Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow: A Look at Student Attendance vs. Student Engagement

Jessica Geller • Cahn Fellow 2020

Historically, PS 166Q has had excellent student attendance, with daily rates superior to our District, Borough and City. The unique environment created by the COVID-19 Pandemic has forced us to re-evaluate our definition of attendance. In a pre-pandemic world, students were either in school or they were not. Attendance was cut and dry. Over the last calendar year, we experienced complete shut-downs, forcing the entire community into a remote world. When we began to look at attendance during this time, we realized that the issue was two-fold. We were giving daily credit to students who logged in, but never spoke or showed their faces on camera. We also gave credit to students who sent in assignments without attending class sessions. Follow us on our journey to help ensure that students are not only present, but are engaged.