Read the full article from The Oaklandside here.
“At West Oakland Middle School, the goal is a 96% attendance rate. That’s missing seven or fewer days in a year. The school’s current rate is 92%, which is up nearly 8 percentage points from two years ago — the biggest jump among OUSD middle schools during that time. The school has cut its chronic absenteeism rate by more than half, from 55% to 26%.
Key to that improvement, Neha Ummat, the school’s principal, said, was hiring staff dedicated to attendance and building relationships with students. The school brought on a community school manager in 2022, and the following year, an attendance specialist. They’re part of West Oakland Middle’s attendance team, which also includes the school counselor and community partners. At weekly meetings, they review overall attendance trends as well as individual student records.”