Attendance Awareness Campaign Update for July 10, 2026

Attendance Awareness Campaign Update

A project led by Attendance Works

July 10, 2026

Prepare for Fall

Are you ready for fall? Here are tips for starting the school year strong.

First, before school starts, review data from the prior year to activate extra engagement for kids who may need additional support to start the year off right. Begin outreach for returning, chronically absent students (e.g., phone calls, welcome letter or postcard, relational home visit).

Your district may already produce real-time reports on chronic absence. If not, Attendance Works created self-calculating spreadsheets. Schools and districts can use them to examine patterns and identify which schools, groups and students are missing too much school.

Second, build your capacity to adopt a comprehensive approach with a cross-functional team to address attendance. Research and experience show that those making the most gains in reducing chronic absence implement multiple interventions. If your school or district lacks an attendance team, consider adding attendance to an existing group. Download our guide for District and School Teams.

Third, ensure back-to-school professional development equips all staff to promote engagement and early intervention when school reopens. Everyone has a role to play.

Check out the updated activities in the Year-Long Planning calendar for grades Pre-K to 12th.

Donate now

Join the movement to get more kids engaged and showing up. Donate today!

Webinars

The 2026 AAC webinar series features speakers who share actions appropriate for each season of a typical school year to support a year-round attendance plan.

AAC 2026 webinar #3, Create Community in the Fall, is planned for next month! Register for this free event taking place on Wednesday, August 5, at noon PT / 3 p.m. ET. All those who register with an email will receive an email after the event with a link to the webinar recording, presentation slides and resources shared.

August 5, 2026 Webinar 3: Create Community in the Fall
September 23, 2026 Webinar 4: Ensure Support All Year Long

Spread the word! Here’s a sample social media message:

🍂 How can schools create a strong sense of belonging and community from the start of the year? Join us on August 5 for Create Community in the Fall to hear strategies for building relationships, engaging families and supporting student health and well-being. #YourPresenceMatters

🔗 Save your spot! https://www.attendanceworks.org/resources/webinars/

Attendance Tools

During the 2023-2024 school year, nearly half of the students experiencing homelessness were chronically absent – a rate that is significantly higher than other low-income students. A new toolkit from SchoolHouse Connection and Attendance Works provides ready-to-use resources to help districts improve attendance for students experiencing homelessness. Find strategies such as attendance data tracking, transportation support and partnerships with community organizations.

This summer, establish an attendance recognition schedule/process. Ensure in your plans that all students can participate in recognition and welcoming activities, including students with disabilities and student groups with historically high levels of chronic absence. What makes a good recognition program?

Research spotlight

Have school districts bounced back from large pandemic-era increases in chronic absenteeism? A new brief released from the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University analyzed attendance data from more than 8,500 school districts across 34 states and S.C. to understand where attendance recovery is occurring. The findings show that recovery is possible and point to an important next step: learning from the districts that are making meaningful progress.

Analyzing results from a late 2025 survey, RAND explores why middle and high school students miss school. The new report finds that one-third of youth and 18% of parents believe that being chronically absent was mostly okay. Parents of older youth were less likely than parents of younger youth (ages 12 to 14) to report that they always make their children go to school if they did not want to go.

A working paper from Annenberg EdExchange finds that immigration enforcement actions cause a substantial and persistent increase in absences among foreign-born students. These findings have practical implications for schools operating in enforcement-active environments, the authors note. The persistence of attendance effects suggest that effective district responses require sustained engagement rather than action immediately after an enforcement event.

Events

Get Ready for GLR Week! We hope you will join us on Thursday, July 30, from 12:30–2 p.m. ET, to hear directly from state leaders participating in The 50% Challenge, a national call to cut chronic absence. This conversation will explore how different states are accelerating and expanding district-level progress, proving that addressing chronic absence is a goal shared by states in every region of the U.S.! Register for the July 30 event.

Join Dr. Jones with Farmington Municipal Schools, and Hedy Chang in conversation with Joe Philleo with Edia on July 22 for a webinar discussion about Farmington's approach to improving attendance through family support and data-informed practices. Register!

Professional Development

Registration for Fall 2026 national e-learning series is open! This three-part e-training offers educators proven tiered strategies that promote attendance and engagement using a team approach.

Our Professional Leadership Attendance Network supports district leaders responsible for improving attendance systems. PLAN is an approach that helps district leaders move beyond isolated initiatives and lead with strategy. The next cohort begins January 20, 2027. For more information, contact Lorri Hobson (Lorri@attendanceworks.org) and Zach Freeman (Zach@attendanceworks.org).

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

Survey of school staff finds that school staff say school-based telehealth reduces behavioral issues, EdNC, June 30, 2026

4 numbers that show how chronic absenteeism is becoming a long-term crisis, Chalkbeat, June 30, 2026

Housing, groceries, and medical needs: Detroit’s Health Hubs helping to get kids to school, Chalkbeat, June 29, 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