As a parent of two young children who will soon be entering Oregon’s education system, I’ve found myself thinking more deeply about what Oregon’s public schools and students need to thrive. When I took a role leading our region’s Thriving Schools’ work, I got the opportunity to learn even more about our teachers and students, and the opportunities and challenges that face them when they enter the classroom every day.
One such challenge is student attendance; 1 out of every 3 students in Oregon is chronically absent (missing 10 percent or more of school days). This statistic is alarming, especially considering it’s significantly higher than the national average, which is 1 out of every 4 students. The challenge is especially acute in high school: according to the Oregon Department of Education, last school year roughly 40% of Oregon high school sophomores and juniors, and more than half of all high school seniors, were chronically absent. Attendance affects not only the outcomes and success of absent students, but their peers, teachers, and even school funding. If students aren’t in school every day, the entire community feels the impact.
While these numbers highlight a real challenge, they also point to an opportunity. Across Oregon, schools, health organizations, and community partners are coming together to better understand the factors affecting attendance and identify solutions that can help more students thrive. One way Kaiser Permanente is supporting that work is through our Strategy Workshops.
I have been thrilled to be able to lean into helping Oregon school districts improve student attendance in their classrooms through Thriving Schools Student Health and Attendance Strategy Workshops. Over two workshop sessions, we brought together 6 school districts across Oregon and southwest Washington to learn alongside their peers and strategize solutions around this important issue. In the workshops, school districts review their student attendance data, learn about the connection between health and attendance from our partner, Attendance Works, and start to map out approaches for improving attendance specifically for their own student populations. The Oregon and southwest Washington school districts identified key actions they will take to increase student attendance. Actions include improving mental health supports for higher need students, establishing baseline data for student mental health through a universal screener and survey, and designing healthy communications specifically to families with students who have higher absence rates.
“Thoughtful facilitation that moved our district through a process…it became doable!” –Portland Workshop Participant
Our education systems continue to face important challenges, and there is real opportunity to better support students and schools. I’m encouraged by the steps being taken across Oregon, and I’m grateful to be at the table providing support in a meaningful way. This work will have immediate, tangible outcomes not just for my two children, but for students across Oregon.
By continuing to bring school districts, health partners, and community organizations together, we can help more students get the support they need to be present, engaged, and ready to learn. I hope this work inspires others to look at attendance not only as an education issue, but as a shared community health priority.
Because attendance is shaped by community support, meaningful progress depends on partners working together. Kaiser Permanente Thriving Schools’ strategy workshops help school districts turn that shared commitment into practical plans for student attendance, student health, and staff well-being. To learn more about workshops, tools, and no-cost resources to support school district strategies, please contact Curtis Robbins.
