Tag: Student Engagement

Understanding the Root Causes of Chronic Absenteeism
Hedy Chang from Attendance Works emphasized the critical need to understand why students miss school, advocating for tools like empathy interviews, student focus groups, and attendance cafés to gather meaningful insights. She highlighted a post-pandemic surge in chronic absenteeism driven by weakened learning conditions, such as reduced student engagement, safety concerns, and a lack of belonging.

Tiered Support Systems for Sustainable Change
Chang introduced a tiered support system to address absenteeism, beginning with foundational strategies like clear communication and positive reinforcement, and escalating to more targeted interventions. 

Positive Messaging and Trusted Relationships
Referencing the “Back to the Classroom” report by the Ad Council Research Institute, Chang emphasized the power of positive, supportive messaging over shaming families. She underscored the importance of trusted messengers like teachers in effectively communicating the value of attendance. 

A Nationwide Commitment to Reducing Chronic Absenteeism
Chang proposed a nationwide goal of reducing chronic absenteeism by 50% over five years, a vision already backed by 14 states and Washington, D.C. She called on districts to adopt this goal and work with community partners to build long-lasting, systemic improvements. Like RaaWee K12 Attendance+, Chang’s vision centers on using data-informed strategies and community engagement to drive meaningful, long-term change in student attendance.

Attendance Improvement Requires More Than a School-Based Response

While schools are central to identifying and responding to absenteeism, they cannot do it alone. Too often, responsibility for attendance is placed solely on educators and families, while wider support structures; policy alignment, cross-agency collaboration, data integration, and professional development are missing or underutilized.

Districts and agencies that make significant progress tend to have one thing in common: interdisciplinary, coordinated teams that support schools in a structured and sustained way.

These teams, often situated within districts, municipalities, or regional authorities work across schools to provide coaching, training, data tools, policy support, and direct student and family services. They are not add-ons. They are essential infrastructure.

From Silos to Strategic Collaboration

One of the clearest barriers to attendance progress is fragmentation. In many districts, attendance data systems, intervention strategies, and communication tools don’t align either within schools or between schools and central offices. This creates inefficiencies that affect everything from how early signs are identified to how families are engaged.

Strong support teams bridge these gaps. They help schools move from isolated practices to a shared, district-wide approach. And they do so by building clarity, connection, and capacity at every level.

This shift also requires a cultural change; one that reframes attendance not just as a compliance issue, but as a reflection of student well-being, engagement, and belonging.

What Effective Support Looks Like in Practice

Districts that are seeing results in attendance improvement are doing a few things differently:

1. They embed attendance in leadership and strategy

Attendance is not treated as a standalone issue. It’s discussed regularly at leadership meetings, aligned with instructional and equity goals, and supported with clear ownership structures across teams.

2. They invest in professional development

Attendance-related training goes beyond processes. Staff are equipped to build relationships, identify root causes, and respond with culturally responsive, trauma-informed strategies.

3. They support early intervention

Through tools, protocols, and training, schools are enabled to recognize and respond to emerging attendance patterns before they become chronic.

4. They build family partnerships, not just outreach

Effective districts offer home visits, multilingual communications, liaison roles, and family-focused strategies that go deeper than reminders and policy letters.

5. They personalize pathways when needed

Support teams help schools explore creative re-engagement options, including flexible scheduling, personalized plans, and alternative education pathways for students struggling in traditional models.

Strategic Support Creates Scalable Impact

Improving attendance is not about finding the perfect toolkit, it’s about creating the right conditions. That means having the right people, policies, training, and data systems in place to respond proactively, not reactively.

Teams Supporting Schools (TSS) play a central role in helping schools translate guidance into action, scale what works, and learn from what doesn’t. And critically, they ensure that no school is left to figure it out on its own.

In short, attendance improvement isn’t a solo act. It’s a coordinated performance.

The more harmonized the effort, the stronger the outcomes.

Flexible Models to Maximize Instructional Minutes

Duncanville ISD is implementing innovative attendance strategies to better support student success and improve Average Daily Attendance (ADA) funding. Through the Optional Flexible School Day Program (OFSDP), at-risk students can earn attendance with just 45 minutes of daily instruction. In the 2023–2024 school year, six students participated, resulting in a 3% ADA increase from 70% to 73%.

A second approach, the dual credit flexible day model, uses a state-approved waiver to allow 11th and 12th graders enrolled in Dallas College to receive full ADA funding without traditional attendance requirements, preserving instructional quality while respecting students’ academic commitments.

Data-Driven Attendance Solutions

These models were designed in response to attendance trends identified through continuous monitoring, such as seasonal declines at Duncanville Collegiate High School and fluctuations at Pace High School. The OFSDP personalizes instruction through designated flex days, while the dual credit model aligns with state compliance without disrupting college coursework.

Enhancing Accuracy with Smart Tools

Accurate documentation is essential for both compliance and funding. RaaWee K12 Attendance+ supports these initiatives by offering robust tools for tracking instructional minutes, analyzing attendance patterns, and generating reports. As Duncanville ISD continues refining its strategies, smart solutions like RaaWee play a key role in linking academic success to sustainable attendance practices.

Reframing the SARB Process Through a Restorative Lens

Katie and Amir introduced a restorative lens to the traditional SARB process, advocating for a shift from punitive enforcement to empathetic engagement. Using the case of “John Doe,” a hypothetical seventh-grade student navigating ADD, family instability, and trauma, they illustrated how court threats and truancy warnings often compound disengagement rather than solve it.

Building Trust Through Restorative SART Contracts

To foster trust and build bridges, Katie shared a restorative SART contract that helps uncover family challenges through thoughtful dialogue. It includes structured prompts for background context, discussion, and barrier identification; guiding teams toward individualized, supportive interventions. Restorative language and parental partnership were highlighted as essential in creating a safe space for families.

Strengthening Support with Attendance Teams and Technology

The district has bolstered its support infrastructure by deploying attendance teams across school sites, ensuring deeper connection and continuity. RaaWee K12’s truancy prevention platform complement these restorative efforts by integrating tools like the SART contract into its system. Beyond automation, it enables staff to spend less time on paperwork and more time building the relationships that drive long-term student engagement.