Building your Strategic Attendance Planning Playbook for Next Year
Virtual Workshop Series
To support districts in applying the framework, a six-part virtual workshop series has been developed based on the guide. Designed for district leaders, campus administrators, attendance teams, and student services professionals, the series helps teams move from understanding the framework to using it in a purposeful way as they prepare for the upcoming school year.
Each session focuses on a specific component of the guide and includes an overview, guided discussion, and dedicated time for action planning. Participants will work through the framework step by step, applying it directly to their district context and building a stronger, more coordinated approach to attendance for next year. The series is completely free for educators, providing valuable planning support at no cost.
Series Schedule
April 21: Organize and Mobilize Your Team
Participants will leave with a clear framework for building and strengthening a high-impact attendance team. They will understand key roles, responsibilities, and meeting structures that drive results. Attendees will gain practical strategies to increase team engagement, accountability, and cross-department collaboration. Most importantly, they will walk away with tools to move from reactive conversations about absenteeism to proactive problem-solving.
April 28: Agree Upon Destination
Participants will learn how to strategically connect attendance goals to district/campus improvement plans, funding priorities, and accountability measures. They will leave with actionable methods to ensure that attendance work is not isolated but embedded within broader academic and student success initiatives. Attendees will gain talking points and alignment strategies to strengthen leadership buy-in. They will be equipped to position attendance as a shared district priority rather than a standalone effort.
May 5: Prioritize Routes
Participants will leave knowing how to set realistic, data-driven attendance goals at the district, campus, and student-group levels. They will gain practical strategies for tiered interventions that address barriers before students become chronically absent. By the end of the session, they will have a roadmap for turning goals into sustained gains in attendance.
May 12: Share Your Roadmap
Participants will leave with a clear strategy for crafting compelling attendance messaging that resonates with families, staff, and community partners. They will gain tools to launch campaigns that inspire action rather than simply share information. Attendees will understand how to build momentum through consistent communication and cross-department collaboration.
May 19: Build Capacity and Partnerships
May 26: Implement, Monitor, and Adapt
What You Will Gain
- Weekly, actionable steps that can be implemented immediately
- A structured, district-specific attendance playbook
- Participants will receive CEU credits
- Ongoing support through session recaps and summaries
Definitive Guide to Attendance Improvement
Student attendance remains a foundational driver of academic success, yet improving it continues to be a complex challenge for many districts.
The Definitive Guide to Student Attendance Improvement was developed to support school and district leaders with a clear, structured approach to this work. It provides practical, actionable strategies that can be integrated into existing plans, helping teams move beyond tracking attendance toward building a coordinated, system-wide effort.
The guide emphasizes collaboration, shared responsibility, and planning, while also supporting districts in leveraging RaaWee K12 Attendance+ tools and resources. Its purpose is to help teams create sustainable systems that strengthen student engagement and improve attendance outcomes.
Definitive Guide Implementation Templates
As teams begin applying the framework, the focus shifts from understanding to execution. Turning ideas into a coordinated plan requires structure, clarity, and consistency across teams.
To support this work, a set of implementation templates aligned to the Definitive Guide is available in a format designed for easy access and use during planning sessions.
These templates help teams organize discussions, define priorities, and translate the framework into a clear, actionable attendance strategy.
Sharon Bradley is a national educational consultant, author, and speaker with over 25 years of experience in K–12 education. She previously served as a district administrator in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, leading districtwide efforts in truancy prevention and student engagement, and has held roles including student services director, high school principal, assistant principal, and dropout prevention coordinator.
She is the author of Chronic Absenteeism: Prevention and Intervention Strategies for Schools, Families, and Communities and Combating Chronic Absenteeism through Attendance Intervention Plans. Sharon is also a founding member of Attendance USA and was recognized as a 2024 “Leader to Learn From” by EducationWeek and the 2023 “Person of the Year” by the International Truancy and Dropout Prevention Association.
She currently serves as Principal Consultant at RaaWee K12 Solutions, supporting districts with proven attendance and engagement strategies.
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.
