This Saturday will mark the fourth annual American Graduate Dayon PBS. You can tune into to WNED Television from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. This live broadcast, from Lincoln Center in New York City, will focus on those working to keep students on the path to graduation. WBFO's Focus on Education reporter Eileen Buckley looks at how two local districts are working to help students receive a diploma.
One of the biggest obstacles preventing students from graduation is attendance. Some districts are doing better than others when it comes to absenteeism.
"Our attendance rates -- the 92 to 93-percent range -- which is very good," said Dennis Kane, Superintendent, Cheektowaga Central School District.
Superintendent Kane said poverty, single parent homes and other emotional and social needs are similar to what city children are experiencing.
"As our poverty levels increased our eligibility for various types of federal programs have increased to, like, for example we have a school climate transformation grant from the federal government which incorporates, behavior, positive behavior K-through 12," said Kane.
In the Buffalo Public School District absenteeism numbers are very high. David Mauricio is Chief of Strategic Alignment for Buffalo Schools. He tells WBFO News the dialog must be changed for students and families that attendance counts every day.
"It's going to be a team effort for us to improve these abysmal rates of attendance," noted Mauricio.
But Mauricio said they're trying to work through barriers preventing students from showing up for class.
"And we are going to take a look at our district. We have something in our current policy that's not something we legally enact, which is the 28 day rule, which everybody speaks about, but what we are speaking of is what are the positive things we can do to recognize students who do what we ask them to do -- come to school everyday, on time," said Mauricio.
The Buffalo District is using technology -- partnering with Say Yes Buffalo -- to create a graduation progress system (GPS). This GPS style-system would provide parents a visual display of how far student is from reaching graduation. The district is also working to improve its credit recovering system, an on-line format for students to retake courses they have failed and for principals, teachers and staffers improvements are being made for a graduation indicator screen.
