Attendance

In 2015, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District launched a community-wide campaign to change attitudes about attendance.

The schools were improving under The Cleveland Plan, a customized blueprint for education reform in the city, but the District, like others across the country, suffered from chronic absenteeism.

Students can’t learn if they are not in class.

District data supported the case: Students who missed more than 10 days in a year – just one day per month – scored an average of 12 points lower on state reading tests and 15 points lower on math tests. They were 9 percent less likely to meet Ohio’s Third Grade Reading Guarantee and earn promotion to fourth grade. High school students were 34 percent less likely to graduate.

The “Get 2 School. You Can Make It!” campaign drove home the message with billboards and yard signs. Community partners, led by the Cleveland Browns Foundation, showed their support.