Connecting At-risk Students with Mentors to Combat Absenteeism

The White House and ED announced two groundbreaking campaigns to address and eliminate chronic student absenteeism last week. The MBK Success Mentors Initiative aims to reduce chronic absenteeism by connecting over one million students with caring mentors who are trained school-linked personnel. In addition, the Ad Council campaign, Absences Add Up, seeks to raise awareness about how chronic absenteeism affects children in the short- and long-term. 

With an estimated 5 to 7.5 million students chronically absent each year, this is a national problem that seriously undermines the education, safety and life outcomes of our youth. Both initiatives build on the Every Student, Every Day national initiative to address and eliminate chronic absenteeism.

VOICE FROM THE CLASSROOM

Like many of their peers around the country, some of the kids in third grade science teacher Audra Kufro's class would rather play video games at home instead of going to school. That was before they started the Schools & Homes in Education (SHINE) Afterschool Program in Mahanoy City, Pa. The program's unique recipe has increased student performance and attendance, too. In this first-person entry on our Homeroom blog, read about how the program helps kids learn new things and build meaningful relationships that keep them coming back to school. 

Strawberry Mansion High School used to be one of the most dangerous in Philadelphia. ABC News' Diane Sawyer visited during Principal Linda Cliatt-Wayman's first year to see the daunting challenge ahead of her. Now, a few years later, suspensions are down and test scores are up. She attributes her secret to success in an inspiring TED Talk viewed by more than 1 million people, to her genuine love for her students and her unconditional belief in their possibilities. When I look at them, I can only see what they can become and that is because I am one of them," she says. "I remind them every day that education can truly change lives."

Two American Teachers Among 2016 Global Teacher Prize Finalists

Stephen Hawking announced the top 10 Global Teacher Prize finalists, hailing from five continents. Whether teaching in a borrowed tent in a refugee camp, harnessing the power of the internet to engage students in math, empowering students to change the world by engaging them in videoconferencing with scientists in Antarctica and conservationists in Africa -- all of these teachers go beyond the call of duty to make the complex simple and the ordinary extraordinary. Hawking's story of being inspired to learn math is a video worth watching.   

As part of last week's viral #LoveTeaching campaign, Acting Secretary John King reflected on what drove him to teach high school social studies in Puerto Rico and Boston: "I loved being in the classroom because you have these great moments where students would get inspired by learning about Reconstruction or the Harlem Renaissance," he said. "And I loved being able to expose students to a world beyond our school or our community, to get them to see the diversity not only of our country but of our world." The Washington Post recently covered King's efforts to gain favor with teachers. 

Historic Moments from Teacher's Life

If not for an ordinary loaf of bread, 104-year-old Martha Miller’s life may have turned out much differently. After winning first place in a 4-H baking competition, Miller received the prize – a four-year scholarship to Purdue University – that led her to become a math teacher at Stratford Junior High School in Arlington (Va.), the first public school in the state to integrate in 1959. She recently served on a panel, told her story and promoted a book she wrote about her life (Brown, USA Today).  

Native American Educators 

Talk to ED 

Acting Secretary John King met with a group of Native American educators last week to hear about how ED can support their efforts to meet the needs of Native American youth. Scott Simpson, who teaches preservice teachers at Black Hills State University in South Dakota, writes about bringing his students' experiences to ED.

Atlanta's Charles R. Draw Charter School didn't go to an outside contractor to help them build a new playground; instead, they turned to their second graders. In their engineering lab class, students go through an idea development process including sketching, sharing, and synthesizing. Their teacher couldn't find a statewide curriculum for elementary school engineering design, so she planned backwards from middle and high school standards.

Nationwide, 2.7 million grandparents are raising grandchildren, and about one-fifth have incomes that fall below the poverty line, according to census figures. The number of grandparents raising grandchildren is up 7 percent from 2009. Experts say the trend is likely to continue as the nation responds to the opiate epidemic. Military deployment and a growth in the number of women incarcerated are other factors forcing grandparents to step into parental roles (Cancino, Associated Press).

5. "I #LoveTeaching because two people said today: 'Thank you for your service.' Teachers serve their country by safeguarding our intellectual future" (Teacher, Texas). 

4. "I #LoveTeaching because every day is a challenge and a victory, a failure and success, an opportunity to inspire and rewrite stories" (Teacher, Oklahoma). 

3. "I love when I walk into a room and can't find the teacher because the learning is so fluid that it takes a minute to find the adult" (Teacher, Maryland).

2. "#LoveTeaching: Letting my kids look into a mirror and see themselves as scientists and engineers instead of just peeking through a window" (Teacher, Idaho).

1. "I #LoveTeaching because I get to make music with my kids everyday! Still have days I walk in and can't believe that this is how I get to spend my day!" (Teacher, Michigan).