A Study on How Sense of Belonging and Parent Engagement Affect Student's Attendance in the Ogden School District By Angela Voraotsady A project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTERS OF EDUCATION IN FAMILY LIFE EDUCATION WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY Ogden, Utah April 27. 2022 Dr. Andrea Garavito Martinez, Ph.D. Sonja Davidson - Director of Student ocacy. Ogden School District 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ..........................................................................................................................3 Abstract ............................................................................................................................................4 Nature of the Problem ......................................................................................................................5 Literature Review.............................................................................................................................7 Sense of Belonging .......................................................................................................................7 Relationship Building .................................................................................................................11 Community Support ...................................................................................................................13 Purpose ...........................................................................................................................................16 Method ...........................................................................................................................................17 Location ......................................................................................................................................17 Participants and Data Collection ................................................................................................17 Data Analysis .............................................................................................................................18 Positionality Statement ...............................................................................................................19 Discussion and Implications ..........................................................................................................21 Attendance ..................................................................................................................................21 Sense of Belonging .....................................................................................................................23 Parent Involvement ....................................................................................................................25 Community School .....................................................................................................................26 COVID-19 ..................................................................................................................................27 Implications ................................................................................................................................29 Limitations .....................................................................................................................................31 Conclusion .....................................................................................................................................32 References ......................................................................................................................................33 Appendices .....................................................................................................................................36 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Undertaking graduate school while working full-time and being a mom was a commitment of epic proportions. I don’t think I realized how much I would require the support of my personal community to make it through these last couple of years. These last two years Vien, Violet, and Micah have stepped up to support me in ways I never thought I would need. They have all taken on more tasks than countable to make sure I could continue in my pursuits and finish strong. There were times I wanted to quit and I questioned why I was doing this in the first place but they were there to take on more responsibilities and encourage me to keep going. I know we are all looking forward to Friday evening when all of this is done and we are celebrating. I am also in debt to the professors at Weber State. I only have university experience at Weber State but I imagine not all universities have as supportive staff as are employed here. They are all committed to your learning but are understanding of their non-traditional student population. They go above and beyond to make sure each student is able to succeed, however that may look for them. Professors and staff take time out of their personal lives to schedule meetings, offer support, and problem solve with their students. Second chances are given when they aren’t required and everyone’s main goal through it all is to see their students grow. 4 ABSTRACT Every educator can agree that regular school attendance is important for all students. All stakeholders want students to succeed. But not all schools are able to provide the same level of support for students. In Ogden School District, creating a strong family connection and providing support outside of solely education is necessary for student success. These supports are categorized under the umbrella of community school and the need to provide wraparound services for the families of the school. A community school is more than just wraparound services. It is also about increasing a sense of belonging and encouraging parent involvement. In this study, we interviewed various individuals involved in a local elementary school within the Ogden School District to see how a strong sense of belonging and parental involvement impact student attendance. 5 NATURE OF THE PROBLEM A low of a sense of belonging can lead to students’ reluctance to go to school. A lack of parental involvement and not understanding of the importance of school attendance can also lead to school attendance struggles. These problems combined can lead to an increased rate of absenteeism among elementary school students, especially those with low socioeconomic family backgrounds. In the United States, approximately 56.6 million children attended school in grades PreK through 12th (Bustamante, 2019) in 2019. Of those 56.6 million, approximately 35.5 million were in elementary to middle school, grades Kindergarten through 8th grade. There were 15.3 million high school students in grades ninth through 12th. During the 2015-2016 school year in the United States, there were over seven million students, or 16 percent of the student population, missing 15 or more days of school in the year, which equates to three weeks (Chronic Absenteeism in the Nation’s Schools, 2019). When students miss more than 15 days, they are considered chronically absent and are at serious risk of falling behind at school. Under the “Every Student Succeeds Act” of 2015, states need to report and identify efforts that seek to reduce and eliminate chronic absenteeism. These efforts happen at a local district level. Nevertheless, in order to better understand chronic absenteeism, we first need to understand youth and their sense of belonging. When students are not physically in schools, they are less likely to see their friends and have