Parents vote with their feet
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Erica Peterson
- Jul 28, 2021
- 2 min read
The concept of school choice isn’t something usually addressed in student attendance initiatives, but statistics from the National Center for Education Statistics indicate they should.
Federal enrollment data released last month details a 3% drop nationwide in public school enrollment. While 3% may not sounds like much, that’s roughly 1.5 million students nationwide.
School choice proponents have been racking up wins, the 74 writes, “According to the American Federation for Children, five states created new private-school choice programs this year, while eight jurisdictions expanded existing programs, and another two did both. Standouts include major new education savings account (ESA) programs in West Virginia and New Hampshire; major expansions and improvements to Florida’s ESA and tax credit scholarship programs; the enactment of Iowa’s first real charter school bill; and huge wins in Ohio on the voucher, ESA and charter fronts, including direct, formula-driven funding for choice programs.”
No longer a luxury but rather a necessity, all schools must implement communications strategies that sell their schools. Even perfunctory communications like annual School Accountability Report Cards should be viewed as tools to showcase unique school programs and successes. Communicating the positive benefits to attending local public schools is an imperative. As districts gear up for Attendance Awareness Month, I issue two challenges:
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First, view your attendance improvement strategies as part of your districtwide strategic plan, and
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Second, focus on how you communicate to your families and not just what you communicate.
First, view your attendance improvement strategies as part of your districtwide strategic plan, and
Second, focus on how you communicate to your families and not just what you communicate.
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