MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) -
More than 30,000 Twin Cities kids are back to school.
You'd think everybody knows you have to show-up to succeed academically, but they don't. More than 41 percent of Minneapolis students miss more than eight days every year.
It may not sound like a lot, but teachers will tell you those missed days are huge and can really impact students' education and lives.
When kids aren't there, they miss important lessons and teachers often don't have the time to re-teach a topic and move-along the students who do show-up.
That's why Minneapolis Public Schools just started the Attend to Achieve program -- a renewed effort to engage students, their families and the community in making sure kids get to school.
There were special programs over the summer to get the word out and there will be ongoing activities during the school year.
To try to get kids who miss the bus to school, Minneapolis schools are switching from traditional buses to Metro Transit at five high schools. It's going to cost the district an extra $1 million for the bus passes, but they say kids who miss the bus or have after-school activities now have the flexibility to get to school or get home when the need to.
District officials also say learning how to navigate public transportation is a good life skill for students to have.
As for making sure kids finish school, that's an ongoing effort. Nearly 27 percent of Minneapolis public school students don't graduate. The district has brought that up from just over 50 percent eight years ago.
Of course, the ultimate goal is to make sure everybody gets a diploma and is ready for college and beyond.
