When Tyra Smith-Bell took the helm of Pulaski Elementary-Middle School, more than three-quarters of the students were chronically absent.
So Smith-Bell set out to transform the school culture and get teachers, parents, and students invested in attendance: She created a spreadsheet for teachers to log absences and late arrivals, required them to call parents the same day a child missed school, and began checking attendance data every day.
She also looked for ways to address barriers keeping kids from coming to school — offering rideshares to those without transportation, stocking clean uniforms, and creating “Panther Bucks” incentives to get students motivated…