positive professional relationships with teachers and other staff (Douglas Willms, 2003). D’Haene et al. (2014) found that students who often miss school are less likely to be comfortable in the classroom. A low of sense of belonging can lead to students’ reluctance to go to school. This lack of sense of belonging comes from a combination 6 of unsupportive school environments, chaotic home lives, personal, academic, and/or social deficits, or lack of community support (D’Haene et al, 2014). Belonging inside a group, especially one that you are a part of five days a week, creates an open atmosphere for learning. A lack of sense of belonging, compounded with a lack of parental involvement and not fully understanding the importance of school attendance, can lead to students’ attendance issues. Youth living in poverty often have more risk factors that they bring with them to school, making it harder for them, compared to their peers, to access the goals of lessons (Anderson-Butcher et al, 2018, Durham et al., 2019). One of these barriers can be a lack of parent involvement. This isn’t to say that parents always choose to be uninvolved, but working hard to provide for their family may result in a lack of parent involvement with school. Research has shown a strong correlation between five primary elements in successfully combating chronic absenteeism: parent involvement, firm and clear sanctions for students, meaningful incentives for parent responsibility, establishing programming for chronic absenteeism prevention and its causes, and involvement of local law enforcement and community agencies (D’Haene et al, 2014). This research shows how important parent involvement is in their students’ attendance. The combination of a lack of students’ sense of belonging at school and a lack of understanding on the importance of school by families creates an increased rate of absenteeism among elementary school students, especially those with low socioeconomic family backgrounds. Researchers in Tulsa, Oklahoma found that schools with consistently low performance also lacked social capital in their communities (Adams, 2019). Not only does chronic absenteeism affect a student’s academic outcomes, but it is also a risk factor for teen pregnancy, social isolation, substance abuse, behavior problems, and violence (D’Haene et al, 2014, Sheldon, 2007). 7 LITERATURE REVIEW Students' regular attendance in school supports academic growth outcomes, thus, a lack of regular attendance can affect a student's academic growth negatively. School personnel continually try to promote various methods to improve attendance amongst their student body. There is supposition among education professionals that one key component to higher attendance rates is the importance of creating a strong sense of belonging among students and increasing options for parent involvement, especially through non-traditional forms in order to support different family dynamics. One such non-traditional form of family support can be through forming a community school. Community schools offer various resources for students and their families, with the primary goal being student success. In this paper we discuss various areas of research into school attendance, sense of belonging, family engagement, and possible solutions through community schools. Sense of Belonging Cornell University (2022) defines sense of belonging as “the feeling of security and support when there is a sense of acceptance, inclusion, and identity for a member of a certain group.” Sense of belonging looks different during every stage of life and in every group. In elementary students, as in the age of students for the proposed research, sense of belonging is measured by how connected they feel to their classroom, specifically their peers and teachers (Goodenow & Grady, 1993). Sense of belonging can be measured through various interview and questionnaire methods (Sense of Belonging, 2022). Sense of belonging can be self-identified or identified by teachers in students as being either low or strong. A strong sense of belonging can be characterized by an individual 8 identifying as part of a group and expressing value and meaning in life (Lambert et al., 2013). For students, this can appear in feeling as if they are accepted by students and adults within the school for who they are. They may find school enjoyable and even be willing to attend and push through when the work gets hard. In contrast, a low sense of belonging can appear when a student does not feel they are welcomed or accepted by their peers and that the adults in the building do not care about them or are happy to see them at school. Their actions may be withdrawn and they may feel left out of groups. Ogden School District measures their students’ sense of belonging through a program called Panorama (Panorama Education | Supporting Student Success, 2022). This online survey measures students’ sense of belonging along with other social emotional learning competencies such as grit, classroom effort, self-efficacy, emotion regulation, learning strategies, self-management, social perspective taking, social awareness, engagement, their changing feelings, positive feelings, and how many supportive relationships they feel they have. This survey is done by both students and teachers in grades third-sixth grades three times per year (Fall, Winter, Spring) and performed by teachers for students in grade K-2nd twice per year. The questions that measure sense of belonging in this survey specifically are: 1. How well do people at your school understand you as a person? 2. How much support do the adults at your school give you? 3. How much respect do students at your school show you? 4. Overall, how much do you feel like you belong at your school? Students self-identify on a scale between favorably and unfavorably. Teachers, administrators, counselors, and student support staff use the results to identify supports that need to be put into place for specific students or groups. These may be 2 x 10s (a get-to-know-you 9 support implemented across the school with a classroom teacher or other support professional), daily check-ins, lunch buddies, friend groups, counseling services, and more. Academic Motivation Goodenow and Grady (1993) performed a study to find the relationship between students' sense of belonging and friends’ influence on student motivation, specifically among urban adolescents. Goodenow and Grady surveyed 301 junior high students from two different junior high schools, 198 at the first and 103 at the second, in a middle-sized Northeast city. The first school’s survey group consisted of 104 boys and 87 girls, 74 seventh graders, 79 eighth graders, and 45 ninth graders. The second school’s survey group consisted of 54 boys and 43 girls, all in seventh grade. Attendance rate on the day of testing was 73%; school personnel confirmed this was fairly average for the last month of any school year within their city. Researchers found no significant difference in results between the two schools or between grade levels. The three significant findings of the study are that 1- a significant number of urban adolescents who experience a low sense of belonging at school also show low school motivation. 2- Consequently, students with a high sense of belonging at school reported higher academic motivation. 