Attendance Archives

Proactive Strategies

Take a break from the hamster wheel. Plan your year! Assess why you do what you do and the results you are getting. Intentionally defining and planning to prevent absenteeism requires methods and tools, partnerships and data interpretation, and social connections. The result of these factors lends itself to the content necessary to identify needed messaging strategies and influence change for measurable positive attendance improvement outcomes.

from EDMS Expert Series: 09/22/2022

Discussions in Preventing Absenteeism

Discussions of the importance of schooling and student attendance dates far back to 1635, in Boston. It was similar to the Free Grammar School of England. The Boston Latin School for boys was introduced to prepare students for college, although some like Benjamin Franklin dropped out (See here). Since then and now, there have been questions about how to prevent children from leaving or missing school. The study of school absenteeism, now being advanced worldwide by the International Network for School Attendance (INSA) and supported by various national organizations, is documenting scholarly research on forms, types, categories, and methods to examine school attendance and absenteeism. In fact, their earliest citation dates back to the 1980s with the first accessible article by Berney, Kolvin, Bhate, Garside, Jeans, Kay, & Scarth (1981) on school phobia in the British Journal of Psychiatry.

The point is, we have been studying, examining, and trying to figure out how to prevent student absenteeism for centuries. With mountains of data, processes, ways, and means to approach at least one answer we have come to know that methods, tools, and messaging are the hallmark of any effective solution. Such solutions should be consistent and cyclical.

Accomplishing consistency in methods, tools, and messaging speculates, to prevent we must know.

Preventing is knowing!

We must know what we are preventing and what symptoms have been shown to indicate an interest in being absent or signals of willingness to be present. These can include psychosocial matters, home, academic, curriculum demands, functioning, time-based discipline, lesson absence, classroom climate, and more. Therefore, we should be asking “what matters?”

Absenteeism = All Experience

Knowing absenteeism equals the total sum of a students’ in-school and out-of-school experiences, then what matters is what happens in and out of school.

In and out of school means what matters for students regarding:

Attending – Presence and absence from school and curriculum
Participating – Engagement in or not in positive and negative school experiences
Bonding – Feeling attached, committed, involved, and believing in the value of school
Tracking – Who, what, and why track attendance and insights gleaned to improve
Sharing – Using information for benefit of students and shared for improvement for all

Knowing what matters in and out school offers us the opportunity to learn also that control matters. There are three forms of Direct control (rewards and punishment), Indirect control (pro-social relationships), and Internal control (personal compass). Finding and implementing tools and interventions to respond to these three (3) forms of control are sure ways to prevent school absenteeism.

Getting to outcomes however, requires us to have methods, tools and messaging.

Methods should assist in measurement of data and use of data lakes to report on all controls. It should …

Identify indicators: Ways to compare last year to this coming year; RaaWee data tools can help
Find Benchmarks: External partners to whom we can compare progress and set targets

Tools should ensure indirect control and should…

Give a temperature check on impact for students, staff, climate, and families. For all.
Whether it is MTSS, RTI, PBIS, RaaWee, your own solution or emerging solutions, measurable impact is the goal.

Messaging should meet students’ internal control needs and share what matters…

Convey the importance of schooling and celebrating presence.
Inform of current state and growth yet to come
Value partnership and relationships and role of all

When preventing is knowing, control matters. What matters is tracking methods, tools, and messaging in data lakes where consistent reports of impact from all controls can be gleaned and shared. The lives of our students and their families are in our hands. They must know why schooling, in various formats, matters and that we care.

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About the Author

Dr. Carolyn Gentle-Genitty, founder, lead consultant, and Chief Education Officer for Pivot Attendance Solutions, has inspired many administrators, educators, students, and school social workers as a past chair of the school’s concentration Masters Curriculum, tenured professor, and Director of the Bachelors for Social Work Program. Having worked closely with the Indiana Department of Education to assist school counselors in acquiring a school counselor license and coordinating curriculum mapping and application, she knows the intricacies of working with school-community partnerships. She has been a forerunner in responding to school absenteeism, truancy, and social bonding. She has over 30 years in youth development, 20 years in dropout and truancy, and more specifically, she brings over 12 years studying, researching, presenting, and writing about absenteeism locally, nationally, and internationally. In the US she is a leader in absenteeism and understanding school attendance problems and translating such into practice models for implementation. She is forging partnerships in colleges to establish the area as a formal field of study.

