December 13, 2022 -- On December 8th, 98 buses carrying nearly 4,000 K-5 Columbus City Schools students arrived at The Ohio State University to watch the women's basketball team play. Students who maintained good attendance or climbed one attendance category were invited to attend the game between the Buckeyes and the New Hampshire Wildcats.

The event was part of CCS’ partnership with the Ohio State University Athletics, The Second and Seven Foundation and the ‘Stay in the Game! Keep Learning, Every Day’ Network. The initiative promotes quality education by using attendance data and family feedback to build a school-going culture and reduce common barriers to regular attendance.

Our partners believe student success starts with attendance and engaged learning,” said Director of Attendance Tyree Pollard. “Events like this one help build important skills such as readiness and consistent on-time attendance that are needed to be successful in any area of life.”

Students coming to school on time every day that they’re healthy and ready to go is crucial for achievement. Pollard says as little as eight days missed can drastically set a child back. 

“Our data shows that if a student misses as little as eight days of school in a year or is late enough every morning that the missed hours add up to 8 days of lost instruction, then the chances of that student passing the Third Grade Reading Guarantee or crossing the stage on time at graduation are cut in half,” Pollard explained. 

Pollard said engaging students with fun events like this one can encourage them to maintain great attendance, setting themselves up for success. 

“The incentive was a meaningful experience for the students,” he said. “We hope that it will motivate them to continue to come to school every day."