3- There are ethnic and gender differences in the stated relationship patterns. Conclusions made are that when students have a strong sense that they matter in the school and that they are liked and valued within the school they find school more enjoyable, worthwhile, and interesting. When students have a caring support system, they are more likely to feel they can take on difficult academic tasks. Morrissey, Hutchison, and Winsler (2014) performed a longitudinal study by following data on a sample of 35,419 kindergartners from 259 public elementary schools in Florida over five years. The study followed the first cohort from kindergarten through fourth grade, the 10 second cohort from kindergarten through third grade, the third cohort from kindergarten through second grade, and so on. Data collected included family income status (determined through free and reduced lunch status), school absence and tardiness, academic achievement, and child and family characteristics. The results showed, as in previous studies, poor school attendance affects students' grades. Morrissey, Hutchison, and Winsler found that though there was a positive association between students who received free and reduced lunch and increased absenteeism, the association was too low to be significant. An interesting finding was that students’ number of absences per year decreased as they progressed through grades. Pedagogy & Teacher Responsibility Beck and Malley (2003) hypothesize that traditional pedagogy taught to teachers causes greater division in the classroom. Some students succeed but some, often the most at-risk, fall further behind, creating a larger chasm between the student’s sense of belonging and school. A large portion of creating a sense of belonging among students falls on teachers. Teachers are many students’ closest adult relationships outside of the student’s family, making them large influences in their students’ lives. The connection between student and teacher needs to be a relationship bond versus a “talking head” at the front of the classroom. Increasing a student’s sense of belonging in the classroom can occur through such practices as self-disclosure, which reduces the power differential and breaks down relationship resistance. Another way to increase a student’s sense of belonging in the classroom is by actively involving all students in the classroom. Often the most challenging students have the lowest sense of belonging. Student Retention In O’Keeffe’s (2013) research he discusses the implications of a lack of sense of belonging amongst higher education students, specifically first-year students. The largest 11 implication is student attrition rates. In higher education, the loss of income is unique to the college education system but the research is beneficial for education institutions in K-12 as well. O’Keeffe discusses research performed by Heisserer and Parette (2002) where they found that college students who feel rejected and that they don’t belong may not adjust to college life. While this research was conducted for college students the implications show great importance for students of all ages. At-risk groups were listed as ethnic minorities, academically disadvantaged, students with disabilities, students of low socioeconomic status, probationary students, and first-generation college students. These at-risk groups in college attrition rates are also the students at risk in younger educational settings. While some feel that students simply need to adjust to their school environment this can be significantly harder for at-risk groups, further showing evidence of the importance of providing support and creating a strong connection to the institution. A connection to even one key person in the institution can create a sense of connection and decrease the attrition rate (O’Keeffe, 2013). These connections also need to be genuine and for the betterment of the student. They cannot be relationships that marginalize or threaten the individual. Because not all faculty within an institution are able to handle all of the needs of students there needs to be a well-equipped counseling center within the campus as well. This need within the college campus is also a need among other educational institutions, no matter the age of the students served. Relationship Building Connecting Families to Community Resources During the 2015-2016 school year Durham and Connolly (2017) used statistical analysis to identify community schools within Baltimore’s 45 fully implemented community schools that showed higher- or lower- than expected attendance and school climate. Of the 45 their analysis 12 identified seven schools that fit the criteria, five higher than expected and two lower than expected. Once the schools had been identified, researchers contacted the community school coordinators to schedule a one-hour, face-to-face interview focusing on the reasons their school was identified in hopes of identifying the best strategies for promoting positive student attendance and school climate within Baltimore’s community schools. Interviews taking place in spring of 2017 identified multiple and varying reasons for the increase or decrease. Surrounding the practice of connecting families to community resources, the interview data collected showed that a positive, trusting relationship with parents was key to being able to successfully refer families to resources needed within the community. Trusting relationships with parents included acknowledging that every family comes to the school with their own set of stressors and the goal of the community school coordinator (CSC) was to not to add to the parent’s stress, but to build a common ground of trust and understanding. This practice needs to be practiced by all school staff as well. This is the tactic needed to be able to build relationships with parents that remain productive and are focused on providing the right support and referrals for each family. Teachers Ability to Communicate with Families In their research, Durham and Connolly (2017) found that impacting attendance needs to be a school-wide effort. CSCs working in schools with higher attendance spoke of the need for all school staff to be in partnership with their efforts to communicate the value of attendance. These CSCs also shared that the teachers within their schools are often their first line of defense. Teachers carry valuable knowledge about their students’ home lives, whether those be struggles or successes. Teachers are also the first person to contact a family when a student is absent. Teachers need to carry that value of relationships with their families. By being a support to the 13 family, they are able to connect the family with the school CSC by having a relationship built on trust. Community School Coordinators While different people in the school building bring varying roles to the table in affecting attendance positively, CSCs in the Baltimore Community Schools combine all of the roles to ensure the efforts of all works together. Durham and Connolly (2017) found the roles of CSCs in the schools with higher attendance rates performed tasks varying from family engagement activities to promoting positive relationships with their school staff. The best practices for CSCs include building relationships with families, students, school faculty and staff, and community partners. Through these trusting relationships with families, CSCs provide support in identifying barriers for families and encourage parent involvement at the school. Relationships with community partners help schools create mutually beneficial and self-sustaining partnerships. All of the relationships and work in and out of the school are key to promoting positive attendance. Community Support Community School The Institute for Education Leadership Coalition for Community Schools (2020) describes the concept of community schools as a smartphone over a binary, analog system. Community schools possess the ability to apply multiple delivery methods of teaching over varying