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In 2000, Tempe (Arizona) Elementary School District employees walked through Tempe neighborhoods, placing 50,000 door hangers to remind families the new school year started the following week. From teachers to governing board members, secretaries to mechanics, the entire school district reached out to the community through its Start Smart program.
According to Superintendent and WestEd Board member John Baracy, many of the district's students had not attended school on opening day in previous years. Many thought school started later. Others had not yet completed their summer vacations. Some arrived from Mexico and other countries after the school year started. Baracy compares arriving at school days or weeks late to walking into a movie a half-hour late with no knowledge of the plot. This was contributing to low academic performance. Something needed to be done to boost student test scores. Enter Start Smart.
Since 2000, the results of the annual summer walks have been overwhelmingly positive. This school year, the district had its lowest absence rate in five years. And better attendance is helping increase student achievement; standardized test scores are rising.
Excerpt adapted from Baracy, J. (2003, August 24). Tempe's Turn: Elementary school system graduated from a pariah to a paragon for East Valley districts. East Valley/Scottsdale Tribune, pp. F1, F4.
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