Guide to Attendance Improvement

School and district leaders are called upon to handle many diverse duties throughout their days, months, and year. It’s easy to feel like, “we don’t have time to plan” amidst the immediate concerns clamoring for our attention. But failing to plan results in minor missteps at best, and major problems at worst. That’s why putting time in on the front end will help prepare leaders to face unexpected challenges and avert serious complications later on. Attendance planning is no exception. It must be embedded within and aligned to other comprehensive plans in the district to be successful. The Definitive Guide to Student Attendance Improvement has taken a lot of the guesswork out of the planning process for you. It contains three quick-to-read sections with several reproducible activities that are easily customizable to your own setting. All you have to do is pull together your team and get started!

Challenges of Chronic Absenteeism

Student attendance, on the surface, may appear to be clear-cut and straightforward in that it’s undeniable that tardies and absences have a significant impact on a child’s academic outcomes. If students are not present in class on time and ready to learn, then falling behind is a real likelihood. But that’s not all. Frequent absenteeism or chronically missing school has further-reaching effects on a young person’s well-being, and the causes need to be diagnosed individually to get at the root of the problem, and for educators and families to appropriately intervene.

While it is important to closely track attendance and re-engage students whose absences are escalating, it is equally important to understand the reasons before applying remedies. Quite often, student and families are unaware of the varied resources a school may offer to make it easier for them to attend school regularly. Schools and districts have to be highly proactive and hands-on in uncovering the origins of poor attendance behaviors. This will help the district team to quickly allocate the appropriate resources for the student to help them overcome the challenges they are encountering.

Building Absenteeism Intervention Plans

Mechanisms should be in place to ensure that students are quickly connected with available resources. After that, processes for tracking the outcome and following up after the resources have been applied must also be incorporated. It is essential that intervention plans are in place for preventing truancy, reducing excessive excused absences, preventing chronic absenteeism, discouraging excessive tardies, and tracking course or period attendance. These plans drive how and when an intervention will be triggered for students and how the campuses will document them. Consistency in intervention provisioning and centralization of data ensure quick assistance and allocation of resources to every student who may be struggling with attending school regularly.

Student attendance is the collective responsibility of all district stakeholders. The best curriculum in the world isn’t effective if students are often missing from school. Therefore, new practices and processes must be adopted so that student attendance is of equal importance to the best teaching and learning environments. The key to a successful plan is when leaders take ownership in changing their schools’ culture. In the following sections, we will demonstrate multi-faceted ways that districts can structure their own Attendance Action Plans most suitable to their localized needs. Using this guide will equip attendance support teams with the elements they need for developing an actionable plan for implementation.

About the Author

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 21^st 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.

The Challenge

Yesterday and today are different. For many, the difference is like night and day. This is the case for those who experience mental health challenges versus those who do not. It is not the same as having a bad day. It’s hard to describe.

Student Attendance and Mental Health

The gap between yesterday and today can feel strikingly different for individuals grappling with mental health challenges compared to those who do not. This distinction extends beyond merely experiencing an occasional bad day; it encompasses a deeper internal struggle that significantly influences how we feel, think, and behave. For children, these mental health issues frequently manifest as changes in their daily routines and academic performance, leading to increased absenteeism. Alarmingly, statistics reveal that 50% of all mental disorders begin to develop before a child reaches the age of 15, making early intervention crucial for effective student attendance improvement.

Chronic Absenteeism and School Resources

Schools serve as vital institutions where students learn essential skills, ranging from reading and writing to problem-solving and social interaction. They also provide crucial support services for children while their parents work. However, many students lost access to these essential resources during periods of disruption, which included not just education but also food services, health care from school nurses, opportunities for social development, and activities that foster teamwork and discipline. Additionally, students missed out on learning important life skills related to self-care, hygiene, time management, and the cultivation of their identities. The transition to online learning allowed for the continuation of academic instruction, yet it largely failed to address the remaining 80% of the holistic support that schools traditionally offer. This lack of comprehensive care compounded issues of chronic absenteeism, leaving both students and parents feeling constrained and overwhelmed. As a result, there was a notable increase in mental health issues, particularly among those students who continued to miss school.

