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Statewide School Attendance Network Launched
Initially reaching more than 80,000 Ohio students, the network will
help schools, districts and partners improve attendance and tackle
chronic absenteeism
The Cleveland Browns Foundation, Ohio Department of Education and
Proving Ground at Harvard University today launched the Get 2 School,
Stay in the Game! Network (Get 2 School Network), a statewide
initiative designed to promote the importance of school attendance and
put an end to chronic absenteeism.
“The equation is quite simple,” said Cleveland Browns Owner Dee Haslam.
“The more a student attends school, the more prepared they are for
future success beyond the classroom.”
The network’s goal is to increase student attendance, particularly
among specific groups of students, such as African American, Hispanic,
English learners, economically disadvantaged and students with
disabilities. The network believes that student success begins with
engaged learners who attend school each day.
This network is designed to connect its users to each other, state and
national experts, and high-quality, attendance-focused campaign
materials, strategies and evaluation tools. The network’s core is its
website, Get2School.org, which is available to all Ohio schools and
districts at no cost.
“To have a great educational experience, students need to be where the
learning is happening,” said Ohio’s Superintendent of Public
Instruction Paolo DeMaria. “Through this unique partnership, we are
collaborating to ensure that children are learning every day and are
excited about their futures. Thanks to the Cleveland Browns and Proving
Ground at Harvard University for working with our Department on this
impactful initiative.”
In addition, the network will support the unique attendance needs of
rural and remote school districts by helping them deploy, test and
evaluate the effectiveness of specific, attendance-related strategies.
Findings will be shared with the broader network.
“Growing the team of adults who are positive forces in the lives of our
students will give them a boost both personally and academically,” says
Superintendent Brian Petrie of Cardington-Lincoln Local Schools.
“Whether it’s a local adult who volunteers to help with homework or the
chance to earn attendance support through the Cleveland Browns
Foundation and the National Center for Rural Education Research
Networks, all of our students could use a few more heroes in their
lives.”
An identified set of school districts, known as action districts, will
receive additional supports and resources, affecting approximately
66,000 students. Through these resources, districts will be able to
launch comprehensive community campaigns to raise awareness regarding
the importance of school attendance, use data to target specific,
attendance-related intervention efforts for maximum impact, analyze and
evaluate the effectiveness of specific interventions, and refine
attendance-related solutions across these school districts. Over time,
all learnings from these improvement efforts will be shared broadly
across the network, benefiting all participating schools and districts.
“Proving Ground is committed to supporting and bringing districts
together to collaborate on their shared challenges, including chronic
absenteeism,” says Bi Vuong, director of Proving Ground, an initiative
of the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University. “We
are excited that our current district partners in Ohio can join the
Browns Foundation network to share what they’ve learned and broaden the
impact of their collective insights.”
In celebration of the network’s launch, approximately 500 students,
families, community members and dignitaries from across the state are
set to gather for an official kick-off pep rally at FirstEnergy
Stadium, prior to the 2019 Cleveland Browns Orange & Brown
Scrimmage. The event will feature a series of speakers, live
entertainment and activities, followed by a tailgate leading up to the
game. In addition, all admission proceeds from the scrimmage will
benefit the Get 2 School Network.
Cleveland Browns Owner Dee Haslam, State Superintendent Paolo DeMaria,
Proving Ground Director Bi Vuong and Michael Lehan, former cornerback
for the Cleveland Browns and principal at Osseo Senior High School in
Osseo, Minnesota, will be available for media questions and interviews
following the launch event at approximately 2:40 p.m. on Saturday, Aug.
3.
About the Get 2 School, Stay in the Game! Network’s Founding Partners:
Cleveland Browns Foundation
The power of community engagement and role models — The Cleveland
Browns Foundation prioritized student attendance in 2015 when it
developed a partnership with the Cleveland Metropolitan School
District, which at the time, faced a chronic absence rate of 35
percent. In an effort to remove attendance-related barriers, the
foundation also supported a local clothing program, providing students
facing economic hardship greater access to uniforms and basic clothing
packages. The campaign helped Cleveland Metropolitan Schools cut
chronic absenteeism to 30 percent in the 2017-2018 school year.
Ohio Department of Education
The power of connectivity and coherence — The Ohio Department of
Education is on a mission to prepare each child by ensuring equity and
supporting quality schools through partnerships that maximize strengths
to achieve collective impact. Taken together, equity, partnerships and
quality schools form the three core principles identified in Each
Child, Our Future—Ohio’s five-year strategic plan for education.
Proving Ground
The power of evidence and continuous improvement — Proving Ground, an
initiative of the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard
University, works with states and school districts to help identify and
test solutions to specific challenges, including chronic absenteeism.
The initiative supports continuous improvement through data analysis,
strategic advice, hands-on assistance and peer networking
opportunities. Proving Ground’s iterative improvement cycle includes
deeply understanding the challenge, identifying potential solutions,
testing those solutions, examining findings and determining next steps.
Proving Ground currently works with more than 20 school districts in
Ohio.
For more information, please visit Get2School.org.
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