New Hanover principals describe tactics to reduce chronic absenteeism as district expands retention programs
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Summary
Principals and district staff presented tiered attendance interventions and teacher-retention programs; early data showed improved attendance at participating schools and HR reported retention above state average but persistent mid-career attrition near year five.
District leaders used the Feb. 11 agenda-review meeting to showcase two related priorities: student attendance and teacher retention.
On attendance, staff said the district aims to reduce chronic absenteeism by 10% and warning-level absences by 5% as part of its strategic plan. Principals from Myrtle Grove and Castle Hain described a three-tier approach: universal family messaging, daily 'eye-to-eye' checks with students at risk, and intensive small-group interventions with social workers. "One of the things that always strikes me is by the sixth grade, chronic absenteeism is the leading indicator of whether or not a student will graduate on time," one principal said.
Principals described concrete classroom- and school-level tactics: refrigerator magnets and home checklists for families, classroom attendance graphs to create student- and grade-level incentives, teacher-led weekly messaging and an "attendance sweep" team that checks in with chronically absent students daily. One principal said those practices translated into measurable improvements in the first quarter, though flu and COVID spikes affected midyear numbers. "We had 188 kids out on 2 days," a principal noted as an example of recent illness-related spikes.
Human resources staff then presented the district’s educator-development and retention strategy. The HR team supports roughly 338 early-career teachers (about 20% of certified staff) with mentorship, guided observations and licensure support, and described an Advanced Teaching Roles program showing positive classroom outcomes. HR reported New Hanover’s retention has improved to above the state average but reiterated a common national pattern: retention drops to roughly 50% by year five. "By year 5, the retention rate dropped to about 50 percent," an HR specialist summarized.
What happens next: The board invited the principals to present again at a regular meeting to reach a larger audience and directed staff to continue reporting strategic-plan metrics.
Source: Presentations and Q&A at the Feb. 11 meeting.