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Attendance Awareness Month Update
A campaign from Attendance Works
July 11, 2018
Celebrate Local Bright Spots


Do you know of one or two local schools that are recording lower chronic absence rates than schools with similar student populations? If so, do you know why? These bright spots that may serve students from low-income communities but have better-than-average results can inspire others to act. Learn how to identify positive outliers with the What Works in Our Community? toolkit.

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Attendance Works! 


Your gift will help fund more great resources to raise awareness of the importance of attendance for student achievement.

What to Do When

July is an excellent time to begin media outreac h.  See our tips for media outreach. Meet with local newspaper editorial boards to encourage e ditorials. Consider submitting a commentary piece to local media in mid-to late August or pitch a reporter about the community's or school district's renewed emp hasis on attendance. Find our tips for media outreach .

Tape radio or TV Public Service Announcements. See our guidelines for developing TV and Radio PSAs.
Community Spotlight

In PA, attendance rates have increased in 45 of the 49 participating Pittsburgh Public Schools as a result of Be There, an attendance initiative by United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Be There mobilizes caring adults to promote excellent school attendance among local kids using encouragement and positive reinforcement. More than 700 volunteers have helped more than 14,000 students to be at school every day. Learn more
Policy Spotlight

Attendance Works is delving into the policy issues that states will have to contend with to ensure that chronic absence as a measure of student success remains a useful, valid, and reliable indicator under ESSA.

Why we count excused absences; using positive, problem-solving strategies, (not punitive ones); keeping students with disabilities in school; and how to use high quality attendance data are a few of the topics. We encourage you to read the series to help your states consider the implications of the decisions they will make as they decide what counts as a day of attendance and which students will be included in the state's accountability rubric.
Resource Spotlight

The 2018 KIDSCOUNT annual Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation measures child well-being of kids in all 50 states, in four domains: economic well-being, education, health, and family and community. The Data Book reports that the number of kids ages 3-4 who are not in school has remained stagnant, at more than half (52 percent) of all kids in this age group. Find the data book here.
Teaching Attendance Online Curriculum

Modules 1 and 2 of our online, interactive series of courses are open! Module 1 explains what chronic absence is, how it impacts achievement, and offers strategies to combat absenteeism. Module 2 offers courses for primary grades and secondary grades. Register to access the curriculum.
Webinar Spotlight

We've lined up speakers for the next free webinar, Team Up for Attendance: Community Matters, on August 15, 11-12:30 pm (PT) / 2-3:30 pm (ET). Guest speakers include: Mandy Allison, Department of Pediatrics at University of Colorado, Denver; Alex Molina, City Year Providence; Janay Lewis, City Year Providence; and Latoya Smith, Tulsa CAP.  Everyone who registers will receive a link to the recording, PowerPoint presentation and discussion guide. Register now!   

Tweet It!
.@attendanceworks is calling on communities to Team Up for Attendance in 2018! Join the webinar Community Matters on August 15 to hear how health care providers, volunteers & other partners are reducing #chronicabsence. Register:  https://tinyurl.com/ydht8rz3
#SchoolEveryDay 

Find more social media messages to share below! 

ICYMI: Look online for the PowerPoint presentation and recordings of Leadership Matters, (3/28) and Working Together Matters (5/8).  Find them on our website.

Event Spotlight

Join Attendance Works and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading for a conversation with Joy Thomas Moore, the author of the book, The Power of Presence: How to be a Voice in Your Child's Ear Even When You're Not with Them (scheduled for release on Sept. 18).

Drawing upon her own experience as a single mom, Moore will lift up powerful stories of how single parents contribute to their children's successes despite the challenges they face. Attend this breakfast meeting on July 12 at the 2018 National Family and Community Engagement Conference. Register: http://bit.ly/2018FCEConf 
Sponsor Spotlight

A special thanks to our Attendance Awareness Month Campaign corporate sponsors for their commitment to help ensure that every child is in school every day. Their investment makes it possible for us to provide you with free strategies and materials:


$20,000


$10,000

$10,000
 
Partner Spotlight

America's Promise Alliance is the nation's largest network dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth. The Alliance brings together more than 450 organizations and thousands of community leaders to focus the nation's attention on young people's lives and voices, lead bold campaigns to expand opportunity, conduct research on what youth need to thrive, and accelerate the adoption of strategies that help young people succeed.

Join a webinar today (July 11) at 1:30 EST from America's Promise Alliance and hear about their new report: Disciplined and Disconnected: How Students Experience Exclusionary Discipline in Minnesota and the Promise of Non-Exclusionary Alternatives. The report draws on research from the Center for Promise, showing that students who are chronically absent often receive harsher discipline practices than their peers. Register.
Tweet It!

What are the secret ingredients strong schools use to reduce #chronicabsence? How do community partners support their work? Join @attendanceworks' free webinar, Community Matters, on August 15 to find out! Register Now: https://tinyurl.com/ydht8rz3
#SchoolEveryDay

Teaming Up for Attendance is critical to reducing #chronicabsence! Join @attendanceworks + 70 nat'l partners for the next AAM webinar. Hear health care providers, local nonprofits & other partners share their success. Register Now: https://tinyurl.com/ydht8rz3
#SchoolEveryDay

If we're going to reduce the dropout rate, we need to reduce chronic absenteeism:
bit.ly/1oqfID7 #SchoolEveryDay
Facebook Post or Newsletter Item 

Reducing high levels of chronic absence is not a solo sport, but it can be fixed when schools and communities collaborate with multiple stakeholders such as sports teams, housing authorities, local government and more. Join Attendance Works' third 2018 Attendance Awareness Campaign webinar and learn how to engage key partners. Hear how health care, early childhood, and national service volunteers are helping students and families overcome barriers to getting to school even when it isn't easy. Everyone who registers will receive a link to the recording, PowerPoint presentation and discussion guide. Register Today! https://tinyurl.com/ydht8rz3

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