times of day and days of the week compared to a traditional school. Community schools are open for the traditional school day but then stay open well into the evening and weekends. Community schools are community centers created not only for school-age children but also for their families and any members of the community. Community schools work within their local school to provide the community with resources to further learning, promote parent involvement, 14 and provide full community resources for the benefit of the community. Community schools are built with partnerships between schools and community resources. In the proposed study area there are nine community schools within a single school district run through a partnership between the school district and the local United Way (United Way of Northern Utah:What We Do:Education:Community Schools, 2022). These community schools run on the belief that all families want their students to succeed. The goal is to provide all families within the community access to the support they need to make this success possible. These supports vary across the schools they serve but can provide support with a multitude of things such as access to food, housing, employment, internet, childcare, tutoring, parenting support and classes, and more, as needed by each individual school. Community Partners Research organized by Malone (2008) discusses the importance of providing a fully encompassing education for children, a distinct difference from the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 that focused mainly on standardized tests and yearly progress. When the focus is solely on testing and academic achievement the education system leaves behind a large portion of the child. When instead the education is focused on educating the whole child there is room for growth in areas such as 21st-century skills, social-emotional development, humanities, and arts. It also broadens the scope of education solely from the teachers and students by including the families, community partners, and other beneficial assets within the community. Malone speculates that community partners should have just as much responsibility within the education system as do teachers, equal partners in students’ education. With this method, the system will be able to maximize the existing resources and provide continuous learning opportunities. When educating the whole child with the support of community partners, students are shown to have 15 higher motivation for learning, better school attendance, lower suspension rates, and decreased risky behaviors (Malone, 2008). 16 PURPOSE Over the last several years schools across the nation have put supports in place that help relieve stress families face with the hope of keeping families from entering a crisis. These supports have included things such as extra tutoring services, onsite food banks, extended day programs, family education programs, and sometimes even employing an individual to help families navigate stressors so they can continue to provide for their family and keep their children in school (Roche, et al., 2017). Such supports are invaluable to the families they serve but are often found to be a financial burden for the school district because of the lack of understanding from legislatures about their value, leading to a lack of funding. Hence, these programs are often temporary in nature and do not receive the opportunity to show their full potential. The questions this project will explore are: 1. How does the implementation of the community school model affect the attendance of elementary school students? 2. What do parents and educators value in community-based programs in regards to attendance? 17 METHOD Oftentimes, valuable research comes from looking at the lived experiences of the people directly affected by the program being studied (Nowell, et al., 2017). While quantitative data can show the numbers involved, interviewing key members of the community within a school can give us another foundation for the importance and value of community schools. Location Upon completion of the IRB approval process, seven individuals who are directly involved with an elementary community school in central Ogden, Utah were interviewed about their experiences with the community school model. Of the 19 schools within the Ogden School District 18 of them are considered Title 1 (Utah Title 1 Schools 2019–2020, 2020), nine of which are listed by the United Way of Northern Utah as community schools (United Way of Northern Utah:What We Do:Education:Community Schools, 2022). Of the nine community schools, five are located in elementary schools. The research was conducted in an elementary school because of the importance of combining both family involvement and sense of belonging to impact an elementary school student’s attendance. Participants and Data Collection Individuals identified to participate in the study were the school principal, school counselor, the community school coordinator and their support specialist, a teacher, a community partner, and a parent of students who attend the studied school. The school principal, counselor, and community school coordinator were asked to help identify the teacher to be interviewed. School personnel were asked to identify the teacher based upon their knowledge and use of the community school supports. The parent was identified based on my previous years’ work with 18 the school. This parent uses the community support offered regularly to provide for their family. The parent is also a representative of the larger school community demographic. The community partner was selected based on the fact that the organization they represent provides a community support to the school on a monthly basis and the individual has been a part of the organization for many years. Each individual's questions are listed in appendices A-F. Interviews were conducted in-person and virtually, depending on the participants preference. All interviews were recorded with virtual platforms (Google Meets and Zoom). All interview recordings are stored on a password-protected laptop and password-protected cloud storage. Participants were sent a gift card to their choice of Starbucks (or an equivalent) or Fiiz. The parent participant was also provided with a $50 grocery gift card to the grocery store of their choice. Data Analysis Upon completion of the interviews, all participant’s responses were analyzed to look for any patterns about how the community school model has affected attendance within their school and how the model has impacted their work and life. The first step was to transcribe the data using a Google Recording printout and dictation. After printing out the transcript I used a three-step immersion process; first I simply read the transcript, second, I read it and begin to make initial notes of my thoughts and ideas, the third reading I began to reduce the data, removing data that did not help answer the research questions proposed. After taking initial notes and reducing the data I began to code all of the information. I was looking at the different respondents' answers and how they compared to each other in answering the research questions and any themes that emerged between respondents. 19 Then I began my interpretation of the data, what does all of this mean? Why does it mean this? My interpretations were made using multiple data sources, the original transcripts, my notes, the coded material, and other studies. All to answer the essential question - How does this information answer my research questions? Upon completion of gathering and analyzing data it was my privilege to put into words what all of the different sources expressed to answer the research questions: 1. How does the implementation of the community school model affect the attendance of elementary school students? 