MPUSD Receives $1.3 Million to Reduce Chronic Absenteeism and Support Student Health Needs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 12, 2024

 

Contact: 

Marci McFadden, Chief of Communications & Engagement

831-706-6971

MPUSD Receives $1.3 Million to Reduce Chronic Absenteeism and Support Student Health Needs
MPUSD’s Promoting Attendance through Collaboration and Compassionate Systems focuses on non-punitive, evidence-based practices to address the root causes of absenteeism

Monterey, CA - The Monterey Peninsula Unified School District received a grant in the amount of $1,381,050 over three fiscal years from 2024 through 2027 to support programs aimed at improving student outcomes by reducing chronic absenteeism and truancy, and ultimately supporting students who are at risk of dropping out of school. 

Specifically, MPUSD’s grant proposal - Promoting Attendance through Collaboration and Compassionate Systems (PACCS) - focuses on non-punitive, evidence-based practices to address the root causes of absenteeism, enhance students’ learning time, engagement, and overall academic performance.

“This grant comes at the perfect time because we know when students are at school learning it increases their math, reading, and foundational skills, and improves their chances of graduation, completing college and overall succeeding in life,” said PK Diffenbaugh, Superintendent, Monterey Peninsula Unified School District.

“Our comprehensive approach will help our district and schools improve attendance, support our families, and increase academic success through collaborative efforts and evidence-based interventions,” said Alan Crawford, Director, Student Support, Safety and Prevention, Monterey Peninsula Unified School District.

MPUSD applied for this grant earlier this spring and became part of cohort 8 of the Learning for Communities Student Success Program. The program prioritizes districts and schools with high chronic absenteeism, dropout, and out-of-school suspension rates, as well as those supporting significant populations of foster youth.

In short, the grant will allow MPUSD to hire additional staff, promote collaboration amongst those who work on attendance, and deepen our practices of working with families to identify and address the barriers to attendance. MPUSD will continue to collaborate with its current community partner, EveryDay Labs, to use data and behavioral science to empower students’ and their families to improve attendance. Additionally, funding will support a telehealth program for students and their families.

 

MPUSD's Chronic Absenteeism Rate (2021-2022)	MPUSD	State of California
Chronic Absenteeism Overall	26.9%	24.9%
Asian	14.4%	10.2%
Filipino	16.4%	13.4%
Hispanic/LatinX	29.8%	28.9%
White	22.5%	19.7%
Two or More Races	24.2%	21.4%

Summary of Grant Project: Promoting Attendance Through Collaboration and Compassionate Systems

The PACCS Project (Promoting Attendance through Collaboration and Compassionate Systems) is aimed at reducing chronic absenteeism among MPUSD students. The project focuses on non-punitive, evidence-based practices to address the root causes of absenteeism, enhancing students’ learning time, engagement, and overall academic performance. Highlights of the grant include:

• Increased Collaboration Among Attendance Staff Districtwide: Facilitate collaboration among staff focused on improving attendance district wide. Attendance staff will meet regularly to review attendance data, share best practices, strategize interventions, and problem-solve to address absenteeism.
• Expanded Staffing: MPUSD will hire three additional attendance intervention specialists to increase capacity for addressing absenteeism. They will work with families, conduct home visits, and support attendance campaigns. They will have flexible schedules to maximize family engagement.
• Telehealth: Provide on-demand telehealth services (partnering with Hazel Health Telehealth) for families and students to address health-related absenteeism. Includes training for staff, medical supplies, and support for accessing services. More information available here. 

• Improved Access to Data: Utilize daily data from EveryDay Labs to identify at-risk students and send targeted notifications to families about absenteeism and academic impact. Provide weekly reports and real-time data analysis to inform intervention strategies. Staff will be offered professional development training on how to utilize the data from EveryDay Labs.

• Technical Assistance: Staff will participate in regional workshops and technical assistance sessions to better utilize data and inform families.

• Increased Communication: Using the data gathered from EveryDay Labs, continue communication efforts to make family communication efforts more meaningful and impactful.
• Increased Family Support: Staff will work closely with families to have conversations and identify barriers for students attending school and develop targeted support strategies to help the student(s) get to school.

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About Monterey Peninsula Unified School District

 

The Monterey Peninsula Unified School District is home to approximately 9,400 students in grades transitional kindergarten through 12th grade. The district also houses preschool and adult education. The district is built on a solid foundation of effective instruction, positive school culture, systems of support, and collaborative leadership. The district is nestled along the Monterey Bay, and stretches from the city of Marina to the north to the city of Monterey to the south, and includes the communities of Del Rey Oaks, Marina, Monterey, Sand City and Seaside.

 

About EveryDay Labs

We founded EveryDay Labs because we believe that making family-school communication more effective can change student outcomes—and we’ve proven that it can. As a behavioral scientist and professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, Dr. Todd Rogers has worked across public sectors to improve everyday life by using behavioral science insights to mitigate social challenges. After his students encouraged him to meet with Dr. Karen L. Mapp, the leading expert on family engagement, Dr. Rogers’ focus changed. She inspired him to focus on families as a way to change student outcomes. Leveraging behavioral science insights to conduct groundbreaking research with a team of researchers including Jessica Lasky-Fink, Dr. Avi Feller, and Dr. Carly Robinson, Dr. Rogers developed attendance nudges designed to empower families to overcome barriers to their children’s school attendance. From that research, Dr. Rogers co-founded EveryDay Labs to help districts implement his intervention scale.