Kentucky leaders, in an attempt to improve school attendance in the state and focus attention on the importance of being in school, have declared the week of April 22 “high attendance week.”
Gov. Martha Layne Collins and Superintendent of Public Instruction Alice McDonald, in conjunction with the Kentucky Association of School Administrators, announced the program late last month as part of the state’s education-improvement plan.
Innovation Encouraged
They encouraged local school systems to be innovative in getting their students to class, said Frances R. Salyers, spokesman for the state department of education.
“The thrust of this program is to get the message across to students and parents that school has something to offer, but you can’t get what is offered if you are not there,” Ms. Salyers said.
The strategies to boost attendance developed by local administrators and educators will be filed in a report and shared with other school districts, she added.
Students who have 100-percent attendance records during the week will receive certificates, and schools that report exceptionally high attendance or notable increases in attendance over the week will also be recognized, according to Ms. Salyers.--br