2. What do parents and educators value in community-based programs in regards to attendance? Through this process, I was able to convey the benefits and limitations of community schools to impact their communities directly from some of their key participants. With this information I hoped to be able to show funders and partners how valuable their investment is. Positionality Statement As a previous community school coordinator, the idea of community schools is near and dear to my heart. This project is an opportunity for me to show others their value. With that in mind, I needed to be aware of my own biases and feelings towards the positive. I needed to take into account that others may not have the same views as me but I needed to publish that data as well. I had to pay close attention to the sensitivity of my chosen demographic, specifically the family involved. Their comfort level was monitored and all participants were informed that participation and answering any questions is voluntary. Participants were also allowed to ask questions of the researcher. Participants were also asked if their answers and name could be 20 published. They were given the option of being identified by first name, pseudonym, or relationship to the school (principal, parent, teachers, etc.). In the end I chose to simply identify each interviewee by relationship to the school only. 21 DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS After interviewing the school principal, school counselor, the community school coordinator with the community school support specialist, a community partner, a parent, and a teacher, there were several different findings that were consistently shared concerning sense of belonging, community school, parent involvement, student attendance, and how COVID-19 has impacted all of these areas. These findings are detailed below. Attendance Everyone interviewed agreed that attendance is very important. Educators see it as the key to helping students learn and progress throughout their school careers. Students need to be at school so they don’t develop learning gaps (Morrissey, et al, 2014). The principal expressed that, while not all students will develop learning gaps, some students will even when they attend regularly. “Some students will learn no matter what but some struggle even when they are in school every day.” When those students miss even a little, catching up becomes insurmountable. The gaps may start out small but eventually, they grow into canyons. Parents see attendance as important for their children’s larger futures. The parent who was interviewed even described school attendance as the most important thing for her children. “Attendance for me is a good, good thing, the first thing. If is for you future, it’s for your study. So, you can find a good work, a good job.” Even in elementary school, it is important for students to attend regularly so that in the future they can get a good job and provide for themselves. While everyone agrees that attendance is necessary, that doesn’t mean it is easy to achieve. There are many things that create barriers to regular school attendance. These can be 22 barriers that affect the family, student, or both and they can be internally or externally oriented. Student anxiety was a larger internal barrier identified by several interviewees. When students do not know how to do the work or do not feel welcome, they are often not comfortable at school and do not want to go. The school principal shared that anxiety is a very real barrier to attendance. “Anxiety is a huge barrier. The fear of not being able to do the work. Not trusting yet in the adults for support. No friends, not knowing how to resolve conflict.” When families do not know how to navigate these anxieties with their students it can become easier to allow them to stay home. Unfortunately, this can create a vicious cycle where a student is uncomfortable because they don’t know what to do or feel accepted but they will become farther and farther behind and/or not develop relationships when they are not there. External barriers that affect the whole family can also impact attendance negatively. Things such as transportation, this can be not having a car at all or not having a working car. Some families are uncomfortable with the areas surrounding their neighborhood or the school and will not allow their children to walk, some lack the family support that so many families need to navigate aspects of life. Educators and parent interviewees alike expressed that work schedules are a large contributing factor for families as well. “Sometimes it’s harder for everyone, parents who are both working” (School Parent). One interviewee also expressed the concern that some students' basic needs aren’t being met, thus making it hard to focus on school attendance (Community Partner). These large barriers can be found in isolation or coinciding between multiple barriers in one family. Regular school attendance is such an important factor in student success that schools create whole teams to address how attendance is handled. In talking with the school staff they shared various tier 1 supports that were in place pre-pandemic to improve and maintain good 23 attendance (School Counselor). They offered quarterly incentives for all students in the school who achieved 95% or higher attendance during that quarter. They also display a 95% or higher attendance for the month bulletin board in the school common area. Along with their tier 1 supports, the school offered several supports for tier 2 and 3 level students to help support their attendance. The principal discussed a support called HERO club. HERO club stands for Here Everyday, Ready, and On time. Specific students in the school were identified to participate. These students were in older grades where the lack of regular attendance was something they could address with themselves. These students would stop every morning and check-in with the community school coordinator on their way into the school. They would sign the weekly log and, at the end of the week, if they had met their individually identified attendance goal, they would choose a prize. The prizes were specifically purchased for these students based on their likes. Sense of Belonging Sense of belonging is a key component of attendance. When students do not come to school they do not build a strong sense of belonging with their peers, teachers, and the school body. It is everyone, working together, in the school's job to build a sense of belonging for the students. This can be done in a variety of ways. Teachers are one of the first lines of defense when it comes to creating a welcoming environment at school. When teachers foster a welcoming community within their classroom students are more likely to feel wanted. The teacher interviewed discussed that in their classroom one of the things that builds sense of belonging is by creating a class family. “We are very protective of our class family. We are here for almost seven hours a day so we are a family. We watch out for each other. We respectfully agree, we respectfully disagree.” When a student 24 struggles, they support each other to accomplish the learning goal and they all celebrate when the struggle is overcome. This teacher discussed that they have very high expectations in their classroom, even to the point of being strict, but the students know the teacher and classmates are there to help each other. The school counselor knows the value of every person in the building when it