TVLSE, Okla. – On Feb. 7 Tulsa Public Schools launched the Attend to Win! initiative. The new program will address chronic absenteeism in Tulsa. The broad-based effort was organized between TPS Superintendent Dr. Ebony Johnson and Tulsa City Mayor G.T. Bynum to address the chronic absenteeism crisis in Tulsa. Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing more than 10% of instructional/school days annually, and has only increased on a national scale since the global Covid-19 Pandemic.
According to a statement released by TPS, “Right now, about 40% of Tulsa Public Schools’ students are chronically absent, which outpaces the national average of 30%.”
According to Bynum, chronic absenteeism is an issue that requires collaboration. Identifying and bringing attention to the issue is half the battle.
“Absenteeism is a critical issue we must address together as a community. I commend Dr. Johnson and Tulsa Public Schools for working to address a challenge that can lead to better outcomes for our youth,” Bynum said. “The City of Tulsa stands with TPS as we work collectively to raise awareness and remove barriers in this effort to help reduce chronic absenteeism in Tulsa.”
Currently TPS serves over 3,000 Native American students and families. Of those 3,000 students, roughly 985 are Mvskoke. Chronic absenteeism affects Native Americans disproportionately compared to other racial ethnicities. This contributes to lower on-time high school graduation rates. Native American on-time high school graduation rates are lower than the national average. Absenteeism can put students at greater risk of lower academic performance, and dropping out of school.
Historically, chronic absenteeism joins a long list of education issues Native American students have faced. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries many Native Americans students were forced to attend government and missionary-ran boarding schools where they experienced violence, abuse and trauma. While not all Native American students shared the same traumatic boarding school experience, many were forced to attend and were stripped of their cultural and spiritual practices in the process per American assimilation policy. Federal policy has now changed in order to accommodate the unique needs of Native American students. However the consequences of earlier education policies that have led to intergenerational trauma still persist.
The Attend to Win! initiative has an open web forum for TPS families struggling with absenteeism. Filling out the online forum will allow school officials to understand the obstacles families struggle with, as well as provide them with ideas on how to solve absenteeism issues.
To learn more information on Native American absenteeism statistics and resources to support prevention, view the The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s guide here.
