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Urbana early-childhood staff flag physical aggression and chronic absenteeism among preschoolers
Summary
Principals at Urbana Early Childhood and Gerber reported high chronic absenteeism and concentrated incident reports involving a small group of students (predominantly Black males); schools plan equity-focused SEL work, targeted interventions and attendance protocols for the coming year.
Urbana Early Childhood School and Gerber School leaders told the board they will make social‑emotional learning and targeted supports central to next year’s plans after reporting elevated absenteeism and a small group of students who account for repeated behavior incidents.
"We had 230 incident reports this year. Forty‑four of those were the same student over and over again," UECS Principal Katie Madigan told the board, adding that when administrators drilled into the top 10 students with the most incidents, nine were Black males.
Madigan said the school will spend the first quarter focused on the Pyramid Model (a pre‑K PBIS equivalent), additional equity conversations and targeted interventions for students who need more intensive support. She said staff will also emphasize improved data collection on absence reasons and family outreach to better design attendance interventions.
At Gerber School — which serves students placed by DCFS and partners with Cunningham Children’s Home — Principal Jennifer Roan described similar challenges: unusually high student mobility during the year and new placements that increased time out of class. Despite that churn, Roan said Gerber met its MAP growth goals (66% math projected growth; 70% literacy projected growth) and plans monthly reviews of time‑out‑of‑class data and expanded SEL work with teaching assistants included in data conversations.
Board members applauded teachers’ work and asked for more granular data about absence reasons and interventions. The district data presentation later in the meeting showed attendance patterns by month and subgroup, prompting trustees to ask how schools will standardize contact logs and verification processes so the district can better target supports.
Both schools will add staff development and refine MTSS procedures next year to address the twin priorities of reducing chronic absenteeism and curbing repeated exclusionary responses for priority students.