comes to building a sense of belonging for all students. “Everybody at the school fosters a sense of belonging.” Greeting students at the door, in the hallway, when they enter a classroom or being present when school is excused at the end of the day are all ways to build connections with the student body. The community school coordinator believes that strongly that everyone has a role. They may not all provide the same type of support but everyone has a role. “It’s not just one person’s job, it takes everybody to provide the wraparound supports and creating the sense of belonging.” Currently, at the school, the community school coordinator is able to provide friend groups to increase a sense of belonging with students who have been identified as having a low sense of belonging. Creating these connections, hopefully, begins building relationships that encourage a student to come to school each day. Sense of belonging is important for the students who attend the school but also for their families. The families need to know they are welcome and the school desires to work with them. When they have the open communication that comes with a sense of belonging, they are more likely to work in partnership with the school when trouble arises. The community school support professional shared the importance of building these relationships. “When we built a relationship with the parents we could understand where they are coming from, we could understand what they needed. So, if there were barriers we could help. With a few parents when relationships 25 were built, they saw it as a partnership instead of getting in trouble; see that we really are on the same team to support their student to improve their attendance.” Parent Involvement A big part of building relationships with families is through communication. Every person in the school has communication responsibilities when it comes to the students. Building these relationships is how everything works together. Teachers spend time putting together newsletters to keep families informed about the happenings within the classroom and contacting families when students are absent to see how they can keep the students engaged. Administrators are known for contacting parents when there are troubles but that is not their sole point of contact with families. This school administrator also sends out quarterly school newsletters and school-wide updates as needed through the school's communication app, SeeSaw. They also connect with parents at events, talking to as many families as they can as they mingle throughout the event. They are responsible for creating a welcoming environment as the administrator. One of the key roles of the community school coordinator is to develop relationships with the parents. Building relationships with parents is the best way to create the trust often needed when supporting families with their basic needs. According to the community school coordinator, these relationships are best built through personal engagement, being outside during drop off and pick up is the best form. Being visible and approachable and willing to engage in conversation with families not centered on school struggles. These relationships help families who may not have a good relationship with a school feel connected and that they have a neutral contact at the school (Durham & Connelly, 2017). 26 Building relationships with parents takes time and intent. The community school support professional used various interactions with parents to begin to build relationships with them. “I built relationships through phone calls, texts, letters, and home visits. The best time is being present and visible before and after school, outside. Parents can approach you at their own comfort level. Even just a ‘hi’ built a positive relationship. It took a lot of time but that face to face was really the best way.” The administrator and counselor both experienced the success that this connection can create between a family and the school. Community School The wraparound services that the school provides can help students feel comfortable coming to school and also build relationships with parents. The community school coordinator can support both the school administration and parents in this way. For the school, the community school coordinator is a point of contact for the overall community school system. When an individual is able to take the lead in providing wraparound services it can alleviate the administrator and counselor's workloads so they can better focus on the rest of their jobs. This can look like organizing community partner visits, volunteers, family engagement events, providing basic needs support, supporting positive school culture, and more. This form of organization was described by the school principal as a system vs. individuals working in isolation. “Everything that we used to try to do on our own, administrator, counselor, even the secretary, provide additional support, wraparound services, this was stuff I had to figure out on my own, now can be housed in a department. We were still involved but we were building more of a system to address those needs.” The support of an dedicated community school coordinator and the newly built system is not just felt by school staff but by community partners as well. “A dedicated liaison in the 27 community school makes my job easier to support and bring my services into schools” (Community Partner). These wraparound services promote attendance for some families as well. The school’s community partner expressed the hope that providing food for families on a monthly basis would increase their abilities to persevere through challenging times. The parent expressed how even one or two cans of food can help their family a lot. “I remember you left cans outside right for me, that’s good. Maybe one can, two cans, help me a lot. They help me one can beans, one can tomato sauce, one can spaghetti sauce, hemp me.” The school administration hopes that the clothing support they are able to offer as a community school also helps families and the parent confirmed that they do. When the parent is able to get a winter coat and a new pair of shoes for their child from the school, they are able to spread their paycheck out to cover other essentials the family needs. COVID-19 School attendance has always been affected by illness but in the last couple of years, the reasons have grown. When schools were instructing families to keep their students home for any kind of ailment, it has made it hard for us to now remind families, “school is important.” As a society, we have been through so much with the pandemic that school attendance feels less important. The school’s attendance has taken a significant hit over the last couple of years with this year's data being dismal. The school principal shared how their attendance numbers have changed “In the past we would celebrate a 93% attendance day. Now, we are lucky to get to 79% for the week.” Covid has affected multiple things when it comes to attendance. During the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years, schools haven’t been able to incentivize attendance like they had 28 been able to in the past. In an area where attendance needs to be incentivized for a good chunk of the population, this has been detrimental. At the beginning of the 2019 school year, before school closures began, the school counselor had been working with the school district on a campaign to improve attendance that was really making a difference. “We just started quarterly incentives during 2019-2020 (at the school) and bringing awareness through district incentives. Last year we could only do the Best Attendance trophies