Awards don’t boost attendance, teachers do. It’s common to see awards being handed out to reward students for good attendance, but a 2019 study found that these awards can backfire spectacularly, giving students a “licence to miss more school” and actually driving absentee rates up.
Students are more likely to attend school when their teachers notice absences and make efforts to reach out to them and their families, according to a 2017 report from Attendance Works. And a 2019 study found that highly engaging teachers can decrease absences by 49 percent, making it clear that a teacher’s impact extends well beyond test scores and grades.
I certainly concur with these findings. I have noticed that students who feel that their teacher cares about them don’t want to miss school. It’s all about relationships! I remember two teachers who made me feel like I was important and that I modelled after as a teacher, one in elementary and one in high school.
