EDUCATION
Vision Before 2030 , Polk County will have a world-class , fully integrated education system that supports the needs of a vibrant , progressive community .
ATTENDANCE LEAD TEAM
During the 2015 - 2016 school year , 3,334 students were absent 21 or more days in grades Kindergarten - 5th Grade . One in 10 Polk County kindergarten students missed at minimum 10 % of the school year - approximately 157 hours of instruction time in the classroom .
Identified as a key need by the Polk County School District ’ s Strategic Plan , the Attendance Team is committed to promoting awareness of the importance of school attendance within the school district and the community . Attendance plays a critical role in achieving academic success and can impact student achievement as early as pre-K .
Attending school regularly is essential to students gaining the academic and social skills they need to succeed . Reducing absenteeism is a simple , cost-effective , but often overlooked strategy for improving academic performance . Starting as early as preschool and kindergarten , chronic absence can leave third graders unable to read proficiently , sixth graders struggling with coursework and high school students off track for graduation . Chronic absence is especially problematic among students living in poverty who are most likely to have poor attendance over multiple years and least likely to have the resources to make up for the lost time in the classroom . i
Susan Copeland , MBA , Polk Education Foundation
Pam Craven , Ph . D ., Learning Resource Center of Polk County
Marcia Ford , Polk County Public Schools
Kenneth Franklin , Early Learning Coalition of Polk County
Matti Friedt , Polk County Public Schools
Sandy Hightower , Community Volunteer
Brenda Johnson , Community Volunteer
Gabrielle Knight , Lakeland Regional Health
Janet Lamoureux , Polk County Council PTA
Patty Linder , Polk State College
Jodi Miller , United Way of Central Florida
Hazel Sellers , Polk County School Board
Carol Sherron , Huntington Learning Center
Peggy Smith , Polk County Public Schools
Neal Steiger , Lakeland North Rotary Club
Shandale Terrell , Polk County Public Schools
Peggy Threlkel , Girls Inc . Winter Haven
Nat West , Community Volunteer
Beverly Woolery , Polk State College i
Adapted from Attendance Works www . attendanceworks . org
“ The Team chose a critical component of academic success of students in Polk County to review and study . We know that when students improve their attendance at school , there are correlated , positive outcomes - concepts and skills are more readily learned , classroom grades improve , and chances of graduating increase .”
– Pamela Craven , Ph . D ., Learning Resource Center of Polk County
13