monthly.” Not only is poor attendance affecting the student’s learning success, but it has also affected the wraparound supports that are offered. School staff has seen a decline in the support being offered in the community because community partners are just as taxed as the school right now. There is a significant need but not enough capital, both financial and human, to support the needs. The school principal shared how difficult the past couple of years have been trying to keep up the same level of support the school has accessed in the past. “We lost a lot of community support because they are just as overwhelmed as we are. Covid really squashed a lot of what was built as far as community supports.” Some of the direct supports that have been able to continue have been negatively impacted by student attendance. The community partner shared how their distribution numbers have changed. “Even now our numbers (for Bridging the Gap food distribution) are so much lower than pre-pandemic. We used to do between 600 and 700 in food distribution but this year…I haven’t been over 300 this whole year.” Hopefully, with the pandemic numbers waning, community partners will be able to provide more support again and the school will be able to encourage attendance more. 29 Implications Ogden School District has supported a high needs area for many years so there was not much shared that surprised anyone but the confirmation of all the findings helped to show the district is prioritizing the right actions. While the community school model has only been in place with the support of an outside organization for the past several years, the district has supported their families beyond education long before that. Even the schools within the district that are not officially labeled community schools provide wraparound support simply because their population needs it and the district is committed to making sure their students have every support available to succeed in their school careers. This thought was supported by the school principal “an example is our food distribution, there are a lot of schools who do a food pantry that aren’t community schools, but that is a big part of what we do. I don’t know if the majority of our families know we are doing those things (food, community partners at events) because we are a community school. This may be in part because Ogden has always provided more support than traditional schools because of the area that we work in.” While the community school model can be significantly affected by funding, through their responses of positive feedback of the community school model, all interviewees expressed the need for the model to continue. Each interviewee had a different reason for their support of the model, but all agreed it benefits the school and families. In returning to our research questions, 1. How does the implementation of the community school model affect the attendance of elementary school students? 2. What do parents and educators value in community-based programs in regards to attendance? 30 We find that, while there doesn’t seem to be a direct connection between improved attendance and the community school model, because the school district studied already requires intense attendance support, the addition of an extra individual dedicated to breaking down barriers and improving attendance is helpful for all stakeholders. The school counselor expressed how the Ogden School District values their students and families to provide these extra supports. “Everything is so interconnected; wraparound services, sense of belonging, and attendance. If one is missing it really affects attendance. Most people outside of Ogden don’t realize the importance. Ogden (School District) knows how sense of belonging affects attendance and prioritizes it.” For educators and community partners, the support of a full-time community school coordinator was the highest value. While the parent benefited from the support of the community school coordinator, it was not clear if they realized some support would not be possible without the community school model. The implications of the responses indicate that this school, in a high-needs area, benefits from the community school model to improve attendance, especially during this time when attendance has decreased significantly. The school community can benefit from having an individual in place that is supporting families with their students' attendance in multiple ways. 31 LIMITATIONS While this study provides a great starting point and identifies similar needs expressed by the educators interviewed, there is a lack of parent voice. The parent who was interviewed shared valuable information and was a great starting point. But, to look deeper into parent involvement and a strong sense of belonging to increase attendance, more parents need to be given the opportunity to share their thoughts. Taking into consideration more parents' thoughts when implementing attendance support will help develop a more trusting relationship between the school and the families it serves. It will also help schools to understand all of the various barriers that affect attendance for multiple families. This study should not be taken as a model for all schools. Every community is different and the things they value and need can vary. This study should be taken more as an idea of where to start when working with families to increase attendance. Interviewing educators and parents within each specific school is the best way to create positive change. 32 CONCLUSION Parents and educators alike want students to succeed. Some families require more support from their local schools than others. Schools working in these areas are aware of the needs of their communities and have often taken on the role of working to overcome these barriers. The studied school within the Ogden School District is working hard to support their families in the students' school attendance. This kind of support requires everyone in the school to play a part, from the principal to the staff assistants to the custodian. It takes everyone in the school to build trusting relationships with the families and create a welcoming environment for the students. Supporting families and students may look different in every school but the students' sense of belonging must be fostered throughout their school career. 33 References Beck, M., Malley, J. (1998). A pedagogy of belonging. Reclaiming Children and Youth, Vol. 7 No. 3, pp 133-137 Chronic Absenteeism in the Nation’s Schools. (2019). US Department of Education. https://ww2.ed.gov/datastory/chronicabsenteeism.html#three Douglas Willms, J. (2003). Student Engagement at School – A Sense of Belonging and Participation Results from PISA 2000. Organisations for Economic Co-Operation and Development. https://www.oecd.org/education/school/programmeforinternationalstudentassessmentpisa/33689437.pdf Durham, R. E., Connolly, F., & Baltimore Education Research Consortium (BERC). (2017). Strategies for student attendance and school climate in Baltimore's community schools Baltimore Education Research Consortium. Durham, R. E., Shiller, J., & Connolly, F. (2019). Student Attendance: A Persistent Challenge and Leading Indicator for Baltimore’s Community School Strategy. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR), 24(3), 218–243. https://doi.org/10.1080/10824669.2019.1615922 Goodenow, C., & Grady, K. (1993). The Relationship of School Belonging and Friends' Values to Academic Motivation among Urban Adolescent Students. The Journal of Experimental Education, 62(1), 60-71. Retrieved December 7, 2020, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20152398 Institute for Education Leadership. (2020). What is a Community School? Coalition for Community Schools - Because Every Child Deserves Every Chance. http://www.communityschools.org/aboutschools/what_is_a_community_school.aspx Lambert, N. M., Stillman, T. F., Hicks, J. A., Kamble, S., Baumeister, R. F., & Fincham, F. D. (2013). To Belong Is to Matter. