Excerpt from Dayton Daily News
By Jeremy P. Kelley, Staff Writer
Better attendance can make a difference in kids’ lives, Lolli said.
Dayton Public Schools launched a new campaign to boost student attendance after ranking among the bottom 10 school districts in Ohio in that category for each of the past three years.
“Attendance is so front-of-mind because it is such a major factor in whether or not a student achieves,” Superintendent Elizabeth Lolli said this week, pointing to statewide efforts to attack chronic absenteeism.
The good-attendance incentives include gas cards for parents, bike giveaways for kids, sports and movie tickets, plus parties for the classes that have the highest attendance. The district’s message to students and families is to “be present for a better future,” urging them to “strive for less than five” absences for the year.
The Path Forward project investigates solutions to the most pressing issues our community faces, including improving Dayton schools.
After several years ranking at or near the bottom of the state in report-card performance, DPS has begun another attempted turnaround.
