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Actionable Information

Challenge 5

In the early years of school, good attendance increases the chance of passing from grade to grade. By high school, good attendance is essential to passing classes and earning enough credits to graduate in four years. Challenge 5 reduces chronic absenteeism by letting parents and students know that more than five absences each school year, beginning in kindergarten, increases the risk of dropping out, and decreases the chance of graduating from high school.

Strive for Less Than 5

Strive for Less Than Five

All students have unlimited potential to learn, achieve, and succeed in school.

The first step toward achieving that potential: attend school each and every day. Unless your child or teen is too sick to get out of bed, he or she should be in school.

Each year in Michigan, students have the opportunity to attend 180 days of school. Your child has a right to learn and attend school each of those days. Each day that your child does not attend school is a missed opportunity to learn.

If your child misses up to five days of school, she can probably make up what she misses. If your child misses nine days, he is in a danger zone. Students who miss 18 or more days are considered chronically absent, and it will be very difficult for them to graduate if this happens year after year.

Students have a right to learn in Michigan, and the first step toward realizing that right is making sure your child or teen attends school every day.

Important Insights

Chronic absenteeism is strongly correlated with low student achievement and failure to graduate from high school.

Standard school attendance data can mask patterns of chronic absenteeism.

Parents are a critical component in reducing chronic absenteeism and improving school attendance.

When chronic absenteeism decreases, student achievement increases.

Parents need clear, concrete, actionable information on expectations for school attendance. When they learn it’s important to strive for fewer than five absences each school year, they take action to improve their children’s attendance.

When parents understand the strong correlation between school attendance and graduation, they are naturally motivated to enforce good school attendance.

Challenge 5, a coordinated effort to reduce chronic absenteeism, includes five elements:

  • universal strategy, including quantification of attendance goal (fewer than five days absent)
  • robust data analysis
  • integration of attendance with principal performance evaluations
  • in-school competitions and incentives
  • disruptive communication strategy

In the year it implemented Challenge 5 (2014-15), Grand Rapids Public Schools reduced chronic absenteeism 25% (an 8 point drop from 33 to 25%).

In the second year of Challenge 5 (2015-16), Grand Rapids Public Schools reduced chronic absenteeism another 17% (a 4.25 point drop from 25 to 20.75%).

Disruptive Strategies
for Change Making

Want to Implement Challenge 5?

Due to popular demand, Believe 2 Become is making the Challenge 5 attendance campaign available nationwide for download. Click below to send an email, indicate Challenge 5 in the subject line.

Pre-order the
Challenge 5 Toolkit

Expert Resources

  • Strategic framework and disruptive strategies: Chaná Edmond-Verley, Believe 2 Become
  • Data analysis and reporting: Mel Atkins II, Grand Rapids Public Schools Office of Parent Engagement and Hedy Chang, Attendance Works
  • Integration of attendance with district performance metrics: Teresa Weatherall Neal, Grand Rapids Public Schools
  • In-school competitions and incentives: School principals, faculty and staff; Believe 2 Become parent engagement teams; Kent School Services Network in-school representatives
  • In-school and community-facing communication strategy: Creative Change Mission
Learn more
about Challenge 5