Every missed day is a missed opportunity for learning, and every chronic absence is a challenge for your school, your staff, and most importantly, your students. Improving attendance doesn’t happen through one big initiative; it comes from consistent, intentional actions that make a real difference every day. That’s the main idea behind Quick Wins for Attendance, a series developed in partnership with attendance expert Sharon Bradley, who brings over 25 years of experience helping schools strengthen relationships, systems, and strategies that support students showing up and thriving.
The series focuses on practical, immediately actionable strategies that schools and districts can use. The first five episodes highlight everyday practices that often go overlooked but have a big impact:
- Home visits approached in ways that respect families and build trust
- Phone calls that prioritize understanding over compliance
- Improvement plans developed collaboratively with achievable steps
- Attendance meetings guided by productive, solution-focused questions
- Attendance letters designed to inform and encourage, not intimidate
These foundational strategies help districts communicate more clearly, engage families more effectively, and intervene early to prevent chronic absenteeism.
Future episodes will expand to schoolwide systems, including aligning staff roles, creating predictable routines, designing supportive Attendance Review Boards, reimagining parent engagement, and more.
Quick Wins for Attendance is built to support attendance teams with focused, actionable guidance drawn from real experiences in schools across the country. If you are interested in future topics or practical solutions to specific challenges, feedback is welcome at Sharon.Bradley@raaweek12.com to help shape a resource that makes attendance easier, more strategic, and more impactful.
Watch all episodes of Quick Wins for Attendance on our YouTube channel, Everyday Matters, and start applying these strategies in your school today.
About the Presenter
Sharon Bradley is a Texas education leader with more than 25 years of experience in student engagement, equity, and dropout prevention. She has served as a teacher, principal, and district administrator, leading initiatives that significantly reduced chronic absenteeism and built stronger systems of support for students and families. Widely recognized for her innovative and equity-driven approach, Sharon has been honored nationally for her impact in helping districts reimagine attendance and student success. She now serves as a Principal Consultant at RaaWee K12.
