May 21, 2012
By Dan Miller
New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg visited Queens to make a major announcement about a new initiative to cut down on chronic school absenteeism.
The Mayor selected PS 91 in Glendale to address the parents of more than a million New York City public school students with the new program that helps arm parents with new resources to improve their children’s school attendance. Some of the resources would include the public libraries help to keep their kids on track with their school studies.
The program, “Every Student Every Day,” is the largest effort in the nation to inform parents that student who routinely miss school are more likely to drop out.”
The half million dollar program hopes to help with lowering student absentee rates and fill classroom seats. Research shows that regular school attendance results in higher student achievement. The announcement was made at PS 91. The Richard Arkwright School located in Glendale, Queens where attendance is high and kids come to school with smiles on their faces. They must be doing something right.
At the Mayors side were New York City School Chancellor Dennis Walcott and Queens Library System Executive Director Tom Galante to support the program. AT&T and the Ad Council assisted the City to create the ad campaign.
Readers are invited to share ideas about how you think the New York City Department of Education can improve school attendance. The best ides will be shared with City Hall and New York City School Chancellor Dennis Walcott.
