Stepping Into New Shoes

Ms. Valarie (left) and one of her students show off the new shoes.

Sometimes, small changes can have a huge impact on students’ willingness to come to school. In the case of two chronically absent students at Stratford Lower, a couple pairs of new shoes were the starting point that completely turned around their attendance records.

“Imagine spending an entire day in shoes that pinch or rub your feet,” said Ms. Valarie, the CISTN program manager at Stratford Lower. “For these two students, this discomfort played a role in their chronic absenteeism and significantly affected their concentration and behavior at school.”

After talking with the students, Ms. Valarie learned that they sometimes refused to come to school because they didn’t have shoes that fit. She was able to help the two students get new shoes that could accommodate their growing feet, and that marked a turning point for their attendance.

Once the students were outfitted with new shoes, the school staff saw a difference in their demeanor and behavior. The students began coming to class more often, and according to their teachers, both of their grades improved significantly. “Basically, the cascading issue of not having shoes was behind the irregular attendance, which also impeded their learning ability,” Ms. Valarie said.

The simple act of giving the students new shoes also helped Ms. Valarie build relationships with both of their parents. She was able to talk with each family and then build a personalized attendance plan for each student based on those discussions.

Now, Ms. Valarie checks in weekly with the parents to discuss how the attendance plan is going and if there are any other barriers to learning that she can help address. Thanks to the attendance plans—and the new shoes—both students have continued to come to class regularly!

A Stratford Lower student tries on a new pair of shoes.