Attendance Improvement Strategies

To effectively support students who are grappling with mental health challenges and chronic absenteeism, schools can adopt a variety of targeted strategies designed to address these pressing issues. Implementing initiatives focused on attendance improvement can help cultivate a supportive environment that encourages regular attendance and promotes overall well-being among students. By identifying and addressing the root causes of absenteeism, schools can create tailored interventions that not only enhance student attendance but also contribute positively to their mental health and academic success.

Context

The numbers are still rolling in but UNICEF reports that over 332 million children were linked to the COVID-19 lockdown policies. Many students were absent or affected ‌ mentally or physically, from the shutdown, closure, or online delivery of schools during the pandemic.

The impact was of catastrophic proportions with an underlying problem–mental health. For students and teachers, the states of mind, body, place, ability, and connection were disrupted during the pandemic.

Levels of context and feelings around many generalized everyday terms like:

Student Attendance and Holistic Support

To effectively respond to all states of what was disrupted, schools must expand their focus beyond just academics. It is essential to reintegrate play, fun, music, poetry, and role modeling into the school experience, utilizing community partners and actively engaging parents. Convening task forces can provide the necessary support, but the American Council on Education suggests that attention should also be directed toward enhancing overall campus culture and climate. This approach aims to promote, improve, and foster positive mental health and well-being while increasing awareness and access to services. Changes to policies and protocols for supporting mental health are crucial in this effort. The overarching goal remains the same: to help students express their thoughts, normalize questions and concerns, build relationships, and maintain connections. UNICEF Director Forte emphasizes the urgency, stating, “Many children are left feeling afraid, lonely, anxious, and concerned for their future. We must emerge from this pandemic with a better approach to child and adolescent mental health, and that starts by giving the issue the attention it deserves.”

Attendance Improvement through Understanding Mental Health

Mental health encompasses a range of mixed disorders, conditions, and symptoms, often associated with impaired socioemotional development or linked historically or diagnostically. Empirical outcomes for students experiencing absenteeism include behavioral changes and school attendance problems, which can manifest as school avoidance, withdrawal, refusal, truancy, or even dropout. These behaviors can arise from various stimuli, such as avoidance, escape, attention-seeking, or the pursuit of rewards outside of the school environment. The factors surrounding mental illness can be both risk and protective, but they are often cumulative and represent a bundled risk.

The Impact of the Pandemic on Absenteeism

During the pandemic, the effects of bundled risk became glaringly evident in both time and space. In terms of time, we witnessed changes characterized by scarcity, poor time management, limited self-care, and a breakdown in collaborative care—often referred to as outsourcing. Outsourcing care is a hallmark of modern society, where we rely on partners to address various needs: schools educate, restaurants provide meals, healthcare professionals offer medical services, sports and events furnish entertainment, and churches and daycares offer community and care for our loved ones. However, the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns drastically altered this outsourcing dynamic. These changes blurred boundaries, leading to increased crises and emotional outbursts, further complicating the landscape of student attendance and mental health.

Actions for Schools

Most common intervention is Cognitive behavior therapy to respond to anxiety, depression, self-efficacy, emotional distress, social-emotional, academic development. However, Psychosocial Intervention, Narrative Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Parental Counseling, and Family Therapy are also options. Yet providing resources and education on spotting and responding to somatic complaints (stomachache, feeling unwell or resistive behavior (temper tantrums, violent behavior) are also universal resources that can be offered.

Citation

Gentle-Genitty, C. (January 27, 2022). Mental health factors for students who miss school. Every Day Matters Summit, TX. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7912/pgm6-qq04

About the Author

Dr. Carolyn Gentle-Genitty, founder, lead consultant, and Chief Education Officer for Pivot Attendance Solutions, has inspired many administrators, educators, students, and school social workers as a past chair of the school’s concentration Masters Curriculum, tenured professor, and Director of the Bachelors for Social Work Program. Having worked closely with Indiana Department of Education to assist school counselors in acquiring a school counselor license and coordinating curriculum mapping and application, she knows the intricacies of working with school-community partnerships. She has been a forerunner in responding to school absenteeism, truancy, and social bonding. She has over 30 years in youth development, 20 years in dropout and truancy and more specifically she brings over 12 years studying, researching, presenting, and writing about absenteeism locally, nationally, and internationally. In the US she is a leader in absenteeism and understanding school attendance problems and translating such into practice models for implementation. She is forging partnerships in colleges to establish the area as a formal field of study.

