6 Comments

  1. mlopez100

    Alaa, it was interesting to read that the absentee issue in schools is not only one found in the United States. The strategies you presented will hopefully decrease absenteeism at struggling schools. Like you mentioned, it is important to have the family support, but a bonus to have community support. Often times, students do not understand the importance of an education because it is not stressed at home. Exposing them to the benefits of having an education is crucial as well. I think you plan is a solid one that can make a difference if implemented.

  2. cbriseno4

    Alaa, I thought your paper was very interesting! I think you touched base on some efficient strategies. Making sure that the families support the students is crucial because they are the ones who really control whether the student attends school or not. I think you presented a well written action plan. Making sure that the students have a positive comfortable environment is something that is crucial because you want them to feel comfortable in their own environment. Before doing this though, it is essential that you let the parents know how important attendance is so that they can inform their children as well. I think that this plan will make a difference in a school’s attendance. Great job!

  3. jphillips17

    Alaa,

    This is such a good topic to address because you can’t teach students who aren’t present. I liked how you examined the problem from multiple prospectives. The school is just an extension of the community that encompasses it. I like the 2nd strategy because it tries to remove the obstacles facing students and attending school. This is a great way to involve the community. I mean these students are our future, don’t we want to make sure they are educated?

  4. sfernandez

    It is interesting to learn and read about that absenteeism is an issue in Saudi Arabia as it may be an issue in other countries other than the U.S. Your first strategy to engage the family and community is important, and further, schools should want parental involvement. Also, your third strategy of implementing socio-emotional learning (SEL) is critical especially for students to learn socio-emotional skills that they would need in everyday life. This is an interesting research topic and attendance is a vital issue in education today.

  5. mwillis2

    Alaa, I agree that your PLC strategy of recruiting older students to help freshmen acculturate to high school is a very good idea. This sound much like mentoring, except by students rather than teachers. This would be less threatening and more likely to make the freshman more relaxed and feeling like coming back the next day.
    And removing obstacles to attendance as you suggest only makes sense. That, for too many people, is thinking “out of the box” when it actually should be the normal course of events. I also like the PLC timeline for implementation with the periodic reviews basically every month. I note that one of your commonly found strategies is to engage the students’ families. This is getting back to basics. Games and obstacle removing may be effective in some circumstances but, like in trying to educate the student by engaging the emotions, getting to any possible emotional or otherwise personal must be done.

  6. ataramona

    Alaa,
    The first strategy that you pointed out is a universal strategy that should be implemented in all types of schools, no matter where they are located. Like you said, by creating a standard of family and community involvement, it creates an ownership of the school and more pride regarding the education that the students receive. The second strategy that you mentioned regarding ridding of any obstacle is another huge factor, especially in low SES communities; by going above and beyond for the student and the family shows that the school cares. The third strategy you introduce is the implementation of SEL. I have never heard of SEL and found it very interesting and think it should take precedent in the schooling system. I think that your implementation of these strategies for schooling in Saudi Arabia is well written. It brings up more personalized plans/solutions for families that are struggling with similar obstacles. It was a great read. Well done, Alaa!

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