Parents should reinforce on-time attendance, communicate with teachers, and make academics the freshman's top priority¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 3 claims (3 for) · 2 studies (2 associational), q2 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 3 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The brief recommends three concrete parent actions for the freshman year: reinforcing on-time attendance and no class cutting, talking with teachers when grades start to fall, and making academics the top priority including studying instead of socializing before big tests. It grounds these in its findings that "Even occasional skipping leads to dramatically lower grades" and that "students do better in their courses when they trust their teachers and count on them for support."

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Parents of incoming high school freshmen who can monitor attendance and communicate with teachers

Constraints¶

• Recommendations are addressed to parents of Chicago Public Schools freshmen and rest on the brief's observational findings rather than tested interventions

Target Learners¶

• first-year high school students (freshmen) in Chicago Public Schools

Target Learning Goals¶

• on-time graduation from high school
• passing freshman courses
• college readiness

Claims¶

• Nearly 90 percent of Chicago freshmen who miss less than a week of school per semester graduate, regardless of 8th grade test scores [+W]
• Students with weak eighth grade basic skills have the poorest attendance, but cutting is widespread even among top achievers (42 percent on or above grade level were moderate to extreme truants) [+W]
• Freshmen who miss more than two weeks of school per semester fail at least two classes on average, regardless of incoming test scores [+W]

Related Strategies¶

• Home School Communication
• Connect with Parents Early in the School Year
• Teacher Parent Communication
• Parent Workshops
• Utilize Text Messaging for Parent Engagement

Examples¶

-

Key Sources¶

• Freshman Year: The Make-it or Break-it Year. (2007). Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago. http://ccsr.uchicago.edu