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.

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

Kim Wallace, Professional Educational Consultant & Author at Process Makes Perfect

Kim joined the UC Berkeley School of Education Leadership Programs division as the Associate Director of the 21^st 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.

Importance and Immediacy of Truancy Prevention

Dr. Kim Wallace, EdD, discusses the immediate need for implementing and sustaining a quality attendance improvement program for your school or district.

Program Implementation

There exists a prevalent misconception among educators that once the school year has commenced, there is insufficient time to adopt or implement a new program. In reality, while staff may need to dedicate additional time and effort at the outset to effectively integrate a new platform into their operations, the time savings realized on the back end can be truly remarkable.

Research conducted by Hall and Khan (2004) emphasizes that the crucial decision is not simply whether to adopt a new system, but rather when to make that choice. The dilemma revolves around the timing of adoption—whether to move forward now or postpone the decision, which can lead to missed opportunities for improvement. Ultimately, it boils down to the urgency of helping students today versus delaying assistance for a later time. The costs associated with waiting can far outweigh the perceived benefits of starting a new attendance system on the first day of school.

Chronic Absenteeism Efforts

If we genuinely uphold the philosophy that “every day matters,” we must act on this principle by promptly updating and enhancing to an automated attendance monitoring system. Delaying this essential upgrade is counterproductive. The reality is that you cannot assess what you are unaware of, and acquiring knowledge is the most potent tool we possess in the field of education.

The holistic approach to the whole child by the RaaWee Attendance+ system offers a comprehensive understanding of the various factors influencing a student’s attendance history, their current attendance status, and the potential trajectory for their future. Taking action now can make a significant difference, and it’s essential to recognize that it’s never too late to begin improving attendance. The key lies in the immediacy of our actions.

Citation

Hall, Bronwyn & Khan, Beethika. (2004). Adoption of New Technology. Working Paper 9730.

National Bureau of Economic Research. Accessed on 9/12/21 from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23742215_Adoption_of_New_Technology.

About the Presenter

Kim Wallace, Professional Educational Consultant & Author at Process Makes Perfect

Strengthening Student Attendance

Promoting strong student attendance has always been an essential focus for public education, but it has never been more critical than today. The challenges posed by the pandemic have significantly disrupted traditional educational experiences, leading to varied forms of learning that left many students disengaged. As we work to welcome students back into the classroom, we must be creative, forward-thinking, and proactive in our approaches. It is vital to invite, encourage, and reassure our students that returning to school is in their best interest, both academically and socially.

Proactive & Reactive Intervention

To effectively address attendance issues, schools should implement a combination of proactive and reactive Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) strategies. Proactive interventions involve anticipating potential barriers to attendance and addressing them before they escalate. This might include regular check-ins with students, monitoring attendance patterns, and identifying students who may be at risk of falling behind. By being proactive, schools can intervene early, providing support and resources to help students navigate challenges before they lead to chronic absenteeism.

Conversely, reactive interventions are equally important for addressing attendance issues that have already arisen. This may involve reaching out to families to understand the reasons behind absences and developing tailored plans to support students’ return to school. Engaging with students who have missed significant time allows educators to adopt a more personalized approach, ensuring that each student’s unique circumstances are recognized and properly addressed.

There is no right or wrong when it comes to proactive versus reactive MTSS-related implementations. The only mistake educators can make is not doing either. That’s why RaaWee K12 Solutions is committed to helping districts of all sizes “double down” by taking a tenacious and resolute approach to empowering staff, students, and families through their MTSS programming. By providing twice the amount of assistance, we can build stronger relationships and create a supportive educational environment. The invaluable rewards of this commitment will extend far beyond improved attendance; they will shape the future success of our students, paving the way for their academic achievements and personal growth.

About the Presenter

Kim Wallace, Professional Educational Consultant & Author at Process Makes Perfect

Student Attendance Improvement Focus after Pandemic

As the effects of more than a year of pandemic living begin to wane, schools and districts are rapidly pivoting to prepare for the return of students and staff to full-day instruction, athletics, and extracurricular activities. While there is an undeniable sense of excitement about reopening schools, it is crucial to recognize that many students and families will require additional support to re-establish their daily routines, particularly concerning in-person attendance.

