149 Middle and High Schools Join Get Schooled’s Seventh Annual Fall Attendance Challenge Reaching More than 100,000 Students
In last year’s Challenge, two-thirds of active schools increased their attendance, with average attendance increases of 5% meaning 1,000 more students came to school each day
NEW YORK, October 6, 2017 /3BL Media/ – In an effort to combat chronic abseentism and boost attendance, 149 middle and high schools around the country have joined the 2017 Get Schooled Fall Attendance Challenge. Launching today, the national competition uses Get Schooled’s award-winning gamification strategies to boost student engagement and school attendance. Most active schools can ‘unlock the box’ and earn a $500 grant. Top performing schools can earn a $3,000 grant and a custom-designed experience for their school.
In recent Challenges, up to two-thirds of schools active in the Challenge have boosted attendance during the contest period.
According to a 2012 study by Johns Hopkins, 7.5 million students in the United States miss a month or more of school, putting them at risk for potentially dropping out of high school. A recent study from Utah found that a student who was chronically absent in any year between eighth and 12th grade was 7.4 times more likely to drop out than students with better attendance.
“Fall is a particularly good time to focus on attendance,” said Hedy Chang, director of Attendance Works, a national nonprofit dedicated to improving school attendance. “Research shows that students who miss two to four days in the first month of school are more likely to become chronically absent during the school year. By paying attention to absences early in the school year and early in a child’s academic career, we can turn around attendance and achievement.”
In a survey of Get Schooled community members asking why students miss school and how to reduce absences, students said that the most effective way to encourage them to come to school was:
- Earn rewards for coming to school (61%)
- Win an experience (59%)
- Better understand the consequence of missing school (57%)
- Improve connection between attending school and reaching their career goals (52%)
“Educators recognize we need to bring new energy and excitement to motivate students to get to school and focus on their education,” said Marie Groark, Executive Director of Get Schooled. “We are thrilled to have so many schools participate in our challenge.”
Named a “Fast Company – Most Innovative Company earlier this year, Get Schooled has applied gaming elements across its digital platform, including competition, point scoring and rules. The strategy has enabled Get Schooled to reach millions of young people and drive improvement of student outcomes in schools and communities in need of the greatest boost.
The Challenge launches October 2 and runs through December 15. To see a full list of schools participating, including current leaders go to www.getschooled.com.
ABOUT GET SCHOOLED
Get Schooled is a non-profit organization that directly engages and motivates students to graduate from high school and succeed in college. Get Schooled offers low income students a range of supports including college advisor text help and digital content. Get Schooled has developed a track record of success because it engages with young Americans using the media, technology, and popular culture that is an integral part of their lives. Get Schooled’s work is boosted by partners like Viacom, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. For more information visit www.getschooled.com.
About Viacom
Viacom is home to premier global media brands that create compelling television programs, motion pictures, short-form content, apps, games, consumer products, social media experiences, and other entertainment content for audiences in more than 180 countries. Viacom's media networks, including Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, Spike, BET, CMT, TV Land, Nick at Nite, Nick Jr., Logo, Nicktoons, TeenNick, Channel 5 (UK), Telefe (Argentina) and Paramount Channel, reach over 3.9 billion cumulative television subscribers worldwide. Paramount Pictures is a major global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment.
For more information about Viacom and its businesses, visit www.viacom.com. Keep up with Viacom news by following Viacom's blog at blog.viacom.com and Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/viacom.