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 39(11), 1418–1427. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167213499186 Leavy, P. (2017). Research Design: Quantitative, Qualitative, Mixed Methods, Arts-Based, and Community-Based Participatory Research Approaches (1st ed.). The Guilford Press. 34 Malone, H. J. (2008). Educating the whole child: Could community schools hold an answer. The Education Digest, 74(2), 6. Morrissey, T. W., Hutchison, L., & Winsler, A. (2014). Family income, school attendance, and academic achievement in elementary school. Developmental Psychology, 50(3), 741-753. doi:http://dx.doi.org.hal.weber.edu:2200.10.1037/a0033848 Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic Analysis: Striving to Meet the Trustworthiness Criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847 O’Keefe, P. (2013). A sense of belonging: Improving student retention. College Student Journal, 47(4), 605+. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A356906575/CSIC?u=ogde72764&sid=CSIC&xid=ea359ef4 Panorama Education | Supporting Student Success. (2022). Panorama Education. Retrieved February 13, 2022, from https://www.panoramaed.com/ Roche, M. K., Blank, M., Jacobson, R. (2017). Community schools - A whole child framework for school improvement. Institute for Education Leadership. Coalition for Community Schools. https://www.communityschools.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/20202/11/Community-Schools-A-Whole-Child-Approach-to-School-Improvent1.pdf Sense of Belonging | Cornell University Diversity and Inclusion. (2022). Diversity.Cornell.Edu. Retrieved February 6, 2022, from https://diversity.cornell.edu/belonging/sense-belonging#:%7E:text=Belonging%20is%20the%20feeling%20of,and%20their%20personal%20lives%20suffer. Sense of belonging. (2022). Imperial College London. Retrieved February 13, 2022, from https://www.imperial.ac.uk/education-research/evaluation/what-can-i-evaluate/sense-of-belonging/ Sheldon, S. B. (2007). Improving Student Attendance With School, Family, and Community Partnerships. The Journal of Educational Research, 100(5), 267–275. https://doi.org/10.3200/joer.100.5.267-275 United Way of Northern Utah : What We Do : Education : Community Schools. (2022). United Way of Northern Utah. https://uwnu.org/what-we-do/education/community-schools.html 35 Utah Title 1 Schools 2019–2020. (2020). https://www.schools.utah.gov/file/31b418a9-9a97-4208-89b8-4556c1d3de16 36 Appendix A School Principal Interview Questions 1. Please introduce yourself and what you do at the school. 2. How long has your school been considered a community school? 3. How has being a community school changed the functions of the school from being a traditional school? 4. Has implementing the community school model changed how your parents interact with the school? 5. How important is regular attendance for students? 6. What do you see as barriers for students to attend school? 7. Was your average daily attendance different after implementing the community school model? Has attendance been handled differently than before? If so, how? 8. How much funding is put into student attendance support? 9. Do you collaborate with other principals and community partners to provide continuous support for attendance and overall improvement of student outcomes? 10. How has the community school model affected the faculty? 37 Appendix B School Counselor Interview Questions 1. Please introduce yourself and what you do at the school. 2. What is sense of belonging and how does it affect students at school? 3. Does your school track student’s sense of belonging? What systems are in place for improving low sense of belonging among students? 4. Who in the school is responsible for achieving a strong sense of belonging? 5. How has being a part of a community school affected your job as a school counselor? 6. How important is regular attendance for students? 7. What do you see as barriers for students to attend school? 8. How has the pandemic affected school attendance improvement programs? 9. Do you have anything else you would like to share? 38 Appendix C Classroom Teacher Interview Questions 1. Please introduce yourself and what you do at the school. 2. How important is regular attendance for students? 3. What do you see as barriers for students to attend school? 4. Was your average daily attendance different after implementing the community school model? 5. Has attendance been handled differently than before? If so, how? 6. How has being a teacher in a community school affected your classroom? Have you always taught in a community school? If not, what difference do you see/feel? Did your pedagogy change? 7. Tell me about your classroom vibe. What strategies do you use to connect with your students? 8. How does the classroom atmosphere impact student’s attendance? 9. In what ways do you incorporate social emotional learning (SEL) into your classroom? Is your SEL solely from formal lessons? 10. Do you have anything else you would like to share? 39 Appendix D Community School Coordinator Interview Questions 1. Please introduce yourself and what you do at the school. 2. How important is regular attendance for students? 3. What do you see as barriers for students to attend school? 4. How do you, as a community school coordinator, impact attendance? 5. How has the pandemic affected school attendance improvement programs? 6. How does building relationships with student’s guardians affect their relationship with the school? 7. How are those relationships built? 8. Do you have anything else you would like to share? 40 Appendix E Parent Interview Questions 1. Please introduce yourself and tell me how you are connected to the school? 2. The community school model is a model that is not implemented in every school all of the time. It is a specifically designed program implemented in various schools across the country. Do you see a difference in this school than you have seen at other schools? 3. Do you participate in any of the programs at the school? 4. Have the programs offered by the school affected your students' attendance in any noticeable way, good or bad? 5. Is your student’s attendance important to you? Does support from the school help you as a parent? 6. What do you see as barriers for students to attend school? 7. Do you feel connected to the school? 8. Which supports do you feel help? Is there a specific support that has helped you? 9. Is there anything else you would like to share? 41 Appendix F Community Partner Interview Questions 1. Please introduce yourself and tell me how you are connected to the school? 2. What programs does Catholic Community Services offer in the community? 3. Do you connect with families solely through your Bridging the Gap distribution each month? 4. Students' regular school attendance is believed to be a major factor in student success. In what ways does your role impact student attendance? 5. The community school model is a model that is not implemented in every school all of the time. It is a specifically designed program implemented in various schools across the country. Do you see a difference in this school than you have seen at other schools? 6. How has the pandemic affected your involvement in the school? Do you feel that has negatively impacted student’s attendance? 7. Do you have anything else you would like to share?