Low Academic Performance and Absenteeism in New York City Elementary Public Schools:

A Prevention Program

INTRODUCTION:

Many students in New York City do not attend school at-least 95% of the school year. This is a policy that is mandated by the New York City Board of Education. With Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Klein looking at ways to help students achieve higher test sc ores they are offering financial incentives to families for up to $500 per child. The schools need your help. What can be done to prevent absenteeism in New York City elementary public schools? We know that many times students are sick from asthma and cannot attend school. That is not the absenteeism we are talking about here. We will focus on students who just do not go to school, not because they are sick, but because they do not understand the importance of daily attendance.

TASK

You and a team of fellow citizen-students are presented with the task of educating the rest of our student body on how to prevent low academic performance by not being absent from school. In the following WebQuest, you will use the power of teamwork and the problem-solving process outlined in the Public Policy Analyst (PPA) to create an Absenteeism Prevention campaign to share with our school. Your team will become experts on prevention strategies for your team's Absenteeism Prevention plan and then you will present your plan to the whole class by sharing with them the brochure you have created.

PROCESS

Your team must create a campaign to prevent absenteeism in our school. You will first be assigned to a group where you will have a specific role. Using the links provided as well as other resources (library, etc) you will become experts on this topic. You and your team will work together to create an action plan that presents your team's absenteeism prevention strategy. Your action plan will first be presented to your class and then in the form of a brochure which can be reproduced and distributed to the student body

Roles:

Your teacher will select people to fill each of the following roles:

§ Group Leader- Will organize the group and coordinate the group’s effort. The leader also assists all other members in completing their tasks

§ Recorder and Secretary- Writes the results of researchers in a format that can be presented. The Recorder keeps all research materials for the group’s use

§ Researchers- You will look at the websites and present the data for the groups as a whole to analyze

§ Brochure Creator/Graphic Artist: You will be responsible for the final brochure. Working closely with your teammates you will design the brochure to teach other students so they can learn how important it is for them to come to school and how this will help them do better academically in school.

§ Presenter- The Presenter will describe the group’s findings to the class as a whole. The Presenter may also work with the whole group in developing a format for the presentation and brochure.

Once you have been assigned your roles you will follow the steps below:

Step 1. You will work with your team to thoroughly research the effects of absenteeism on academic performance. .

First you must explore the resources provided in the RESOURCE below.

Step 2.  By completing the PPA process below, you will formulate news recommendations for best policy solutions.

Steps of the PPA:

To do this webquest you must follow the following steps:

¨ Identify the  problem.

¨ Gather evidence that this is indeed a problem.

¨ Identify the causes of this problem

¨ Evaluate the existing policy by ours schools and others that deal with this problem

¨ Develop possible solutions that the classroom may adopt

¨ What, in your opinion, would be the best solution for the classroom to adopt?  Your decision must take into account effectiveness and feasibility.

Assess the costs and benefits of this solution.

RESEARCH

http://www.hawaii.edu/wccc/pact/esap.htm

http://www.itsasnap.org/snap/about.asp

http://www.itsasnap.org/snap/student.asp

http://www.edfunders.org/downloads/GFENewsletters/GFE_News_Sum07_Chang.pdf

http://www.digitalr.com/pdf/what-works.pdf

EVALUATION

CATEGORY	Excellent	Good	Fair	Poor	Score
Attractiveness & Organization	The brochure has exceptionally attractive formatting and well-organized information.	The brochure has attractive formatting and well-organized information.	The brochure has well-organized information.	The brochure's formatting and organization of material are confusing to the reader.
Content - Accuracy	All facts in the brochure are accurate.	99-90% of the facts in the brochure are accurate.	89-80% of the facts in the brochure are accurate.	Fewer than 80% of the facts in the brochure are accurate.
Sources	Careful and accurate records are kept to document the source of 95-100% of the facts and graphics in the brochure.	Careful and accurate records are kept to document the source of 94-85% of the facts and graphics in the brochure.	Careful and accurate records are kept to document the source of 84-75% of the facts and graphics in the brochure.	Sources are not documented accurately or are not kept on many facts and graphics.
Writing - Organization	Each section in the brochure has a clear beginning, middle, and end.	Almost all sections of the brochure have a clear beginning, middle and end.	Most sections of the brochure have a clear beginning, middle and end.	Less than half of the sections of the brochure have a clear beginning, middle and end.
Writing - Grammar	There are no grammatical mistakes in the brochure.	There are no grammatical mistakes in the brochure after feedback from an adult.	There are 1-2 grammatical mistakes in the brochure even after feedback from an adult.	There are several grammatical mistakes in the brochure even after feedback from an adult.
Spelling & Proofreading	No spelling errors remain after one person other than the typist reads and corrects the brochure.	No more than 1 spelling error remains after one person other than the typist reads and corrects the brochure.	No more than 3 spelling errors remain after one person other than the typist reads and corrects the brochure.	Several spelling errors in the brochure.
Knowledge Gained	All students in the group can accurately answer all questions related to facts in the brochure and to technical processes used to create the brochure.	All students in the group can accurately answer most questions related to facts in the brochure and to technical processes used to create the brochure.	Most students in the group can accurately answer most questions related to facts in the brochure and to technical processes used to create the brochure.	Several students in the group appear to have little knowledge about the facts or technical processes used in the brochure.
Group Work	The group cooperated and worked well together. Everyone knew their role and carried out their assignment.	Group cooperation was satisfactory. The group was able achieve their tasks most of the time.	The group was able to complete its tasks with assistance. Not everyone cooperated or was involved in the process	The group porcess had major flaws. Not everyone was involved in the process; work was done by a few members. Or the group failed to produce a joint product.
	Total Score:

Excellent =A Good=B Fair=C Poor=F

CONCLUSION

By completing this WebQuest, you should achieve the following goals: 1) develop an interest in the study of Absenteeism Prevention; 2) use the power of the Internet for advanced exploration; 3) learn information about key aspects of absenteeism and Absenteeism Prevention; 4) realize that complex topics can be looked at from various perspectives; 5) formulate and support an opinion based on your roles; and 6) work with teammates to determine a combined action plan by using the steps of the Public Policy Analyst.

STANDARDS

English Language Arts Standards

E1c Reads and comprehends information materials.

E2a Produce a report of information.

E3b Participate in group meetings.

E6a Critique public documents with an eye to strategies common in public discourse.

E6b Produce public documents.

E7a Critique functional documents with an eye to strategies common to effective functional documents.

E7b Produce functional documents appropriate to audience and purpose.

Problem Solving

a

Design a Product, Service, or System: Identify needs that could be met by new products, services, or systems and create solutions for meeting them.

b

Improve a System: Develop an understanding of the way systems of people, machines, and processes work;
troubleshoot problems in their operation and devise strategies for improving their effectiveness.

Communication Tools and Techniques

a	Prepare a formal written proposal or report to an organization beyond the school.
c	Develop a multi-media presentation.

Information Tools and Techniques

a	Gather information to assist in completing project work.
b	Use on-line sources to exchange information for specific purposes.
c	Use word-processing software to produce a multi-page document.

Social Studies Standards

•Students will be able to take, defend, and evaluate positions about attitudes that facilitate thoughtful and effective participation in public affairs

Students will evaluate, take, and defend positions on what the fundamental values and principles of American political life are and their importance to the maintenance of constitutional democracy (Adapted from The National Standards for Civics and Government, 1994)