New Kensington-Arnold program improves attendance by 17%

Josiah Primus had a quick and simple answer when asked why it’s important to have excellent attendance.

“You’ll do good in school,” said the 10-year-old, who is wrapping up fourth grade at Roy A. Hunt Elementary School.

Josiah was one of 135 students from Hunt and H.D. Berkey schools in the New Kensington-Arnold School District who got perfect attendance over the past nine weeks.

They were rewarded with a mini-golf outing at a course set up by Steel City Mobile Mini Golf in the Hunt gymnasium.

“It definitely helped encourage kids to get perfect attendance,” said Stephanie Gardlock, school counselor.

Two years ago, she said, New Kensington-Arnold partnered with Pittsburgh Area Community Schools for an attendance specialist at district buildings.

The Richard King Mellon Foundation paid for the specialist, said Jessica Sanchez, a family engagement specialist with Pittsburgh Area Community Schools.

New Kensington-Arnold’s specialist, Danielle Williams, works with school officials to identify students at risk of being truant and offers to connect the family with resources to improve the student’s attendance at school.

That can include family engagement events, providing resources or even home visits, Sanchez said. There are many factors why a child may be truant, including circumstances in their home lives, transportation, or their mental health, she said.

“We discuss the consistency of school,” Gardlock said. “It will impact their grades, it will impact their routines, it will help them in life.”

Said Sanchez: “There’s resources available in the community. When you connect people with them, it helps bridge the area of need.”

The collaboration is bearing fruit. Attendance went from 59% on average in the 2021-22 school year to 76.4% in the 2022-23 year, the first year the attendance specialist was implemented.

“They’ve made big improvements across the whole district since they’ve been working with us,” said Roy A. Hunt Principal Jeff Thimons. “We’re expecting these numbers to jump similarly this year.”

Students who have improved their attendance recognize and see the benefits to their grades, Gardlock said. She also noted that some of the students had never played mini-golf before.

Williams thinks rewards like mini-golf help boost attendance.

“It gives them something to look forward to,” she said.