CMS school quickly improves after principal addresses teacher absenteeism

CHARLOTTE — After a Charlotte principal set a goal of addressing chronic absenteeism among her teachers, the school’s ranking moved up in the state report card.

Post-pandemic, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools had to crack down on students chronically not showing up to school. Chronic absenteeism is considered missing 10% or more of the school year.

But Channel 9′s Jonathan Lowe learned it hasn’t just been a problem among students. For three years, Druid Hills Academy in north Charlotte was an F school merely meeting academic growth from year to year.

But there’s been a turnaround at the school and it’s happened fast.

On Wednesday, CMS shared state report report card data for the district. Officials spotlighted Druid Hills Academy as they detailed state data on student achievement and school performance last school year.

“We went from an F to a D. We exceeded growth,” said Druid Hills Principal Beth Marshall.

Marshall, who has experience in improving schools, was handpicked last year to help turn Druid Hills around.

“Initially, I was just looking at student absenteeism, trying to decide where was the F coming from,” she said.

She realized she was faced with more than just chronic absenteeism among students.

“Collectively, over a hundred staff absences in one quarter,” she said. “So, I said the same thing — wow.”

Marshall was able to cut that in half by the start of the second quarter.

“I made some pretty firm statements, that your attendance matters, but I meant it genuinely,” she said. “Teachers have to be here to teach.”

Then, it was all about turning the culture around.

“Celebrating those that were here, incentivizing,” she said. “We did a lot of gift card giveaways and shoutouts in my Marshall Memo.”

Parent Audrey Craig told Lowe she saw an improvement in her child.

“Her reading scores improved, her confidence level, coming to school,” she said.

She said the culture shift has resonated campus-wide.

“Most of the teachers are actually here after school, before school,” she said. “You see them outside helping now. This is pretty much the culture that she is creating within Druid Hills.”

Principal Marshall said they reduced student chronic absenteeism by 15%.

Lowe reached out to CMS seeking information about chronic absenteeism among staff across the district. He learned human resources does not have teacher absence data.

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