At the same time, McIntyre is overhauling instruction and has extended the school day to help students catch up academically.
“It’s so important they are here every day,’’ she said. “We start the day off with breakfast for every child, and we even have a to-go breakfast for students who arrive late so they don’t miss any learning.’’
A frustration among many Boston high school principals is that too many students arrive as freshman ill prepared. Bledsoe said half of the incoming freshmen last year at Charlestown High had failed their core courses in eighth grade, but were socially promoted to high school. Their weak academic preparation, she said, makes it difficult for them to succeed.
In response, Bledsoe has created a special academy for ninth-graders to give them more individualized attention. She also has created academies for 11th- and 12th-graders that focus on preparing them for college or a career, and she has partnered with the nonprofit Diploma Plus program to work with the most severely lagging students.
Sung-Joon Pai, director of Diploma Plus, believes that if schools remain vigilant about attendance, students will change their habits.
“It is very difficult to unpack all the different factors that cause students to be tardy or absent,’’ Pai said. “Our hope is that if we can get all our students at least communicating with us daily, we can get them into school daily.’’
