SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio — To win in the classroom, you must show up.
That’s why the Shaker Heights School District is joining the network of schools partnering with the Cleveland Browns Foundation's Stay In The Game! Network to promote school attendance.
“The real push for the attendance here in Shaker Heights is really just to make sure that our kids are in the buildings, in the classroom (be)cause when students are not in the classroom, they're not learning,” says Keith Langford, who serves as the district's family community engagement supervisor.
Langford connects with students and families to enhance their school experience and encourage success.
“Research has shown us that when a student misses at least 18 days of school throughout the school year, it negatively impacts their academic performance,” Langford explains.
Launched in 2019, the Stay In The Game! Network prioritizes attendance by connecting partner schools “to resources aimed at tackling chronic absenteeism.”
Chronic absenteeism in Ohio is defined as “missing at least 10 percent of instructional time for any reason, excused or unexcused.”
According to the latest data from Ohio School Report Cards, 28.8% of the 4,439 students enrolled in the Shaker Heights School District during the 2022-2023 school year were chronically absent. A district spokesperson says the goal is to get that number down to 18.3% for the 2024 state report card.
Representatives from Stay In The Game! say the 17 districts that participated in the initiative last school year saw a 5.2% decrease in chronic absenteeism. They also report “seven of these 17 districts had more significant decreases in chronic absenteeism of 8.5 to 10.9%”
Cleveland Browns star Anthony Walker Jr. hosted an event at Shaker Heights Middle School in early September to encourage students to go to school every day.
“(It’s) just all about giving back to the students, helping them understand how important school is and ... that they show up every day is the first step to always becoming better,” said Walker.
The linebacker is the brand ambassador for the Stay In The Game! Network. Walker gave away bags full of school supplies to students at the middle school, taking care of the costs of the school supplies and an ice cream truck filled with treats for students.
“That really showed how much he cares about the students, and education, and the community,” Langford says. “He took time out of his day, money out of his pocket to provide our students with some school supplies … so it was amazing having Anthony Walker here.”
This is the first year Shaker Heights Schools has participated in the program. According to the Stay In The Game! Network, 42 districts are partnering with the Network in the 2023-2024 school year, which will impact more than 230,000 students. “By 2030, the Network strives to have 90% of all Ohio students attending school more than 90% of the time.”