Local school district turning to AI to curb truancy

RAVENA―One local school district is turning to artificial-intelligence as a way to curb chronic absenteeism.

On Thursday, Albany County announced a pilot program with the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk (RCS) Central School District that will employ Edia, a leading AI platform in K-12 education, to uncover the root causes of truancy and improve attendance trends.

Edia utilizes AI to automate two-way attendance outreach, escalation protocols, intervention management, and data aggregation. It will provide the district with insight to spot attendance issues early, improve their ability to communicate with families, and allow them to connect students who may be at risk of becoming chronically absent with support.

“The earlier we can identify when a student is starting to disengage, the better chance we have to step in and keep them connected to school,” said Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy.

“These AI-driven insights and tools provided through Edia will allow school officials to spot those warning signs sooner and respond in real time,” he added.

Truancy is a critical issue across Albany County, with an average unexcused absence rate of approximately 26% across the 12 public school districts. That amounts to more than 9,000 chronically absent students out of the over 35,000 total enrolled.

RCS encompasses the Albany County town of Coeymans, portions of the towns of Bethlehem and New Scotland, and part of the Greene County town of New Baltimore. The district serves approximately 1,900 students.

RCS Superintendent Craig Chandler described Edia as “a cutting-edge intervention in local efforts to improve student attendance.”

“Edia's tools will help us focus our time and resources on actual solutions that help students who struggle to attend school regularly. We are thankful for Albany County recognizing this need and providing the financial support to make it happen,” said Chandler.

As part of the initiative, Albany County will help school districts cover a portion of the cost during the first year. By registering for the program through BOCES, Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk is eligible for aid through what is called a Co-Ser, or Course of Study/Services.

However, each district has its own aid ratio, and this aid will not cover the full cost of Edia. That is why Albany County has agreed to provide gap funding. These funds will come from Albany County School Bus Safety Program revenues, generated through enforcement of illegal passing of stopped school buses.

Albany County will also continue working directly with other districts to expand the program.

“If we want different results, we need to try doing things differently,” said Chandler.