This research report offers a forward-looking perspective on the challenges educators across the nation anticipate as schools resume operations. It also presents innovative ideas and strategies aimed at helping students readjust to positive attendance patterns and effective work habits.

RaaWee K12 Solutions is collaborating with education professionals to develop real-time responses that will enhance student attendance, provide necessary interventions, and combat rising rates of truancy and chronic absenteeism.

Examining the Reality & Defining Re-Engagement Strategies

The following report provides a comprehensive examination of the issues at hand, along with actionable solutions to build on the successes achieved during this year of growth and adaptation. You may be familiar with the traditional belief that it takes approximately three weeks, or about 21 days, for individuals to form new habits or break old ones. However, more recent research from University College London (2010) indicates that the average time required to change a behavior is actually 66 days, with individual variations ranging from 18 to an astonishing 254 days.

Given that many American families have engaged in virtual or hybrid learning models for over a year, the re-entry process to in-person, on-time, full-day instruction presents significant challenges. Both adults and young people have largely abandoned their previous habits of waking up to an alarm clock, managing morning routines, grabbing breakfast on the go, navigating rush hour traffic, and arriving at school before the bell rings. What once happened almost automatically now requires intentional effort to re-establish.

As the nation gradually reopens and we collectively resume some pre-pandemic activities, it is essential to acknowledge that not everything will revert to its former state. Therefore, we must anticipate and plan for attendance scenarios that may have existed in the past but have evolved in distinct ways. RaaWee K12 Solutions is at the forefront of this transition, ready to assist schools, districts, families, and students in reintegrating smoothly into their educational settings.

About the Presenter

Kim Wallace, Professional Educational Consultant & Author at Process Makes Perfect

MTSS Re-Engagement Tools

As the first academic quarter of this unique school year approaches its conclusion, educators and their partners have gained invaluable insights. RaaWee K12 Solutions, having swiftly adapted to this dynamic learning environment, stands at the forefront of designing real-time responses to the needs of educators and families. Our innovation team proactively gathered feedback from practitioners about their experiences with distance, hybrid, and in-person learning across schools and districts statewide. It became increasingly clear: support was essential for promoting attendance improvement and addressing chronic absenteeism.

It was abundantly clear: people needed help!

Site administrators, registrars, attendance clerks, school secretaries, district office student support services, teachers, and parents/guardians alike all desired an advanced and comprehensive system to monitor student attendance and well-being. As a result, RaaWee got right to work on updating our tools, online platform, and communications to reflect the evolving nature of tracking and supporting strong student attendance throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Since August alone, we streamlined and calibrated our attendance reporting definitions, created a set of 20 motivational flyers on relevant attendance topics, and devised a crosswalk between our services and California Senate Bill 98 to help districts report accurately to the State Department of Education.

SB98 outlines three tiers of support for positive attendance—each in which RaaWee can assist our partner districts:

– Tier 1: Creating an open, welcoming environment that engages students and parents

– Tier 2: Early interventions for students exhibiting attendance problems Tier

– Tier 3: Interventions for chronic truants involved in the School Attendance Review Board (SARB) process

Addressing Chronic Absenteeism

In the educational landscape, everyone has a vital role to play. Our mission is to simplify life for caregivers by easing documentation tasks and follow-up responsibilities, allowing educators and parents to focus on their core responsibilities: teaching and nurturing their children. RaaWee’s comprehensive digital platform and tool set is singularly focused on attendance improvement and encompasses prevention, intervention, and postvention strategies and tools that address a wide range of indicators and root causes contributing to chronic absenteeism.

Realistically, even the most motivated students may struggle during this transition to distance learning, and those who faced challenges in traditional settings may require even greater support. We are committed to ensuring that all children remain actively engaged in their learning, regardless of their circumstances. RaaWee is a company that listens, cares, and strives to eliminate barriers that prevent young people from reaching their full potential. We understand that many of life’s successes begin with simply showing up, and that is our passion and mission now and into the future. By focusing on attendance improvement and re-engagement, we believe our society will benefit tremendously.

About the Author

Dr. Kim Wallace is a professional educational consultant with Process Makes Perfect. She started her career in public education 27 years ago as a high school instructor before going into site and district administration. She most recently served as the superintendent of a large San Francisco Bay Area district. Kim consults, writes, and presents on the topics of leadership, curriculum and instruction, policy and protocol, and future trends in education.

