Urban high schools are institutions situated in metropolitan areas and are densely populated. Its location makes the kind of schooling more advantageous to rural high schooling since the learners have easy access to resources and infrastructure. However, the urban high school method is also faced with low-class attendance, which results in low academic achievement and, later, an increased dropout of students (Benner & Quirk, 2022). Low attendance rates have been considered on the rise in urban schools. Some of its causes are socioeconomic hardships, bullying, and physical health issues. With some of the root causes established, it is better to use proven ways to communicate with parents and students to increase urban high school attendance. Using communication as a technique ensures that the parents notify the school of the student’s whereabouts and the school notifies the parents of the student’s progress (Freeman et al., 2018). As a result of the collaboration, the students can benefit in terms of support and improved grades which can get them a place at the university. This paper, therefore, discusses some of the proven ways to communicate with parents and students to increase urban high school attendance.
The first proven way to communicate with parents and students to increase urban schools’ attendance is by closing the communication gap by opening reliable communication channels. This is because some of the issues related to absenteeism in urban high schools are language barriers. Urban high schools are becoming diverse in language; hence information about the student’s school work should be addressed (Tutt, 2021). When a parent does not understand what is being communicated, a student may stay home without reason and lose a lot. In this case, tools such as Google translate should help parents understand what the school is informing them regarding their child’s progress at school. In this case, the Google translate communication method helps parents who complain of not understanding the contents of the information in the language they speak at home be in a position to engage in their child’s education actively (Benner & Quirk, 2022). The strategy goes beyond bad news and allows for sharing details of how students perform and whether they attend classes (Benner & Quirk, 2022). Active participation ensures that the parent informs the student by reminding them to attend school.
Connecting outside the school walls is the second proven tactic that can be used to communicate with parents and students to increase urban high school attendance. When teachers visit each family’s home, they understand some of the strengths and weaknesses, which may challenge both the parent and student (Tutt, 2021). The meeting also acts as a defining moment to know the plans the parent has for their children. With this, the teachers can help see the child succeed in the classroom, whereas the parents can help create a conducive environment for their child to meet the set goals. The teachers and parents can therefore develop a follow-up program that ensures that the student is in a position to attend school. This scenario increases attendance among urban high school students. Alternatively, connecting outside the school wall can be used to communicate to the parents how they can redefine their perception of participation. In this case, the parents must advise their children and create a conducive environment. When an environment for doing their homework is made, the student feels the parent’s support and does their best to attend school and perform better. The tactic is beyond attending PTA meetings and coaching the child in games (Freeman et al., 2018). As a result, the child feels the support and need to attend school; hence connecting outside the school wall is a proven communication tactic that ensures an increase in attendance among urban high school students.
Creating a personalized touch is also one of the tactics which can be used to communicate with parents and students to help increase the attendance rates of urban high school students. The teachers can use introductory videos to share some of their personalities. This makes the students and parents have a close connection. The avenue can also outline the syllabus; in this case, a parent can get to know when the student is required to attend school and some of the activities that require the parent to engage the student actively (Tutt, 2021). By making the curriculum transparent, the parents are more prepared on what is also expected of them to enable their child to achieve their goals. As a result, there is no room for a learner to be absent from school. The platform also notifies the parent of the engagements the child should be in since phone numbers can be exchanged in the process (Heyne et al., 2019). The method of communication, in this case, therefore, ensures that there is an increased attendance of urban high school students.
The school can also reach every parent wherever they are to communicate with the parents regarding attendance issues. The medium to be used should be decided on by the parents since some of them may not prefer channels they are not familiar with (Heyne et al., 2019). Some parents are also often busy, and reaching them by avenues they consider conducive, can help the school fast-track the student’s whereabouts and establish back-to-forth communication with the parent. The avenue ensures that the parents are in a position to be briefed on the performance and attendance of their children. Healthy ideas can also be exchanged through the platform, which helps design a workable schedule to help the student’s education.
Additionally, if the parents are busy, the school can give them a nudge regarding the missed assignments and classes weekly. The collaboration ensures that the child attends class, which improves their performance. The communication strategy above has been proven effective, recording a nineteen percent increase in attendance and a forty percent drop in failures (Lara & Saracostti, 2019). The method, in this case, is effective when the parents are notified earlier and not during PTA meetings when a child has already developed a habit of not coming to school.
Another method that can also be used to communicate with parents and students to increase the attendance of high school students is rewarding the most improved attendance. By acknowledging the students with perfect and enhanced attendance, the parents develop an interest in checking the attendance so their child can be awarded in the long run (Li & Qiu, 2018). This makes the parent encourage their child to go to school in the long run. On the other hand, a student is also driven by the need to improve their attendance to be rewarded by the school. In this case, the competition makes several students change their habits and attend school. On the other hand, the parents also observe that their child attends school, which is proven and helps communicate with parents to increase the attendance of urban high school students.
