Whole Child Approach to Attendance Improvement
Taking a whole child approach to improving attendance is the wave of the future—and the only way to truly change is from the inside out. RaaWee’s comprehensive truancy prevention system meets students (and their families) where they are and helps educators utilize field-tested tools to get young people back on the pathway to academic success in a variety of learning models.
Effective attendance improvement strategies require a whole child approach, integrating comprehensive truancy prevention systems that meet students and families where they are. This integrated approach avoids pitfalls of non-integrated plans by utilizing clear communication tools, valid and dynamic data, and the ability to adapt to societal conditions. Educational consultant Dr. Kim Wallace emphasizes that addressing chronic absenteeism and truancy through such an integrated system ensures every student has the opportunity to thrive.
Commitment to Student and Family Welfare
So let’s re-up our commitment to student and family welfare by avoiding three key pitfalls of a non-integrated attendance intervention plan. While each of the pitfalls has its own trappings, all three can be avoided by adopting a high-quality, substantial, and centralized attendance improvement system. Stand-alone versions simply don’t make the cut in a world as mutable as ours.
Imperatives for Selecting an Integrated Attendance System
When vetting your options, consider these imperatives of selecting a truly integrated platform to yield the most impactful outcomes:
- Clear and varied communication tools
- Valid, diverse, and dynamic data
- The program’s ability to quickly adapt to emerging societal conditions
RaaWee hits all of these marks and more. Look before you leap into this school year to protect your most valuable resource of all: our students. They deserve an attendance system that makes sense in order for them to make a difference.
Tackling Chronic Absenteeism and Truancy
By addressing chronic absenteeism and truancy through an integrated approach, we can ensure that every student has the opportunity to thrive.
About the Presenter
Born and raised in an educator household, Dr. Kim Wallace started her own career in public education 30 years ago as a high school English and history teacher before becoming a site principal and district office administrator. Her most recent K-12 role was as superintendent of one of the 20 largest school districts in California.
Kim joined the UC Berkeley School of Education Leadership Programs division as the Associate Director of the 21st Century California School Leadership Academy (21CSLA) State Center in 2020. She also runs her own consulting company Process Makes Perfect, specializing in real world solutions for practitioners in the field. Kim consults, writes, and presents internationally on systems change and emerging trends in educational leadership. An award-winning, innovative educator, Kim leverages her abilities in educational administration, program management, and relationship development to optimize institutional effectiveness and deliver remarkable results.
Dr. Wallace’s book Leading the Launch: A Ten-Stage Process for Successful School District Initiatives was published by Solution Tree Press in 2021, followed by Leading Through an Equity Lens in 2023. Her upcoming book, Gamechanging Leadership in Action: An Educator’s Companion is in production with Routledge/Taylor & Francis (Fall 2025). Kim attended the University of California Santa Barbara for her undergraduate degree in history. She then earned her Master’s in Education (M.Ed.) at the University of California Los Angeles and culminated her educational goals with a Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.) from the University of California Davis.