Ensuring school is a positive place where students want to be

Investing in family engagement isn’t just good practice: it delivers measurable returns, especially when it comes to improving attendance. But before you start literally paying families for good attendance, read on for the research and sustainable strategies that strengthen family-school partnerships and nurture student success.

In 2022–23, Menchville High School saw chronic absenteeism rates climb to 33.3% among their English Learner (EL) students. School leaders knew they needed to try something new—something that centered student voice and community.

When 62.5% of students at Carver College and Career Academy (Chesterfield County Public Schools, Virginia) were identified as chronically absent, the team knew something had to change. But instead of doubling down on punishment, they reimagined what it means to want to come to school.

Check out the winners of the first annual Attendance Innovation Awards and tune in on August 14 at 2 pm ET/11 am PT to hear directly from the educators at each of these districts and perhaps incorporate some of their winning strategies into your own attendance efforts in the 25-26 school year.

Located in southwestern Florida on the Gulf coast, the School District of Lee County is the 8th largest district in the state, serving over 100,000 students across grades K-12. Despite having done significant, successful work to slash their chronic absenteeism rates nearly in half pre-pandemic, the district faced the same post-pandemic chronic absenteeism challenges as many other districts nationwide. Paul Milford, Administrator of Social Work Services, was tasked with leading the charge to turn absenteeism around. Read on to discover how positive communications and better access to data re-engaged families and got more students back on track for better attendance.

Located just outside of Austin, Texas, Pflugerville ISD serves over 25,000 K–12 students across 35 schools and 2 alternative campuses. Like many districts nationwide, they’ve faced rising levels of chronic absenteeism. Rising to the challenge, Director of Student Affairs Dr. Amanda Castro knew to get the results the district desired, they’d need to make some big shifts and take a new approach. 

Last month, our partner at Berkeley Unified School District, Director of Student Services Dr. Phillip Shelley, joined us live to share how he is keeping the energy and attendance high through the spring months with a district-wide March Madness competition. If you missed it, read on for the highlights!

A strong attendance policy makes it easier for students and families to understand what is asked of them, ways their school is there to support, and how together you’ll build a positive school climate where students are actively engaged in their academic journey. Read on to discover how you can improve student attendance in the new school year with an attendance policy that is concise in messaging, clear in what it asks, and well-communicated to the entire school community.

With families and educators not always on the same page about the importance of attendance, building a strong culture of attendance is more important than ever before. Aligning MTSS strategies with your family engagement programs and attendance initiatives can not only help you more efficiently bring families in as partners, but also ensure more students are benefiting from the extensive investments you’ve made towards learning acceleration. Tier by tier, read on for some tips to help you stay organized and effective as you work to build a culture of attendance, maximize learning opportunities through better attendance, and nurture success in school and beyond.

Meaningful communication & conversations require not just trust and empathy, but clear data that translates into high-impact action. But with time at a premium, it’s not always easy to get the right information at just the right time for proactive, effective support. That’s where the right MTSS attendance dashboard can be a game-changer. Have you tried these six ways to have your data dashboard work harder for you?

In the face of unprecedented absenteeism, educators across the country are trying out all kinds of campaigns, competitions, and committees to motivate their students and families to attend school more regularly. Some work better than others, and some even work much better than expected! Our friends at Berkeley Unified School District and Semitropic Elementary School shared some fun and effective attendance incentives that you might want to try at your district!

The Spring Slide refers to the lower attendance and loss of academic progress that can occur as students become distracted with warmer weather and the fast approaching end to the school year. But all hope is not lost. There are plenty of initiatives and campaigns you can try to beat the spring slide and ensure that students continue to attend and engage in learning through the end of school year. Read on to discover five strategies to beat the Spring Slide, including some bonus tips that you can leverage throughout the year from our partners at Elk Hills School District in California!

Building authentic family-school partnerships is nuanced work that requires a multifaceted approach of consistent outreach and understanding. Getting to the bottom of the challenges that are preventing students from attending every day is not only essential to fruitful collaboration, but will help you determine the best way to support and help families overcome these barriers to attendance. Wondering where to begin? Here are five effective strategies for uncovering family challenges and providing the necessary support for better attendance.

You and your team may be implementing numerous strategies to bring more students back to class every day. Are you leveraging all of the resources that your wider community may have available? In this post, we’ll explore three ways that community partners can help support your hard work and broaden your reach as you help more students get back on track for success.

Partnering with an attendance expert can be a powerful way to bring more students back to class, improve academic achievement, and give precious time back to staff. But not all solutions are created equal. Some bring far more benefits than risks, and others, well… vice versa. Read on to learn the positive impacts that an attendance partner can bring, as well as some potential risks.

Having strong practices in place that nurture a culture of attendance is essential to encouraging consistent engagement all year long. Read on for six ways to help reinforce the importance of showing up every day for better grades, more fun with peers, and long term success.

In the wake of unprecedented levels of chronic absenteeism, many districts have shifted from only addressing unexcused absences to singing from school rooftops that every missed day of school, excused or unexcused, is a missed opportunity to learn and grow. However, states still mandate districts to have truancy processes in place to ensure that families understand their legal obligations to ensure their students attend school. These measures have historically been punitive and ineffective. Let's delve into four pivotal ways that a restorative approach to truancy can enhance your entire school community.

It’s no secret that families can be a powerful partner in a student’s educational and overall success, and that success can falter when students aren’t consistently present at school. That’s why when it comes to reducing absenteeism, a family’s influence should not be underestimated. As you gear up for a successful new school year, consider incorporating these four strategies into your family engagement work as you improve student attendance and keep students growing and thriving.

With so many demands on today’s educators, from nurturing a safe and welcoming school climate to addressing unfinished learning, good attendance may not seem like the top priority. But absenteeism can have far-reaching consequences that extend beyond the classroom. Read on as we dive into what's at stake when absenteeism is not properly addressed.

Just like attaining a good bill of health, when it comes to mitigating chronic absenteeism, prevention can be the best cure. But how can busy educators get ahead of absenteeism challenges before they become even more severe and difficult to address? We have five strategies to incorporate into your efforts this year to help you ensure students receive the support and guidance they need to succeed.

Perhaps prolonged chronic absenteeism has left you wondering, what is it going to take to get students back to class. Why not ask them? By harnessing the power of student voice, educators can create a school environment that fosters regular attendance and a vibrant learning community where students want to be every day. Where to begin? Start with these three strategies.

Truancy, just like chronic absenteeism, can have a negative impact on student academic achievement, social-emotional development, and overall success. But there’s much that can be done to improve and get ahead of truancy challenges. Here are three strategies to keep at the forefront as you work to mitigate truancy in your district.

Truancy has historically been addressed with a punitive approach that often fails to address the root causes of missed school days and even exacerbates the problem. As a forward-thinking educator, you’re probably embracing restorative truancy practices. Read on for three crucial steps towards a more holistic truancy practice that will help repair harm, build relationships, and foster a sense of belonging across your school community.

Research shows there is a strong link between school climate and strong attendance. As you prepare for the year ahead, here are four strategies to leverage to make your school a place that students want to be every day.

At the Power of Present Summit in November 2022, Shelneka Adams, Child Welfare & Attendance Liaison at the Louisiana Department of Education shared the research-informed work she’s been doing to bring more restorative practices into schools across Louisiana that help improve school culture, chronic absenteeism, and of course, student achievement.