An Asynchronous Challenge:

The beginning of school this year has been a challenge, to say the least. We had approximately 14,690 students in WFISD last year, but only have about 13,500 this year. We are still trying to find a significant number of our previous students. Our school district offered two choices at the beginning of the year, Face to Face {synchronous) instruction or Remote (asynchronous) instruction. We have several thousand students who chose the remote option and it is a huge challenge to keep them engaged, accounted for, and logged on properly in order to get accurate attendance.

Using RaaWee K12 Solutions in the Spring when we first shut down was a huge help for us this school year. I worked through the first shutdown and did close to 500 home visits and made approximately 2,500 phone calls to locate students. I put all of that information into RaaWee as I did it. At the beginning of this school year, those records were essential in locating students and families that had been displaced during the first shutdown. I would not have found half of the students I was looking for if I did not have that information.

About WFISD

Wichita Falls is a city of approximately 100,000 people. In WFISD we have 3 high schools, 3 junior highs, 19 elementary schools, a Career Education Center, and an alternative school. In the 2019-2020 school year, we had approximately 14,600 students enrolled in WFISD. This year we are down about 1,000 students.

Blending Synchronous & Asynchronous Attendance Models

For the 20-21 school year, we have an asynchronous model for elementary grades PK-5, a synchronous option for our secondary schools, 6-12, and an asynchronous option for our severe and profound students, 6-12. To take attendance for our remote students, we created 2 new present buttons that show on the teacher’s rosters. One is an RSyn present button for secondary students who chose the remote synchronous option and entered the attendance code of 1-RS. The second one is an RSAYn present button for secondary students who are in our severe and profound program and puts in a 2-RA attendance code.

In order to know who was remote and who was face to face, we created an activity to put our remote students in so that when anyone looked at the student’s file in Skyward they would know they were remote by the R. As seen to the right.

Once this code is entered, it puts an attendance code in the student’s record and looks like the picture below.

These codes have created issues for us as many of the teachers have not been consistent in using them properly. The 1-RS is a code for a remote synchronous secondary student. But as you can see by the picture, we have teachers who use the wrong present button, and it puts in a 2-RA code, which is the code for our severe and profound students. However, overall, the system is working for the most part.

Asynchronous Attendance Method for Elementary

The Asynchronous method for our elementary schools has been quite a challenge as remote students are allowed to turn in work until 11:59 p.m. of the school day. That makes it so that the teachers have to go back into the Google Classroom the next morning and check and see if the student has done any work to give accurate attendance credit. This is where RaaWee has been a lifesaver for us as our attendance clerks put all communications with parents into RaaWee, and we can go back and double-check the teacher’s documentation to ensure accurate attendance accounting. For truancy purposes, we are not holding truancy court as our county has deemed it non-essential. So we are still using RaaWee to track and complete our truancy interventions to be in compliance with state law which has said truancy procedures are still required this year despite the pandemic.

About the Author

Verna Honeycutt, Attendance Coordinator, Wichita Falls ISD, TX

Verna Honeycutt was with WFISD for 22 years, dedicating the first 15 years of their career as a middle school History teacher at Kirby Jr. High. In January of 2015, she transitioned to the administration building and assumed the role of Attendance Coordinator for WFISD, a position she held for six years. During this time, Verna witnessed significant changes in truancy laws, which have directly influenced the operations of the Attendance office. In January of 2016, Ms. Honeycutt rewrote the truancy policy for Wichita County and assisted several neighboring districts in refining truancy programs within their school systems.

The Power of Relationships & Incentives

School districts nationwide have developed creative programs to incentivize student attendance, yielding positive results. Motivational initiatives show that structured rewards for all contributors can significantly enhance achievement at low costs. Engaging all stakeholders in the attendance improvement process consistently leads to success.

Galena Park Independent School District (ISD) in Houston, TX, exemplifies this with their effective programming. They ensure that frontline personnel and leaders are fully involved by fostering meaningful relationships, healthy competition, and strong recognition across sites. Myra Castaneda, Instructional Services Director at Galena Park ISD, highlighted the district’s programs and successes at the Every Day Matters Summit on February 20, 2020.

