DENVER — Could the Denver Broncos convince your child to go school every day?
Though it isn’t Bo Nix walking kids into their classrooms, the Denver Broncos Foundation is partnering with Colorado Department of Education and nonprofit Attendance Now to try and cut down on the state chronic absenteeism rate to half of it’s 2021 rate.
The Denver Broncos attendance Network connects 53 schools across 13 districts with online learnings and regular in-person meetings for attendance officials, so they can share successful strategies.
“The Denver Broncos attendance network has been in the works for about two years now,” said Liz Jeralds, the Director of Community Impact for the Denver Broncos. “We are constantly keeping up to date on what the biggest issues facing young people in Colorado are. Our mission is to help young people ages 5 to 24 create a game plan for life.”
Many of the participating districts say they already have comprehensive attendance protocols and procedures in place. This network will help them amplify and add to their existing efforts.
“Since the pandemic, we've seen a rise in our chronic absenteeism and a drop in our average daily attendance rate, so for the better part of the last few years we've really made a concerted effort in improving those rates,” said Wondame Davis, the Director of Behavior Systems of Support for Aurora Public Schools.
He says six Aurora Public Schools were invited to join the Broncos Attendance Network by the Colorado Commissioner of Education. Agreeing to join, he says, was an easy choice.
“In a state like Colorado where we value our sports, particularly our Denver Broncos professional team, it puts that name behind it and that backing behind it,” Davis said. “We know first and foremost that [attendance] is a team effort, and [there’s] no better model for a team than our own Denver Broncos football team.”
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Jeralds says educator in the program will have access to Denver Broncos branded resources like attendance reminders and school banners, but the program will look different in different schools.
“We’ll have opportunities for surprise and delights: to bring cheerleaders, Miles, current and former players into the schools to really celebrate the efforts,” she said. “It is such a commendable effort that these schools have joined the attendance network.”
Six schools from Denver Public Schools also joined the network. Attendance Systems Manager Dr. Cori Canty says she’s looking forward to seeing what works in other schools.
“We’re at a time right now in Denver Public schools where we find it very, very valuable,” she said. “We need to start opening our doors more to be able to learn from the experts in other parts of the country and in other parts of the state so that we can continue to improve.”
The idea is similar to the Cleveland Browns’ Stay in the Game! Attendance Network in Ohio where districts across the state have reported successful drops in chronic absenteeism.
Painesville City Schools reduced their chronic absenteeism rate by almost 15% since 2022 while East Cleveland City Schools dropped their rate by 10% last year.
“We were really familiar with the work being done in Ohio,” Jeralds said. “We were able to learn from our peers at the Browns about the work that they were doing and then figure out what that could look like for the Denver Broncos and our local community here.”
Though it may look similar to that network, in Colorado, schools are still building their playbooks. District leaders say they’re hopeful that they keep driving towards that 50% drop goalie even after the two year program ends.
See the 13 districts involved:
- Aurora Public Schools
- Denver Public Schools
- East Otero R-1School District
- Harrison School District 2
- Julesburg School District
- Las Animas RE-1 School District
- Mapleton School District
- Moffat School District 2
- Montezuma-Cortez School District
- Northeast BOCES
- Pueblo School District 60
- Rocky Ford R-2 School District
- Santa Fe Trail BOCES
- Swink 33 School District
- Yuma School District
