Michigan Department of Education Sings Praises About CIS Programs

Programs Improve Attendance and Decrease Barriers to Student Success

Michigan Board of Education members heard a presentation on Michigan student attendance data on Oct. 8, 2024, from Dr. Delsa Chapman, Deputy Superintendent in the Michigan Department of Education’s Division of Assessment, School Improvement, and Systems Support and Tom Howell, Director of the Center for Educational Performance and Information. They highlighted the programs Communities In Schools (CIS) of Michigan has implemented to help students improve their attendance rates.

Students cannot succeed academically if they are not present in school. Chronic absenteeism, unmet basic needs, mental health challenges, and family instability directly impact educational attainment and future economic opportunity.

“I appreciate the hard work that local school communities—educators, support staff, parents, and our students themselves—are doing to get more students to attend school regularly,” said Former State Superintendent Dr. Michael F. Rice. “It’s tough to recover from a once-a-century pandemic. That’s why actions such as the Communities In Schools ‘Being Present Matters’ public service campaign are so important. We all need to wrap our arms around children and remove barriers to school attendance. We need to improve attendance to improve student outcomes.”

CIS launched “Being Present Matters” during the 2024-25 School Year to highlight the nationwide epidemic of chronic absenteeism and the solutions the organization offers to reduce it. The campaign’s public service announcement features a six-foot-tall paper attendance roll, imprinted with 15 million names—one name to represent every chronically absent student in the U.S.

“Being present is more than showing up – it’s about creating meaningful connections that empower students to succeed,” said Mallory DePrekel, CEO of CIS of Michigan, one of three affiliates in the state working on the project along with Communities In Schools Kalamazoo and Communities In Schools of Northwest Michigan. “Across our state, we’re making a lasting impact on attendance, behavior, and academic achievement, helping students stay on track to graduate and thrive. We’re addressing the root causes of chronic absenteeism in the schools in which we serve and ensuring that all children have the support that they need.”

Research shows there are many reasons that limit students from regularly attending school, including transportation issues, childcare needs for siblings, housing insecurity, and a lack of in-school mental health and anti-bullying supports. CIS connects children with mentors because caring adults and community resources help students overcome barriers to attendance and other challenges that stand between them and a brighter future.

Battle Creek Public Schools is an example of a district that has improved student attendance. Four schools increased attendance rates by 4 percentage points or more over the last three years. Battle Creek Central High School improved its attendance rate from 75.8% in 2021-22 to 82.2% last school year. Verona Elementary School improved from 82.2% to 87.8%, Springfield Middle School from 81.6% to 86.8%, and LaMora Park Elementary from 82.2% to 86.6%.

Districtwide, 10 out of 12 schools improved their average daily attendance rate.

Battle Creek established truancy teams that include CIS student support coordinators (SSCs), resulting in faster interventions, earlier parent contact, and attendance improvement plans. Other efforts have included addressing access to basic needs, offering incentives for good attendance, making phone calls, conducting home visits, and hosting school-wide events such as ice cream socials and pizza parties to motivate students to attend school.

Through a district-wide partnership with the Battle Creek nonprofit RISE Corp., students who have dropped out or are truant are re-engaged by providing flexible pathways to graduation. Last year, CIS student support coordinators identified and connected students to RISE’s transportation assistance to and from school. The CIS Reading Buddies Program has led to more confident readers and students who are more likely to go to school, thanks to the positive relationships built with community volunteers.

Another success story comes from Madison District Public Schools in Oakland County. Haïette Merchi-Magueramane, a dedicated SSC from CIS, worked last school year to find handicapped-accessible transportation for O’Laya Rodgers, a student recovering from cancer in a school of choice district. Seeing Rodgers’ ambition to graduate and her desire to return to in-person learning after missing most of her junior year due to illness, Merchi-Magueramane collaborated with a team of advocates to secure a safe, reliable way to get the student to and from school daily.

Rodgers engaged in and excelled in several activities, became a peer mentor and won the Melissa Butler Student of the Year Award. She graduated last June and now attends Oakland Community College with an eye on becoming a pediatric nurse.