Besides, parents and students can use is emphasizing the need to attend classes. By creating emphasis, students are aware of the consequences they will face with the disciplinary committee. In this case, the student’s absence should be reviewed by involving the parents to weigh on the claim (Tutt, 2021). When a student is found to be absent without reason, a fine should be imposed, detention, or even school service. When penalties are set, the parents, in this case, are motivated to keep track of their children’s attendance not to attract future fines but rewards for being the most improved. The communication strategy, in this case, is not to scare aware students but aims at minimizing time and encouraging students to take school work and attendance seriously. Furthermore, when a student is detained or engaged in school services, they are motivated to attend classes to avoid punishment. Through the method, the school communicates to the parent and student what is required to prevent future disciplinary actions (Tanase, 2022). Through this method, there has been improved attendance in urban high schools, impacting improved grades.
Moreover, class or school blogs can be of help in addressing issues that are related to low attendance in classrooms. The blogs give the parents an overview of the engagements in the school and some of the students’ problems. In this case, the blogs are interactive and give the parents a chance to contribute by commenting on specific topics. The parent can ask their child whether they are aware of the posts on either the class or school blog to know if their child is keen on contributing to issues such as low-class attendance (Tutt, 2021). With such blogs updated regularly, both the parent and the child have the chance to know the topics addressed by the school regarding some of the problems leading to low attendance. By also displaying details regarding the staff, policies, and contact details, a parent can take the initiative of doing a follow-up on their child’s attendance. The methods, therefore, require regular updates and engagements for them to work since it helps to know the environment a student is exposed to and offers solutions to curb low student attendance based on these engagements between parents and students. This communication strategy has also been proven to work and improve attendance among urban high school students.
Another alternative that can be used to communicate with parents and students to help improve the attendance of urban school students is the use of a mentorship program. Mentors who can involve the parents and teachers can be requested to help a student be active in school work and attend school regularly. The method should be done with strict supervision from the parent to ensure the child is improving and attending their classes. A student in this can be identified based on their attendance if they have a poor record (Tanase, 2022). The parent, in this case, is to be notified and encourage the child to accept the mentorship program. Through the program, the student can be advised on the importance of attending school and some of the benefits which lie ahead. The mentorship should also be established on the causes of absenteeism, and the parents should be notified early. Through the program, a student gets the morale to attend school. The method is proven effective and, therefore, can be applied to help improve students’ attendance in urban schools.
Creating awareness is also a technique of communication that can be used to communicate with parents and students regarding the need to attend school. The attention, in this case, can be created by using posters within the school compound to remind the students to be keen on their studies by attending their classes (Tutt, 2021). On the other hand, the parents can be reached and addressed on the need to encourage their students to attend school through blog posts and podcasts. The platforms, in this case, allow various issues to be addressed, ranging from policies, contacts, and consequences of being absent. As a result of such awareness, parents and students get more insight into why it is in their best interest to collaborate and comply with the school. The technique can also help in decision-making to help identify the best approaches to improve student attendance (Tanase, 2022). The method, in this case, has also proven to be effective and therefore helps improve students’ attendance in urban schools since they are more equipped with the benefits of education.
Lastly, inviting the parents to class is also a strategy that can ensure parents and student communicates to ensure that the issues of reduced attendance in urban schools can be improved. When the parents reach the classroom, reports regarding performance and attendance should be available to them (Tutt, 2021). The parents should also be briefed on what they should do to help their children attend school more often. By familiarizing themselves with the school environment, calendar, and schedule, the parents are in a position to know what their children have been doing wrong and their responsibility as a parent to adjust to engage their children. By engaging with the other parents, a parent can determine whether the issue of absenteeism is rampant and what can be done to improve their children’s education. Through the engagement, the parent can also have the added advantage of getting the teacher’s contact which can be used to deliver further reports on the student’s progress (Heyne et al., 2019). The tactic is also proven to work in various schools since the close support ensures that students develop confidence in what they are doing and focus more on attending their classes.
In conclusion, urban high school students increased rates of low-class attendance are worrying due to various underlying factors such as bullying, chronic diseases, and financial constraints. However, with proper communication techniques and optimal collaboration between teachers and parents, the issue is significantly reduced. For example, when a student is absent, the school should be notified about the reason for absenteeism. Likewise, the school should also inquire about the students’ whereabouts if they fail to be in their respective classes. In this case, the back-and-forth communication makes a student adapt to the environment and hence be in a position to attend school without much supervision. Still, more strategies and solutions must be implemented to help address the issue of reduced urban high school class attendance. Such solutions should particularly focus on vulnerability aspects relative to drug and substance abuse as well as gang and related activities. Ensuring that the students in urban high schools are in class assures them of good grades, slots in universities, and a bright future.
References
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