Leadership /First Year of Teaching
Teacher Attendance
I sat down to write this article, and I thought it would be a simple task. I knew what I wanted to say, and with both my principal’s and superintendent’s hat on, my lecture was ready. But as I started to write, I started to reflect upon the many conversations I had throughout the years with teachers and the many articles that I read on the topic and came to the conclusion that the superficial message about attendance is simple. However the deeply embedded message on this issue is quite complex, and like so many other issues, it is really about the school’s culture.
Let’s get the simple message out of the way in a direct fashion. Teacher attendance is critical. You are supposed to be at work every day unless you are sick or your absence falls into the narrow window of legitimate absences. (i.e. death in family, jury duty) There is enough research that supports the concept that teacher attendance directly impacts student achievement. Effective teachers are present and prepared to teach every day. As a newly hired teacher, you may be in awe of your new teaching contract. You will probably be given anywhere from 10-15 sick days per year. These days will accumulate if unused. You are to use sick days when you are sick. They are not free days to be used to extend weekends or do holiday shopping. It troubles me to see teachers retire with zero accumulated sick days. I have seen many teachers with over 25 years of service retire with their sick bank empty. Most districts will provide a payout upon retirement for unused days.
In a June 27th on-line EdWeek publication, Sparks(2016) provides an analysis of a study which shows nationally that one in four teachers are out more than 10 days during a school year. I know these numbers can be skewed for a number of reasons but let us assume that they are in fact what they appear to be. This is astonishing.
I have an illuminating short exercise that looks at the combined impact of teacher and student attendance. Let us take a look at Mary’s attendance combined with one of her teacher’s attendance. Mary is a very bright and engaged junior in high school. She is the type of student everyone wants in his /her class. Most states have a minimum number of days required for school attendance. Mary lives in New Jersey which requires a 180 day school year. Current reports are now showing districts that have a large number of students who are considered chronically absent (missing 10% of their school days). Schools are now being negatively evaluated because the percentage of chronically absent students is quite high.
Listed below is Mary’s attendance record:
180 Possible school days
10 days missed Teacher illness
5 days missed Student illness
4 days Shortened days before various holidays
(little credible instruction)
3 days Student ROTC trip
5 days Annual band trip to Florida
3 days Teacher professional development
2 days Student / school related activity
3 days Early dismissal-Doctor’s appointment, college visitation
15 days Standardized testing-all classes disrupted
2 days Teacher bereavement day
We have now seen the 180 school day school year shortened to 128 days. Therefore Mary will only see this teacher 128 days for instruction during the school year. For those high school personnel who may read this, I am confident that they will agree that I am not exaggerating. Yet there is a high expectation for excellence. Wow!
I would like to congratulate all of the many teachers that have perfect or near perfect attendance. You and your family have been blessed with good health, and you have been able to push yourself when there might have been hundreds of reasons for you to stay in bed. I would like to see an article or study written about and praising your good work. However, as I stated in an earlier paragraph, it is more important for me to look at the reasons why these absences occur. I remain convinced that in most cases they are related to school culture. If you have been following this blog, you may recall an earlier post where I wrote about the responsibility of the establishment and sustenance of a positive school culture. School culture is everyone’s responsibility and each person needs to spend more time and effort working at it.
It is important to think about, write about, and understand why many of these absences occur. It is imperative to collectively work to change the reasons that impact high rates of absenteeism. I do believe that a great deal of absences and the need for “mental health” days is a direct result of the lack of validation and respect afforded the profession. Teachers feel unsupported and unappreciated. Just like the local police departments, the role of the teacher has expanded greatly over the last decade or so. Teachers are being asked to do so much more in the same amount of time and in many cases with dwindling resources.
I believe in schools with a respectful and collegial environment, where teachers are respected and valued, attendance is improved. In schools where teachers feel a part of a team, attendance is improved. Inasmuch as attendance impacts the entire team, one may be less inclined to be absent because they do not want to let a colleague down. A natural interdependence has been created. Teachers and students want to be present in schools that are uplifting and supportive. No one wants to come every day to a toxic place.
Yes, principals and superintendents must hold their staff accountable for their attendance. And yes, far too often this does not occur or occurs inconsistently, which contributes to a negative culture. I encourage each principal to begin the dialog with teachers concerning attendance and how to mitigate the factors that may exist which contribute to absenteeism. Although this sounds like a simple conversation, it is very delicate because it could quickly end up in the “blame game”. This will only chip away at the development of a positive school culture. It is time the principal acts as the leader and begins the conversation for this positive change.
References
Sparks, Sarah D., 1 in 4 Teachers Miss 10 or More School Days, Analysis Finds. www. edweek.org /ew/articles. June 27, 2016.
