New research highlights how harmony and belonging can help reduce chronic absenteeism
LAS VEGAS, Oct. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Clark County School District (CCSD) in Las Vegas has achieved substantial progress in reducing chronic absenteeism, marking an estimated 9% reduction from the 2022-23 to the 2023-24 academic year, with a comprehensive strategy deploying a range of tactics. The district leveraged research-based classroom curriculum, an innovative new educator certificate program, and family engagement strategies from its academic partner, Harmony Academy at National University.
CCSD, one of the first school districts in the United States to adopt the Harmony curriculum when it integrated the program in 2016, uses the teachings to create and cultivate healthy learning environments and relationships so that every student feels connected and valued in the classroom and beyond. This foundation improves academic performance, boosts overall well-being, and directly addresses issues like bullying, absenteeism, and mental health challenges, which have a profound impact on student success.
CCSD educators have shown enormous interest in the program—particularly in the benefits of professional development certificate programs designed to help them engage students more deeply and reduce absenteeism rates.
"Our goal is to ensure every student has the support and relationships needed to thrive academically and socially," said Denise Diaz, executive director, engagement unit, Clark County School District. "We're taking a whole-community approach. As a district, we couldn't just keep doing the same thing and hope to see improvements. We had to try more and engage more deeply—and we're seeing real results for our students and families."
Dr. Nick Yoder, associate vice president of whole human education & research at Harmony Academy at National University and co-author of the newly released white paper, Fostering Harmony and Belonging as a Solution to Chronic Absenteeism, said, "Here's what we know from the science of learning and development, from research on social and emotional learning, and from human development broadly: kids need a sense of belonging—to feel connected, engaged, included, and that their voices are heard—in order to really succeed. The social, emotional, and academic components of learning are inextricably linked."
CCSD is implementing three stand-out approaches to ensure that students are surrounded by support. First, the district is using the Harmony Curriculum in classrooms. Research says that students are more likely to come to school when they are engaged in learning that is meaningful. By integrating Harmony into classrooms, CCSD is creating opportunities to build relationships and connections, as well as foster student interest and engagement.
Secondly, this year CCSD is further enhancing the capacity of its educators and leaders by offering, at no cost to the educators, the Harmony Educator Certificate and Leader Certificate programs. These certification courses focus on promoting positive relationships and fostering a sense of belonging within schools—with the end goal of ensuring students attend school regularly. The first round of certificate programs will run between August 2024 and May 2025.
And third, CCSD has implemented initiatives to engage families, including home visits and investment in 12 family engagement centers. The centers are offered at no cost to families across the district, with services offered in both English and Spanish.
"Harmony at Home changed the way we do things in family engagement centers, which spreads to students, families and communities. It's been monumental," Diaz said.
The success of CCSD's efforts reflects the value of multiple strategies available to schools. These research and evidence-informed solutions address the root causes of chronic absenteeism.
"Belonging can't be left to chance," said Dr. Douglas Fisher, white paper co-author and professor of educational leadership at San Diego State University "Educators and school leaders must be intentional about how we help students feel connected to their teachers and their peers. That's how we get them to show up—and that's what the CCSD and Harmony Academy partnership brings."
The paper, "Fostering Harmony and Belonging as a Solution to Chronic Absenteeism," was co-authored by Dr. Yoder, Dr. Fisher, Diaz, and Dr. Mark D. Milliron, president & CEO of National University. It addresses rising rates of chronic absenteeism among K-12 students, which has doubled nationally since the 2018-2019 school year. Chronic absenteeism, defined as missing more than 10% of the school year, negatively impacts academic, social and emotional development.
Bullying (which affects more than 20% of students annually) and negative classroom climates can deter students from attending school. Additionally, students who face repeated academic failure or experience anxiety related to school tasks are more likely to miss school. A strong sense of belonging, however, is a powerful factor in improving attendance, with research showing its positive impact on learning and engagement.
"There is a lot that schools can do to address chronic absenteeism and improve belonging for their students and educators," Fisher said. "We explore those strategies and concrete solutions that CCSD and Harmony Academy bring with them in this paper"
Harmony is hosting a free webinar for school district leaders on October 28, during which the authors will discuss the paper's findings and CCSD as a case study of success. Access the white paper and webinar information here.
Educators, school leaders and families can access free resources from Harmony Academy by visiting harmony-academy.org.
About Harmony Academy
For more than a decade, Harmony Academy has been a leader in social and emotional learning. We offer dynamic solutions for teachers, families, and communities that are research-backed and grounded in rigorous evaluation. Today, Harmony is transforming the lives of more than 22 million students in 57,000 schools and organizations across 50 states and 88 countries.
About National University
National University, a veteran-founded nonprofit, has been dedicated to meeting the needs of nontraditional, working, and military students by providing accessible, affordable higher education opportunities since 1971. As San Diego's largest private nonprofit university, NU offers 190 online and on-campus programs, including bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs in cybersecurity, with flexible four-week and eight-week classes and one-to-one graduate education models designed to help students reach their goals while balancing busy lives. Since its founding, the NU community has grown to 130,000 learners served per year—50,000 degree-seeking students and 80,000 workforce and professional development students—and 240,000 alumni around the globe, many of whom serve in helping industries such as business, education, health care, cybersecurity, and law and criminal justice. Additionally, NU is recognized as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education by the National Security Agency. To learn more about National University's new possibilities in education including next-generation education, value-rich education, and whole human education, visit NU.edu.
Media Contact
Ashleigh Webb, National University, 760-889-3494, [email protected], https://www.nu.edu/
Ana Cobian, Ward Circle Strategies, 323-360-1827, [email protected]
SOURCE National University
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