Karen Western reports falling chronic absenteeism and gains in reading, leaders credit attendance strategy

Karen Western school leaders told the Ralston Public Schools Board that focused attendance strategies, revised PLC scheduling and targeted interventions coincided with measurable academic growth and lower chronic absenteeism.

Andrew (last name not specified), principal at Karen Western, presented beginning‑of‑year and midyear FastBridge and NSCAS data and described a set of interventions the school used after a year in which second and sixth grade beginning cohorts performed far below expectations. He said the school narrowed building goals to two priorities: overall reading proficiency and increasing average daily attendance/ reducing chronic absenteeism.

The principal said the school changed how professional learning communities (PLCs) are scheduled — creating a four‑week rotation so teachers meet on designated days by grade level — and intentionally aligned special education and intervention planning with classroom instruction. The school added a behavior intervention support team with monthly consultant visits and sent staff to Inclusive Practice Academy training. At semester the principal reported substantial cohort gains: second grade FastBridge growth rose from 8% (spring prior year) to 32% at winter; sixth grade rose from 15% to 40% (winter), with end‑of‑year improvements reported as well. Preliminary NSCAS spring comparisons included third grade on track rising from 27% to 40%, fourth grade 27% to 44%, and sixth grade from 37% to 52%.

Attendance changes were a focal point. The presenter said the school reduced chronic absenteeism from 57 students in 2021–22 to 29 in 2023–24 and down to 18 students on the chronic list at midyear of the most recent year; midyear average daily attendance was reported at about 95.16%. The school credited several operational changes: creating four guaranteed adult contact points for students arriving at school (drop‑off/bus entry, breakfast line redesign, hallway teacher presence and classroom greeting), expanding back‑to‑school night to two sessions to reach more families, having teachers make personal contact calls after two absences (rather than waiting five days), using a Spanish‑speaking building secretary for daily attendance calls (no automated messages), and targeted family problem‑solving around transportation and access.

Board members praised the initiative. One member said, “Attendance is one of the harder things... When you get people to understand and pull the rope in the same direction, there's a lot of things that you can accomplish,” and asked the principal to collect reasons families give for absences so the board can consider district‑level policy responses. The principal and board discussed continuing incentives, communication strategies, and how improvements at Karen Western could inform other buildings.

School leaders acknowledged areas for further work: kindergarten fall‑to‑spring drops that require additional investigation, and concern about winter‑to‑spring growth patterns that appear smaller than fall‑to‑winter gains. The principal said many of the instructional and behavioral changes will remain in place and noted the boost in staff morale since the school was no longer flagged as needing improvement.

The discussion occurred during a district report agenda item and included staff, the principal and multiple board members. Board members asked the school for data on reasons families cite for absences so the board can evaluate possible district policy or scheduling changes.