Communication and connectedness will be the guiding lights as superintendents and their teams work to improve school climate in 2024, says one group of K12 experts. District Administration has been asking vendors and solutions providers to share their education forecasts for the coming year, and the thought leaders at SchoolStatus weighed in on several aspects of school climate, including attendance, family engagement and student well-being.
“In 2024, schools will focus on partnering with families to support the whole student,” says Kara Stern, head of education solutions at SchoolStatus. “Communication between schools and K12 families will shift from focusing heavily on grades and test scores to providing more consistent, well-rounded updates on a student’s overall well-being.”
Here are the concepts Stern and her colleagues say school leaders will embrace as they look to strengthen school climate:
1. School-home communication will focus on more than just students’ grades and test scores: “This could include emotional health, progress in soft skills development and feedback on social interactions. This change is driven by the need for a comprehensive understanding of student well-being in a post-pandemic world, acknowledgment of the impact of isolation and stress on a student, as well as the growing demand for holistic education. To accomplish this, schools will integrate regular communication channels, conduct educational sessions, incorporate more in-depth assessments of overall student well-being, and build collaborative support systems involving counselors, teachers, parents, and community resources.
“This collaborative effort acknowledges that a student’s success is multifaceted and requires a comprehensive supportive ecosystem involving both educators and families to create an environment where students can thrive academically, emotionally and socially.” —Kara Stern
2. Meaningful, tailored communication will be imperative to supporting academic recovery and addressing chronic absenteeism: “Developing more meaningful school-home relationships and partnering with families to support better student outcomes will be imperative. Currently, more than 25% of K-12 students are chronically absent and most students have ground to make up in math and reading. Research shows that the average student would need more than four additional months of instruction to catch up to pre-COVID reading levels.
“At the same time, there’s a gap between how parents and caregivers think their children are doing and the reality. Many families aren’t aware if their child is behind academically, or may not understand how absenteeism is impacting their child’s progress. We will see more districts leveraging real-time data so families can understand more than just what their child’s grades are. Communications with student-level data tied to outcomes feel relevant and actionable to families.
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“School-home communications will focus on driving meaningful results, promoting student success and engaging all families. Meaningful connections with families encourage engagement that supports better student outcomes.”—Russ Davis, founder and CEO
3. Greater emphasis on how well-being, school environments and connectedness impact attendance and academic progress: “As schools work to get students back in the classroom, they will need to place a greater emphasis on overall student well-being and making sure students feel welcome and included in the school community. Educational institutions realize that students’ mental well-being is a crucial factor in determining their overall success and academic performance and that school connectedness is key to consistent attendance.
“Districts will implement comprehensive, targeted programs aimed at providing accessible resources like counseling services, peer support groups and mental health education integrated into the curriculum. Through a wider understanding of mental health and the thorough implementation of technological tools and resources, schools can address the needs of the whole student. By implementing communication systems and programs ensuring every student is connected to a caring adult in the building, schools will foster a culture of showing up.”—Kara Stern
4. Data will better support students and their unique needs: “Data can tell a story about our students and can be extremely useful for educators when making critical decisions. Throughout the pandemic, when our educators had little face time with students, they had to rely on student data to capture their understanding of materials and assess their overall progress and well-being. When schools returned to in-person learning and students were back in classrooms, we saw teachers utilize student data to assess their students’ knowledge.
“Now, teachers continue to use data to track student recovery, in addition to their supplemental learning needs, high-dose tutoring needs, SEL and much more. We have learned that data reveals much more than whether a student passes a class or submits an assignment. Data can be used to understand the complexities of each student—from their social-emotional state and comprehension of specific subjects to their involvement in extracurricular activities.”—Joy Smithson, data scientist.
5. Schools will use two-way communication to understand absences: “We will see more personalized attendance interventions and increased school-home communication. Educators will engage families through proactive communication about the importance of attendance—before students become chronically absent.
“We will also see more educators reaching out to families to enhance connections and build partnerships. When families feel supported they are more likely to collaborate and work together with the district to better understand and address the root causes of student absences. With this information, personalized interventions will be designed to address specific challenges that students may face in maintaining regular attendance.
“Collaboration between families and schools will play a crucial role in addressing the unique needs of each student, considering factors such as health, transportation and socioeconomic conditions.”—Grace Spencer, vice president, marketing & product development.
6. Proactive family communication and data will grow in addressing chronic absenteeism: “A recent California study of 320,000 students across 29 districts found that close to a third of public school students in the sample were chronically absent during the 2022–2023 school year. Collectively that equates to nearly 19 million hours of valuable missed learning time.
“In 2024, schools will prioritize proactive communication with parents and guardians about the importance of attendance. As districts shift the focus to communicating before students miss school, families will receive consistent, positive communication from districts about the importance of attendance—rather than waiting until punitive measures are needed.
“Districts will use positive messaging to educate families and encourage attendance before students become chronically absent, which is proven to increase attendance. Technology will prove to be invaluable in this type of communication. Districts will utilize predictive analytics not only to identify absenteeism trends but also to test and refine intervention strategies.
“This data-driven approach will enable continuous improvement in attendance initiatives. These strategies are meant to set students up for success. Moreover, educators will pivot away from punitive measures when addressing absenteeism, opting instead for a holistic communication approach involving the entire family to support the overall well-being of the student.”—Grace Spencer
