JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan joined students at Andrew A. Robinson Elementary School Monday to celebrate their dedication to improving school attendance as part of the citywide “Show up to Shine” initiative.
“We know that if kids attend school regularly, they will be more successful and productive members of our city,” Deegan said. “That ultimately is the number one job I have.”
Duval County Public Schools, the mayor’s office, faith leaders, and local nonprofits launched the “Show up to Shine” initiative in August to tackle chronic absenteeism, which has doubled since the 2018-2019 school year. More than one-third of DCPS students were chronically absent last year, missing 20 or more days of school.
Deegan acknowledged the challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. “A lot of kids started staying home out of necessity and then just didn’t come back,” she said.
Incentives for showing up
“Show up to Shine” aims to improve attendance through awareness and rewards. Students at Robinson Elementary use attendance cards that get hole-punched daily for coming to school. Those who meet short-term attendance goals earn prizes.
Those who had perfect attendance for the past month were rewarded with a carnival-themed event Monday.
Another component of the initiative is pairing students with young people who serve as student success coaches through the nonprofit City Year Jacksonville.
Allishia Baum, executive director of City Year Jacksonville, explained the strategy behind the initiative’s milestones.
“We run these attendance initiatives in chunks,” Baum said. “It’s not about saying, ‘Come to school every day all year.’ It’s asking, ‘Can you show up for 20 days?’”
City Year Jacksonville also provides success coaches to help students stay motivated and meet their goals.
Early results show progress is slow
Despite these efforts, district-wide data shows the percentage of days absent over the first few months of school in 2024 has remained the same as it was last year at 9%. However, Robinson Elementary saw a slight improvement, with absenteeism dropping from 11% to 10%.
Deegan remains optimistic.
“By the end of the year, we’ll have a better sense of how well we’ve done. But we’ll need patience—COVID changed a lot for families,” she said. “It’ll take time to make regular attendance a habit again.”