Date

5-2026

Document Type

Capstone Project (Open Access)

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

Department

Health, Human Services and Public Policy

Major

Collaborative Health and Human Services

Abstract

Chronic absenteeism is a significant challenge for the Salinas City Elementary School District (SCESD). The SCESD has a high rate of chronic absenteeism on Mondays and Fridays especially surrounding a holiday or three day weekend. Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more of the school year regardless of whether the absences are excused or unexcused. Missing school at a young age can lead to poor academic outcomes while increasing dropout risk. To combat this, the SCESD created an Initiative called Power Day. Power Day is an effort where schools offer incentives to encourage students to arrive on time and attend school in order to improve student attendance on historically challenging days, such as three-day weekends and before breaks. This capstone project focuses on analyzing the “Power Day” initiative and evaluating the effectiveness. Information was gathered through interviews and attendance records. After the data was analyzed, a presentation was created to showcase that the strategies that involved structure and families were the most successful. Challenges from time demands to finance were reported. This formed the recommendations and was presented to District Admin, Admin, and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) Team members. The project was evaluated through a survey that was given after the presentation and the results showed that 92% agree that Power Day is effective, 100% agree that the information provided was useful, and 100% agree that the recommendations provided would be useful for the schools/district. The goal was to offer valuable insights to help schools increase student attendance.

Download

Share

COinS