Week #3 Article #1
Cesar, Maria Louisa (2013, September 15) Attendance campaign to target parents. San Antonio Express News
Category of problem: Education
Level of problem: Local
This article concerns: The importance of school attendance for children.
Importance/affect on families/individuals: This is important to families because a child’s school attendance plays a big role in their academic success. The attendance of these children lies in the hands of their parents. Once these parents are educated on their children’s need for attendance, these children are going to be set up for academic success and eventually a high school diploma.
My input:
I think that this campaign is very important to the community of San Antonio. Attendance, especially in Pre-K and Kindergarten, is sometimes viewed as optional or not a big deal. The fact of the matter is that attendance is key to academic success. I am really happy that San Antonio saw the issue and targeted the source- the parents. Yes, sometimes children get sick and need to stay home from school, but in a lot of cases, it is just a matter of the child twisting the parents arm into agreeing that they can miss school. At higher levels, like in high school, there are also instances of skipping school, which can sometimes lead to eventually dropping out of school. The San Antonio campaign is also making a point to reach out to its Spanish speaking community. This is really great, because the demographics of the area require some Spanish communication. This is a great campaign to enhance academic achievement in these schools and communities. By doing this and successfully improving school attendance, San Antonio is making a very smart investment in it's future and the future of these children.