Park Heights Academy Wins the Mayor’s Attendance Challenge: A Collective Victory for the Community
On Thursday, November 20, 2025 – Park Heights Academy (PHA) was officially recognized by Mayor Brandon Scott as the Quarter One winner of the Mayor’s Attendance Challenge—a remarkable accomplishment for a school that has made incredible strides in decreasing its absence rate! 🙌🏽
For the Park Heights community, this win is more than an award. It is a powerful example of what happens when families, educators, partners, and organizations work together toward a shared goal.
A Community-Driven Turnaround
At the start of the school year, Principal Monica McClain and her team made a bold commitment: to transform student attendance and ensure children came to school every day ready to learn.
They understood that attendance challenges are rarely just about school. Many factors—family stress, transportation barriers, household responsibilities, and emotional readiness—affect whether a child can show up each day.
Instead of accepting those challenges as fixed, PHA built a strategy rooted in trust, consistency, and care.
Their plan included:
- Parent engagement and relationship-building
- Home visits to support families directly
- School encounters and incentives to encourage attendance
- Daily touchpoints to keep students motivated
- Staff going above and beyond—including picking students up when needed
This approach reflects the heart of “Collective Impact”, which aligns partners and resources around shared goals and community advancement.
Aligned with the ENOUGH Initiative Priority: Increasing Attendance
This achievement also aligns directly with one of the core goals of the ENOUGH Initiative —to increase student attendance across the Park Heights Master Plan area.
PHR’s role in this work includes strengthening school-based partnerships, supporting families, and coordinating resources that reduce barriers to learning. PHA’s win shows what is possible when these systems work together toward lasting change.
A Celebration of Shared Success
Principal McClain expressed her gratitude to everyone who played a role in this attendance turnaround:
“This win is a victory because of you. In some way, you have played a direct role in increasing our attendance rate… this honor belongs to all of us.”
Mayor Scott came to Park Heights Academy to host a celebration with students, families, educators, and community partners. Park Heights Renaissance was honored to stand alongside them to recognize this milestone.
A Model for What’s Possible
PHA’s accomplishment is a testament to the resilience and determination of the Park Heights community. It demonstrates how intentional collaboration, compassion, and shared responsibility can reshape outcomes for children.
This win is not the finish line—it is the starting point for even greater progress ahead. PHR will continue working through the Collective Impact Model and the ENOUGH Initiative to ensure that every child in Park Heights has the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive.
