Attendance Awareness Campaign Update for April 16, 2026

Attendance Awareness Campaign Update

A project led by Attendance Works

April 16, 2026

Interrupt the Cycle of Chronic Absence

Before the end of the school year, ensure that each student who was chronically absent, and their family, receives personal outreach by a member of the school staff and that a connection is made.

Before reaching out to families, have staff review the Identifying Root Causes Worksheet. For guidance on talking with families about chronic absence, download Making the Most of Your Parent-Teacher Conference.

Working on next school year’s enrollment? Integrate information about attendance into outreach and school registration materials and activities. Consider using the “Get Ready for School” handout for PreK families found on this website page.

Recruit students experiencing chronic absence to summer programming. See more summer learning resources below.

Donate now

Join the movement to get more kids back in school and engaged. Donate today!

Success Story Spotlight

Two Chicago public schools are improving student attendance and engagement using school teams, data review to inform decision-making, relationship building and developing positive conditions for learning. We collaborated with REL Midwest to showcase the strategies that worked. View the short documentary. Download the viewing guide and watch with a group; check out our blog post!

Webinars

The AAC 2026 free webinar series will offer strategies and actions appropriate for each season of a typical school year to support a year-round plan. Each webinar will emphasize prevention and ways to strengthen the positive conditions for learning that schools and districts can put in place that are effective for reducing chronic absence.

Inspiring speakers from a variety of communities and organizations will share their expertise and experiences in improving attendance, engagement and achievement.

The second webinar, Engage and Build Bridges in the Summer goes live on Wednesday, May 13, at noon PT / 3 p.m. ET. Everyone who registers will receive a link to the webinar recording and presentation slides.

May 13, 2026, Webinar 2: Engage and Build Bridges in the Summer
August 5, 2026 Webinar 3: Create Community in the Fall
September 23, 2026 Webinar 4: Ensure Support All Year Long

Did you miss Webinar 1: Nurture Belonging in the Spring? The event recording, presentation slides and a list of resources are now available on our website.

Excited about participating in AAC 2026? Help us to get the word out! We’ve provided a sample social media message below.

☀️How can educators tap into the summer months to strengthen attendance and engagement in the fall? Join us on May 13 for Engage and Build Bridges in the Summer and learn practical strategies schools and communities can use to reconnect students and families. #YourPresenceMatters

🔗 Save your spot! https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yL4zoPClTLaAlTI8BKx5fQ#/registration

Attendance Resources

Download Sprinting through Spring a calendar of sample daily spirit activities that can be adapted for any month. Add or revise the activities to suit your school community and grade levels.

The comprehensive Summer Learning Toolkit from the Wallace Foundation offers more than 50 evidence-based tools and resources, drawn from the work of five urban school districts and their partners and aligned with research from RAND.

You can explore a variety of camps through the tool created by the American Camp Association using their Find a Camp tool: https://find.acacamps.org/.

Research Spotlight

Limited staff time and unpredictable funding are two challenges facing districts interested in developing summer learning. A new research brief from the District Summer Learning Network Study focuses on how summer learning leaders in 13 districts across the U.S. have used four key strategies to maintain progress on summer learning in the face of these challenges.

A new report from Learning Policy Institute details how all 17 schools in one district became community schools, yielding significant gains in student achievement, attendance, school climate and family engagement. The transition in Lynwood Unified School District began with the district’s deep community roots, existing network of health partners, emphasis on social-emotional learning and focus on building coordinator capacity.

Campaign Convening Partners

See the full list of Attendance Awareness Partners here.

Campaign Sponsors

A special thanks to the corporate sponsors who have already committed to supporting our 2026 Attendance Awareness Campaign. Their investment makes it possible for us to provide you with free strategies and materials.

Attendance in the News

An Overlooked Early Warning Signal: Chronic Absence and District Mobility in Grades K-3 in California, Association of California School Administrators, March 24, 2026

Out of Class, Ann Arbor Observer, March 25, 2026

Student-athletes more likely to attend school than peers, new research finds, The Washington Post, April 8, 2026

Attendance Works is a nonprofit, national and state initiative. Our mission is to advance success in school and beyond for all students by reducing chronic absence. Find free downloadable resources, research, consulting services and more on our website: www.attendanceworks.org

For more information contact: info@attendanceworks.org