but also for building a solid foundation for the future.

"Chronic absenteeism undermines our students' potential and hinders their ability to succeed in life," Lentz remarked. "By focusing on improving attendance, we are investing in our students' futures. It is about ensuring they develop the discipline and commitment necessary for their personal and professional lives. Our community knows that we love our students and want to see them in school."

Students are considered chronically absent if they miss 10 percent or more of a school year. According to the Missouri Department of Education, nearly a quarter of Missouri students are chronically absent. In Mexico Public Schools, over 30 percent of students were chronically absent during the 2022-23 school year.

Chronic absenteeism is a growing issue nationwide, not just in Missouri. According to a recent report from the White House, there has been a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, jumping from approximately 15 percent in the 2018-2019 school year to around 30 percent in 2021-2022. This increase is observed across all states with available data, impacting various racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups.

C2C, an initiative of the Tyronn Lue Foundation, is committed to improving cradle to career outcomes in the community and building on Lue’s ongoing philanthropic efforts in Mexico.

“I am so thankful for C2C and Coach Lue for bringing the attendance summit to Mexico,” said Lentz. “Seeing so many community and school leaders talking about ways to improve attendance was powerful.”

The executive director of the Mexico Area Chamber of Commerce, Dana Keller, noted that by involving the community, it creates a supportive network that can more effectively tackle the underlying issues, promote student success, and build a stronger, more resilient community.

“We believe that our community's health is intrinsically tied to the well-being of the children we are raising, so it is our goal at the Chamber to support both the kids and their parents,” said Keller. “As a chamber, we want to make sure that parents can maintain steady employment, creating a stable environment that they can bring home to their children. This is a key objective of our workforce program."

The summit addressed many factors that may be the root cause of attendance issues including health issues and social and emotional concerns. In addition, CEO of the Mexico Area Family YMCA, Brooke Oliver, recognizes that chronic absenteeism can lead to issues such as social disengagement as well.

"I am thankful that C2C saw the need to create a space where all the doers can collaborate on this issue,” Oliver said. “This exercise is giving a voice to all stakeholders in student success so that we can work together to move the needle. As a community stakeholder providing essential programs, I see how a student’s lack of commitment to learning can ripple into other vital areas, including their social and emotional well-being.”

Kerri Ferrari, executive director of C2C, said the Attendance Summit is only the beginning of their initiative to collaborate with school districts across Missouri.

“The attendance summit is the first time we have gathered District leaders, school staff, and PRI staff to learn more about evidence-based strategies to improve attendance,” Ferrari said. “We began creating individual school plans to increase attendance for the 2024-25 school year. We will reconvene in a few months and compare notes to see what has been working, what has not, and what we need to do next.”

“The attendance summit is foundational for the work that will happen between now and the next convening,” Ferrari added. To learn more or engage in the work, contact Kerri Ferrari at C2C.