This summer we are filled with gratitude. So many of us are exhausted from more than a year of uncertainty, loss and stress. Yet we saw tremendous commitment and innovation for providing access to and creating quality instruction for our nation’s children and youth. We encourage everyone to plan some time for self-care and fun.

 

All of the challenges of the past school year resulted in alarming attendance trends in many parts of the country. Attendance data collected in 2020-21 in Connecticut, for example, shows that chronic absence started off extremely high for all students learning remotely, affecting more than one out of four kindergartners. It remained elevated throughout the early grades, and then jumped to nearly 30% of ninth graders.

These numbers are concerning: Research studies confirm that without intervention, poor attendance in the early grades can cause students to fall behind in reading. Studies also show that chronic absence in ninth grade indicates students are at high risk of dropping-out of school. Connecticut’s data collection provides useful information for everyone working to reduce the adverse impact of Covid-19 on educational inequity. Learn more in our report, Chronic Absence Patterns and Prediction During Covid-19: Insights from Connecticut.

As they develop recovery action plans this summer, districts can and should develop or upgrade their data systems to ensure chronic absence can be monitored for different modes of learning,  develop consistent definitions of attendance and improve their attendance taking procedures. Each of these activities can be funded with Covid-19 relief dollars, according to U.S. Department of Education’s guidance.  

Summer is also the right time for states and districts to analyze their own data. These metrics will identify which student groups have lost out most during the pandemic and ensure they are prioritized in recovery planning. Data can also be used to identify innovative practices that should continue because they successfully nurtured engagement and attendance. Read our blog post, An Urgent Call for Timely Analysis and Engagement.  We’ve also compiled a short list of questions to ask when looking at your data. 

The enormous attendance challenge created by Covid-19 means that districts, schools and their partners will need to take a strategic, transformative and long-term approach to engaging students and families. Our new toolkit, Pathways to Engagement: A Toolkit for Covid-19 Recovery Through Attendance offers new resources that encourage moving beyond individual student case management to taking actions at scale that broadly offer engagement to groups of students. Tailor strategies to recognize the strengths and specific challenges of high priority student groups. Download the Building Bridges to School grid to encourage attendance this summer and fall.

As our work with schools in Detroit shows, progress can be made – even during the pandemic – implementing attendance strategies that connect with and engage families and students. Read our case studies of five Detroit schools made possible by support from United Way for Southeastern Michigan and The Skillman Foundation.

We're excited that this year's Attendance Awareness Campaign is underway. Read below for details.

We hope you will find some time for a well-deserved rest this summer! 

Executive Director and Founder