Leveraging Attendance Supports to Improve Student Success in Katy ISD

Dr. Gentle-Genitty’s research on school attendance is well known but so is her impact in co-establishing the field of study globally. Gentle-Genitty’s research fundamentally reshaped how schools and policymakers understand attendance. She created the Perception of School Social Bonding (PSSB) instrument, endorsed by the American Psychological Association, to help schools measure climate and support student well-being—an innovation driving practical change in student support and absenteeism prevention.
She founded Attendance USA and Pivot Attendance Solutions and co-founded the International Network for School Attendance (INSA), previously leading the International Association for Truancy and Dropout Prevention (IATDP).
Gentle-Genitty’s work emphasizes a holistic, non-punitive, and family-centered approach to absenteeism—prioritizing student engagement, systemic change, and data-driven policy over discipline. She argues that separating care from education leaves students vulnerable, stressing the critical societal and economic impacts of absenteeism and calling for the reunification of care and education in US schools.
Her national influence is evident as she testifies to legislative bodies and leads conferences unifying researchers and practitioners to create standardized policies and strategies that address the root causes of chronic absenteeism, using research to drive scalable solutions that keep students connected to school and equipped for future success.

Dr. Kim Wallace, professional education consultant with Process Makes Perfect, and author of Leading the Launch, published by Solution Tree in September 2021, outlines a field-tested ten-stage process for successfully vetting and sustaining new initiatives in schools and districts. Dr. Wallace’s book shares a developed structure to regulate programs, protocols, and adoptions districtwide. This process was the result of her career in public education of almost three decades, starting as a high school teacher and instructional coach before moving into site administration. After earning her doctorate from UC Davis in 2012, Kim was promoted to Director of Instructional Technology in Davis, CA and then Assistant Superintendent of Instruction in Fremont, CA. In 2017, she became the superintendent of Fremont Unified—one of the top twenty largest districts in California—where Kim discovered a true passion for creating systems to navigate organizational progress. A deft strategist and expert who has served in four diverse districts, Dr. Wallace believes that her “personal and professional purpose is helping educators (re)claim their power to positively transform our schools and districts from the inside out.”