Albuquerque Public Schools
Using Early Warning Systems to Intervene When Students Are Struggling
In her weekly message, Superintendent Blakey highlights the innovative work being done at Manzano High School to tackle chronic absenteeism.
One of the best parts of my job is having a front-row seat to incredible APS employees who are making a difference at their schools. There’s no shortage of these employees, but today, I want to tell you about Jeanie Stark and Rachel Vigil at Manzano High School.
Jeanie is the student success systems coordinator for Manzano and Rachel is the principal. The two of them have been leading Manzano’s efforts to push back against chronic absenteeism and help kids succeed.
It’s no secret that chronic absenteeism has been a big problem for schools across the country. While we haven’t escaped the trend, we are working on innovative ways to address it.
That’s where Jeanie and Rachel come in.
Rachel and Jeanie were among several APS staff members who earned certification as an Early Warning Systems Coordinator from the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University School of Education. Manzano was subsequently selected to implement an Early Warning System.
The idea is straightforward. Manzano is tracking things like attendance, behavior and course performance in real-time, and when data suggests a student is in trouble, alarm bells go off. That’s when Jeanie and her team get to work.
Manzano has been working with two organizations, Grad Partnership and Talent Development Secondary, on this project, and the school’s efforts are being held up as a model for schools across the country to follow. Jeanie shared the work the school has been doing in an article featured on the Grad Partnership website.
It’s one thing to know when a student is in trouble, but the key is to take that information and use it to help a student turn things around. That has meant figuring out root causes and helping students overcome those barriers by working with the community school coordinator.
“Together, we began to look at the specific needs of students and how they relate to school attendance,” Jeanie said. “We tried to assess if students need food, shelter, a gas card, Uber rides, or clothing, etc., and then we worked to meet those needs.”
In the piece, Jeanie highlighted some of the students they’ve been able to help.
They include a student who had been abandoned and was homeless. They helped him find lodging in a hotel and Uber rides to school. The student went on to graduate!
Another student was planning to drop out after the first semester of his senior year. He lacked self-confidence and felt he was destined for low-wage jobs. They assigned an adult advisor to check in on him every day. If he was absent, the advisor would call or text him. The student stayed in school, graduated and is working in the construction industry.
“This student needed someone to believe in him because he didn’t believe in himself,” Jeanie said.
Manzano has also launched a Family Resource Night to support students and their families and to engage the community. And the school has found innovative ways to get students to school on days when many kids tend to be absent.
Take the day before spring break, which has historically had an average attendance rate of 25% at Manzano. The school boosted that attendance rate to 62% by hosting a student-led fashion show.
The school’s efforts are paying off. Manzano’s chronic absenteeism rate has dropped from 63% to 33% in two years. It’s still high, but the progress this school has made is remarkable!
Congratulations to Manzano for changing outcomes for kids. What they’ve been able to do is a good reminder that we don’t need to wait for permission to try innovative things to help students. You know your students and you know your school. Figure out what works and go for it.
Be innovative, be brave, and make changes that benefit your students!
Have a great weekend.