Attendance Awareness Campaign Update for July 9, 2024

Attendance Awareness Campaign Update

A project led by Attendance Works

July 9, 2024

It Takes the Community!

Chronic absence reflects challenges facing students and families in the community as well as in school. To address community conditions, recruit partners beyond the school walls -- public agencies, non-profits, faith-based institutions, grassroots organizations -- in your attendance efforts. These partners can help communicate the importance of showing up every day, address barriers like transportation or lack of access to health care, expand and complement students’ learning and engagement opportunities, and address learning losses.

The district success stories highlighted in May at the White House Every Day Counts Summit illustrate the value of community partners.

Prioritize which community partners to engage based upon what you know about the causes of chronic absence. If you need help identifying community partners, check in with United Way’s 211 system or FindHelp.org.

You may find you need more than one community partner to help provide supports most needed by students and families. Scroll down on this page to find a worksheet to help track potential partners. Find more resources in Step 4 of the Showing Up Matters for R.E.A.L. toolkit.

How can schools work with community partners to help make student’s basic needs are met? Check out Leading with the Six Priorities in Mind, by Luis Eladio Torres.

Donate now

Together we have the opportunity to truly change the life trajectory for millions of students. Join the movement to get more kids back in school and engaged. Donate today!

Attendance Awareness Webinars

How can we leverage the transition back to school to nurture engagement, nourish relationships and cultivate a routine of regular attendance? Our third webinar, Creating a Culture of Belonging and Engagement: Principals In Action, August 7, noon PT/ 3pm ET, will examine this question and more.

Save the date and register for webinar 4!

September 25, Leadership For Sustainability: Superintendents Making A Difference
Missed a webinar? Find the recording and materials on our website.

Help to spread the word! Sample social media.

Everyone can help ensure students show up to class, but a principal's leadership is irreplaceable. Join @attendanceworks & partners on August 7. Register! https://www.attendanceworks.org/resources/webinars/

@IELconnects @readingby3rd @JHU_EGC @FutureEdGU @healthyschools

@MENTORnational @leagueofcities @UnitedWay

Attendance Tool Spotlight

Now is a good time to enlist local elected officials -- mayors, school board members and superintendents -- to signal the importance of school attendance by declaring that September is Attendance Awareness Month. Download our 2024-25 proclamation template. State leaders and boards can easily adapt or tailor the template. Invite the media to the proclamation announcement.

Begin to develop media and public outreach to take place at the start of school. Meet with local newspaper editorial boards to encourage editorials. Submit a commentary piece to local media in mid-to late August, or pitch a reporter about the community’s or school district’s renewed emphasis on attendance and engagement.

Plan a display about why showing up matters to appear in your school hallway, mayor’s office or the local public library. See our banners and posters, including those with the slogan Be Present, Be Powerful!

Research Spotlight

States are critical to supporting districts/schools now struggling to implement effective responses to high levels of chronic absence. Learn how state policy and practice can help, or hinder, efforts to improve student attendance and engagement in our annual brief, Stemming the Surge in Chronic Absence: What States Can Do, A Fourth Annual Review of State Attendance Policy and Practice.

Teacher Perceptions of Chronically Absent Young Students May Add to the Challenges of Missing School, published in the journal of the American Educational Research Association, finds that early elementary school teachers report feeling less close to chronically absent students and view them less positively, even when those students do not cause trouble in the classroom. This cooled relationship may exacerbate the academic challenges the children face.

Event Spotlight

We will be presenting on the July 10 webinar, Addressing Chronic Absenteeism: What Works?, 12:00-1:00 pm ET, sponsored by ASCD, the professional membership organization for classroom teachers, instructional leaders, principals and superintendents. Register!

On July 17, we're teaming up with AEI and the Education Trust for panel discussions and a bold call to set a new goal: cutting chronic absenteeism by 50% over five years. Stay tuned for details.

Join us at the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (CGLR)’s GLR Week 2024 for the fifth annual virtual gathering, July 22-26. An impressive array of thought leaders, leading practitioners and lived experience experts are assembling for the week’s conversations, presentations and events.

We’re a guest speaker for Supporting School Attendance in a Time of Changing Norms, on Monday, July 22, 3-4:30pm ET
We’re moderating the School Attendance breakout during the Ready on Day One session, on Thursday, July 25, 12:30-2pm ET

The Center for Supportive Schools programs like Peer Group Connection and Achievement Mentoring have been proven to increase connectedness, strengthen decision-making skills and improve attendance. Join a summer information session to learn more about CSS’s school-based programs.

District Leadership PD

Superintendents! Would you like to boost your district administrator's ability to build better systems to improve engagement and attendance? Our Professional Leadership Attendance Network (PLAN) offers small groups an opportunity to learn from experts and each other, and organize a clear action plan to engage your district team. Attendance Works will provide input on your plan. Learn more here, or email lorri@attendanceworks.org and zach@attendanceworks.org

E-Learning for Educators

Attendance Works is pleased to offer our highly-rated, three-part e-training for educators to learn proven, evidence-based, tiered strategies to promote attendance and engagement using a team approach. Learn more.

Corporate Sponsors

A special thanks to the corporate sponsors who have already committed to supporting our 2024 Attendance Awareness Campaign. Their investment makes it possible for us to provide you with free strategies and materials.

Attendance in the News

When Students Are Absent, Do Their Relationships With Teachers Suffer?, EdSurge, July 8, 2024

With Poll Showing 1 in 4 Kids Is Chronically Absent, How 1 District Is Reaching Out, The74, July 7, 2024

Campaign Convening Partners

See the full list of Attendance Awareness Partners here.

Attendance Works is a non-profit, national and state initiative. Our mission is to promote equal opportunities to learn and advance student success by reducing chronic absence. Find free downloadable resources, research, consulting services and more on our website: www.attendanceworks.org

For more information contact: info@attendanceworks.org