It’s a Family Affair: Fostering Belonging by Addressing Chronic Absenteeism Among Black Students

Kyle Brillante • Cahn Fellow 2022

The return to in-person learning saw a dramatic increase in chronic absenteeism rates across our district, city and state. This increase was not proportional by race. In fact, New York State saw a dramatic increase in chronic absenteeism rates for Black students. This project uses a disproportionality root cause analysis to reduce chronic absenteeism rates for Black students over two years at The Highbridge Green School, a school located in a high-poverty district in the Bronx. As a result of implementing research-based interventions, the school reduced chronic absenteeism rates among all students well below the district average, and reduced chronic absenteeism rates for Black students by ten percent. Thus, this project proposes possibilities for reconsidering what belonging and inclusion mean for our school and our Black students, and in so doing, offers possibilities for a new district attendance program that centers Black students and their families.