EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING AND ABSENTEEISM EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING

EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING AND ABSENTEEISM

EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING AND ABSENTEEISM What we have done so far: First of all, we have collected as much data as we can about the factors that lead to absenteeism and early school leaving at 8 different type of schools. The necessary data has been collected from 218 parents, 215 students, 118 teachers, 24 school management unit and guidance service staff.

EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING AND ABSENTEEISM �We aimed to choose schools all over our city. ( 2 from city centre, 3 from town centre and 3 village schools were choosen) �The results of the survey applied to 575 people (Primary/secondary/Anatolian High School, Vocational High School and Science high school types ) were analyzed by the project team members in details.

EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING AND ABSENTEEISM �The data gained through this prestudy is shared with all of the stakeholders. That are teachers, administators, guidance services, students and their parents.

EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING AND ABSENTEEISM �Solutions and strategies are determined through meetings and brain storming activities. � Every School adapted these solutions and strategies to their schools and prepared their Preventing Absenteeism Action Plans and Directives. �Then, they have started their studies according to these action plans and directives.

EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING AND ABSENTEEISM �After evaluating the results with the stakeholders at the end of the mid-term and at the end of the educational year, we aim to apply this study first in Edirne for a pilot scheme then all over our country.

As a result of the surveys and other studies we have done so far, the stakeholders indicate the following problems and the actions to be done in a definite time.

Problem 1 : Almost one fourth of the families mention that they are not informed about the preventive measures of early school leaving; �Strategic Aim 1. Informing parents about early school leaving in order to increase sensitivity level of the parents �Strategic Objective 1. Decreasing early school leaving to the minumum level

Actions To Be Done: �Informative meetings with parents about the issue �Informative broadcasting via school website. �Informative broadcasting via national and local press to ensure sensitivity to the issue of early school leaving. �Home visits to parents �Informing parents via SMS �Informing parents via Official Letters �Forming Whats-up group (Secondary School) �Early school leaving and preventive measures must be included in to school meeting agenda. (Secondary School)

Problem 2 : Most of the parents visit school only when they are called to come. (218: 154) �Strategic Aims 2. Informing parents about early school leaving in order to increase sensitivity level of the parents �Strategic Objective 2. Decreasing early school leaving to the minumum level

Actions To Be Done: � 2. 1 Informative meetings with parents about the issue. � 2. 2 Informative broadcasting via school website. � 2. 3 Informative broadcasting via national and local press to ensure sensitivity to the issue of early school leaving. � 2. 4 Home visits to parents � 2. 5 Broadcasting Strategic Action Plan for decreasing absenteeism and early school leaving on the school website

Actions To Be Done � 2. 6 Getting help from professionals by inviting them to school –family sessions (For the parents who can not participate to the sessions, it is useful to send speech letters to them) (Secondary School) � 2. 7 In order to develop interaction among families some activiries should be applied such as volleyball tournament, breakfast meetings, music audition, reading sessions at the library. (Secondary School)

Problem 3 : Fathers spend less time with their children than mothers. �Strategic Aim 3. The aim is to increase sensitivity of fathers to spend more quality time with their children. �Strategic Objective 3. The objective is to make fathers spend more quality time with their children

Actions To Be Done: � 3. 1 Informing fathers about the importance of spending quality time with their children and holding meetings with fathers � 3. 2 Organizing projects and activities that can be carried out by fathers and their children. (football match, going to cinema etc. � 3. 3 Broadcasting via school website.

Actions To Be Done � 3. 4 Taking part in local press and media � 3. 5 Home visits Also Vocational High School states the action; �Holding prize competitions with the interaction of students and their fathers- We are overcoming obstacles with my father.

Problem 4 : �All of the Anatolian School Students believe that Educational Action Plan does not include co- existence. (45)”

Actions To Be Done: � 4. 1 İncluding co existence to the plan made by stakeholders. � 4. 2 Taking students opinions during the preparation of the strategic action plan � 4. 3 Sharing opinions with stakeholders

�Problem 5: School management and guidance teachers do not define and indicate the working principles and co existence plans

�Strategic aims 5. To increase sensitivity of the school managements and guidence teachers about the importance of absenteeism and co existence �Strategic Objective 5. To decrease early school leaving and absebteeism to the minumum level

Actions To Be Done: � 5. 1 To define and indicate working principles and make detailed co existence plans � 5. 2 Informative broadcasting via school website � 5. 3 Broadcasting articals via local pres and media, � 5. 4 Organising conferences and panels to mention the importance of co exisitence

Problem 6 There is no systematic teacher education about preventing absenteeism, mediation and co existence

Strategic Aim 6 � To ensure that school managents and teacher (especially guidance teachers) get necessary education on absenteeism, mediation and co existence �Strategic Objective 6. By ensuring that school managents and teacher (especially guidance teachers) get necessary education on absenteeism, mediation and co existence. , minimize the level of early school leaving and absenteeism

Actions To Be Done: � 6. 1 Holding informative meetings with teachers and sharing opinions with them � 6. 2 Informative broadcasting via school website � 6. 3 Training school staff about the issue � 6. 4 Preparing posters to indicate the importance of the issue

Problem 7 Neglected students by parents who have little educational expectations and hopes from their children.

Strategic Aim 7. To ensure feeling realistic hopes for the students by increasing family bond Strategic Objective 7. By increasing family bond and making familes and schools have realistic hopes for the students to minimize absenteism and early school leaving

Actions To Be Done: � 7. 1 To increase family attention via holding meetings with parents and school management- guidance service � 7. 2 Stating expectations from students and sharing with them � 7. 3 Informative broadcasting via school website � 7. 4 Getting the students together with the successful gradutes who can be good role models. � 7. 5 Sharing printed materials with parents about the importance of school eduaction � 7. 6 - Signing an engagement with parents about dealing with students and doing their responsiblities for their student and for the school

Kırkpınar Ağası Alper Yazoğlu Secondary School also indicates that Problem 3. One fourth of the absenteeism type at primary, secondary, and vocational high school is late attending the class.

Strategical aim 3 İncreasing sensitivity of parents to the issue of family based late attending to school Strategical objective 3 The strategical objective is to to decrease family based late attending school, by specifying the reasons of it

Actions To Be Done: � 3. 1 Holding informative meetings to raise interaction � 3. 2 Informative broadcasting via school website � 3. 3 Home Visits

Problem 4. More than half of the parents carry their children’s school bags to the school �Strategical aim 4. Families should be informed and guided about when and how they can help their children �Strategical objective 4. Students should gain enough competence to do thiet personal duities on their own

Actions To Be Done: � 4. 1 Holding informative meetings to raise interaction � 4. 2 Organising activities with students � 4. 3 Joint activities with parents � 4. 4 Informative broadcasting via school web site � 4. 5 Home Visits

Problem 5: Most of the Vocational High School students face all of the sanction types. �Strategic Aim 5. Making students understand the importance of co existence norms �Strategic Objective 5. To minimize the saction types that students have to face.

Actions To Be Done � 5. 1 School management and teachers should develop joint attitude towards co existence rules. � 5. 2 Behaviours that causes sanctions should be clarified clearly. � 5. 3 Preventive measure against false behaviours. � 5. 4 The study plans that include student based teaching strategies should be prepared

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