Bristol Twp. Middle School Program Dramatically Cuts Student Absences

A new attendance program at Neil A. Armstrong Middle School has resulted in 640 fewer student absences this year and reclaimed thousands of hours of classroom instruction time.

Brad Pawlikowski, the school’s dean of students and student success advocate, reported the findings to the Bristol Township School Board last month.

The administrator noted that during the same 84-day period compared to the previous year, the program yielded 4,320 additional hours of direct instruction.

“When I was first hired into this role at the beginning of the school year, I was given one simple directive: fix attendance,” Pawlikowski said. “And that’s exactly what we set out to do.”

The strategy targets chronic absenteeism, which is defined as missing more than 10 percent of school days.

Research indicates that by sixth grade, chronic absence serves as a primary indicator for high school dropout risks. By ninth grade, attendance records become a more accurate predictor of graduation than eighth-grade test scores.

To fight the trends of absenteeism, Armstrong staff have focused on identifying “invisible barriers,” including transportation issues, health challenges, or social difficulties.

The school has implemented 79 individualized student attendance improvement plans and conducted hundreds of phone calls and emails to families this year, Pawlikowski reported.

“Every active communication with our students and their family is an opportunity to build a bridge,” Pawlikowski said. “A bridge that connects them with a resource that was missing, helps them solve a problem, or helps remove an invisible barrier that previously stood in the way of their success.”

Beyond administrative outreach, the school has added student recognition into its daily culture to boost engagement.

Each morning on the Armstrong News Network, the daily announcements, staff spin a wheel to select 10 students from a pool of those with perfect attendance from the previous month.

Winners receive prize packages featuring meals from local businesses and 3D-printed bag tags designed by Armstrong seventh graders.

“Student recognition is another key component of our solution,” Pawlikowski said, adding that the daily broadcasts help maintain student engagement.

The program runs on the mindset that frequent absences by middle schoolers are often symptoms of underlying issues, like bullying or personal hardships, rather than just truancy.

By moving away from a one-size-fits-all model, Pawlikowski said the school is addressing attendance as more than a “numbers game.”

“Improved family engagement coupled with student recognition have led us to some astonishing results,” Pawlikowski said. “I’m inspired to work with such an awesome, dedicated team of professionals who genuinely care about the success of every student.”