As education leaders adapt to COVID-19 updates for the 2020-2021 school year, it’s crucial to translate previous best practices to these new environments. The featured best practices will remain relevant with minimal adjustments. For more information on RaaWee COVID-19 resource updates, visit https://vimeo.com/420374212.

About Galena Park ISD

Galena Park ISD was established in 1930 with G. P. Smith serving as Superintendent. There are two high schools, five middle schools, fifteen elementary schools, and alternative programs staffed by approximately 2,000 teachers, administrators, classified and auxiliary personnel making us one of the largest employers in east Harris County. The District includes 39 square miles outside of Loop 610 East and has a student enrollment of over 22,000.

Galena Park ISD continues to deliver effective instruction to its diverse and growing student population in grades Pre-K through 12 and takes great pride in academics. A variety of outstanding instructional programs are designed to meet the ever-changing needs of the students they serve.

“In Galena Park ISD, we prioritize attendance along with student success. It is our goal to have students attending each and every day to prepare students to become productive citizens and lifelong learners. Through leading, learning, and serving as district employees it is our duty to ensure that we are doing all we can do to get our children to school,” emphasizes Ms. Castaneda.

The GPISD Team and RaaWee

It truly takes a team effort living by the philosophy, “It takes a village,” when it comes to student attendance. Ms. Castaneda punctuates, “The one thing I know for sure is that you can’t have one training and expect everyone to be on board with using a truancy prevention system such as RaaWee with fidelity. It takes trust, several training opportunities, constant reminders, prioritizing attendance, and acknowledgment.”

People respond well to those they trust and have developed relationships with. By establishing a climate of caring and compassion, all counselors, administrators, and truancy clerks know that everything is done for the success of their children. With every meeting, they get to know the people who lead the charge at the campuses. In doing this, acknowledging the great job each is already doing.

Incentives for Intervention Providers

By using the User Intervention Report from the district’s RaaWee system, the top users are identified and recognized at every meeting. This shows our frontline staff that the great efforts they are putting in are noticed and appreciated at all levels.

From the beginning of the school year, GPISD set a training calendar for administrators, truancy/attendance clerks, and counselors. RaaWee is a standing agenda item at every meeting. By being consistent in talking about the program, the entire team can work through any issues, questions, or concerns that any may have with the program. Now that the district has been using the program with fidelity for three years, it is the expectation for all administrators, truancy/attendance clerks, and counselors to work collaboratively.

Truancy / attendance clerks send warning notices, help enter notes in the system, and file on students who have 13 or more unexcused absences. Administrators work hand in hand with all parties to ensure that we are following through with every student who has absences. Not only does this show parents that everyone is keeping track, it genuinely shows the district’s care and concern. GPISD knows that when students are in school, they are safe and fed, as well as educated.

The district initiative of Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow is the basis of principal plans for improving attendance. At the beginning of the school year, each principal outlines a plan to meet their attendance goals. If those goals are met, the district provides incentive money to use for students. The executive board works with the business office to determine the source of the funds to ensure compliance with the incentives.

The Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) encompasses all data requested and received by TEA about public education, including student demographic and academic performance, personnel, financial, and organizational information.

PEIMS director for the district sends out a color-coded campus ADA chart. This chart is a powerful tool that principals and district administrators see every week. Everyone strives to be in the green or yellow areas. The green is equal to or greater than 97%, the red is below 96.5% and yellow is between 96.51 – 96.99%.

This chart keeps everyone on their toes and is the ongoing tool used to determine who has met their goals. The district recognizes the campuses that have met or improved on the district’s goal of 96.5%.

For information on the data, reports, and programs featured in the Galena Park ISD best practices email Myra Castaneda at mrcastaneda@galenaparkisd.com or contact RaaWee at janie.wilson@raaweek12.com.

About the Author

Myra Castaneda
Program Director for Educational Support, Galena Park ISD

Myra Castaneda is the Program Director for Educational Support at Galena Park Independent School District (ISD) in Texas. She is dedicated to enhancing educational opportunities for all students and promoting academic success within the district.

In her role, Myra oversees programs that provide essential resources and support to students, educators, and families. She collaborates with teachers, administrators, and community partners to develop innovative strategies that address student needs, fostering a positive learning environment and promoting engagement.

With a strong background in education, Myra is committed to empowering learners and ensuring they have the necessary tools to thrive academically and personally, making a significant impact at Galena Park ISD.