More Research and Expert Opinion

If you're looking to transform attendance across your district, check out how our partners in Portsmouth Public Schools in Virginia reduced chronic absenteeism by nearly half through better data systems and optimized teamwork. Read on to hear from Dr. Angela Flowers, Director of Student Services at Portsmouth as she shares her team's journey and success.

Is it just us or has it felt like a particularly long winter? The good news is, spring is just around the corner! The bad news is that as the weather gets nicer, it may feel increasingly difficult to motivate students to show up to school. It’s not just you: it’s the Spring Slide. This phenomenon refers to what we all feel fairly intuitively: a decrease in student attendance in the spring semester. Join us on March 13 for tips and strategies to get ahead of the Spring Slide!

Educators are working overtime to get students back on track for academic success, and districts nationwide have invested in resources like new curricula, high-impact tutoring, and additional staff. But despite these new instructional investments, on average student academic performance is not where it needs to be, and it’s no coincidence that persistently high chronic absenteeism rates accompany these lagging results. What if we began with improving attendance and let academic achievement follow? If you’re still skeptical, read on to discover the clear connection between attendance and academics. 

The Spring Slide is just around the corner… are you ready? There are so many fun ways to incentivize attendance that don’t involve perfect attendance awards or cash payments. It's why we're honored to partner with attendance champions like Dr. Phillip Shelley, Director of Student Services at Berkeley Public Schools, who leads an annual March Madness bracket districtwide to inspire friendly competition and above all else, good attendance. Tune in to hear all about his strategies and ask your own questions as you prepare to close out the second half of the school year with strong attendance!

As we head into the second half of the school year, with cold weather and darker days adding to the existing challenges to strong attendance, it’s a great time to think about some strong interventions to support students who are missing 10-19% of school, or for those taking an MTSS approach, Tier 2 students. From intentional family communications to meaningful student discussions, read on for actionable strategies to get chronically absent students back on track for success.