Attendance Awareness Campaign Update

A project led by Attendance Works

June 2, 2022

Make the Most of Summer

As the school year comes to a close, nurture a sense of belonging at school and promote participation in quality summer learning programs which cultivate engagement and a habit of regular attendance. A positive summer experience can help students and families start the school year right in the fall. 

Schools and summer program providers can use the concepts in R.E.A.L. (Routines, Engagement, Access to resources and Learning) to strengthen learning efforts and attendance initiatives. Find the new Summer Learning page in our Showing Up Matters for R.E.A.L. toolkit.

Be sure to view the updated Key Messages about attendance for 2022. Download AAC 2022 badges for your email signature line on our Attendance Awareness website.

Did you miss our May 25 webinar, What Promotes Engagement and Attendance? Insights from Students, Parents and Educators? Find a link to the recording and slides on our webinar page.

Our next AAC Webinar is: Ensuring a Healthy and Restorative Start to School (working title), Wednesday, August 3, 2022: 12pm-1:30pm PT / 3pm–4:30pm ET Register here for this webinar and learn about the other 3 in the 2022 webinar series!

Expanded learning providers can build relationships and engage students and families in identifying and addressing attendance barriers. Find research and resources to support a focus on attendance on our updated Expanded Learning Providers page.  

Download our NEW case statement for Expanded Learning Providers that explains how a focus on attendance can enhance programs and has tips on how to address chronic absence during out of school time activities. Find the case statement.

When adapting R.E.A.L., get to know families so you can decide which talking point(s) make the most sense. For example, if families are struggling with housing or basic needs, you might want to start with offering Access to resources rather than emphasizing routines. Find the R.E.A.L. talking points.

NEW Data Analysis

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Education analyzed chronic absence data for school years 2018-19 and 2019-20. Read our blog post about the new numbers and why investing in accurate data matters more than ever. 

We plan to release updates to our powerful data tools this summer. Attendance Works partnered with Applied Survey Research to develop free, simple data tools for use at the district and school level that provide a quick snapshot of chronic absence. Learn more about the tools. We’ll keep you posted!

Data Quality Campaign’s Show Me the Data report finds that most states have updated their report cards, yet many are still missing critical information about the 2020–2021 school year. For example, quite a few failed to provide context for how schools are supporting students during recovery. Learn more.

Professional Development

Register for our three-part e-training for educators. Participants will get a chance to interact with their peers and the Attendance Works team in breakout rooms. We've opened new dates in August and September. Learn more and register here!

Corporate Sponsors

Thank you AAC 2022 Corporate Sponsors! Their support helps to make it possible for us to offer – at no charge – webinars and resources that equip everyone to improve student engagement and attendance.

Events

We're going to L.A.! Join us at the Institute for Educational Leadership’s 2022 National Community Schools and Family Engagement Conference. We are presenting or moderating on June 1at 9am and 3 pm PT, and June 2 at 1:45 pm PT. Register to attend virtually!

Attendance in the News

As Absenteeism Skyrockets, Schools Get Creative About Luring Back Lost Students, The 74, May 11, 2022

Students out of class, World, May 11, 2022

Chronic absenteeism rose 80% in Connecticut during the pandemic. See how a few districts are getting kids back to school, Hartford Courant, May 08, 2022

Sample Tweet

Many still think that reducing absences is the job of school clerks. But communities across the U.S. are helping schools address chronic absence by building awareness & leveraging resources. Join the Attendance Awareness Campaign today! http://bit.ly/1oqfID7 #SchoolEveryDay

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

For more information contact: info@attendanceworks.org

Sign up for our newsletter: https://awareness.attendanceworks.org/contact/aam-updates