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Detroit Schools Use Financial Incentives to Boost Attendance
In a bid to increase student presence in classrooms, the Detroit Public Schools Community District has introduced an innovative program offering $200 gift cards as a reward for perfect attendance. This initiative appears to be showing early signs of success.
Superintendent Nikolai Vitti shared at a recent school board meeting that the district has seen an increase of 1,800 students achieving perfect attendance since returning from winter break, compared to the previous year.
The program allows students to earn a $200 gift card for every two weeks of perfect attendance, with the potential to accumulate up to $1,000 by March.
Though it is still early to judge the program’s full impact, Vitti is optimistic, stating, “But right now, the incentive is working.” He attributes the increased attendance rates to the new incentive program.
This attendance incentive is part of a broader strategy to address chronic absenteeism, which affected 66% of the district’s students during the 2023-24 school year. Another component of this strategy includes revised guidelines that could result in students repeating grades or taking additional classes if they miss too many school days.
Michigan defines chronic absenteeism as missing 18 or more days in a standard 180-day school year. While research on the effectiveness of incentives is varied, some experts express concern that such programs may overlook the significant challenges many students face outside of school, often linked to poverty.
This is the second financial incentive program launched this year, following an initiative that rewards students up to $2,000 for attending literacy tutoring sessions.
A parent, Melissa Redman, praised the program for motivating her son, a senior, by stating it has provided him with the “willpower to get up and go to school because he wants to earn the money for the attendance program.”
“The paid incentive is very popular and a long time coming,” Vitti remarked, noting the potential for similar strategies for summer school attendance. He expressed personal excitement about finally implementing such incentives.
The financial cost of the program remains uncertain, but Vitti explained that interest generated from funds allocated for future facility projects is being used to finance the incentives. “As we wait to complete projects, that money is in the bank. It creates interest. It gives us a lot of flexibility.”
Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at [email protected].
Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.
