Attendance Awareness Campaign Update
A project led by Attendance Works
May 30, 2019
Make the Most of Summer!
Attendance Tools

Opportunities to continue lea rning
in the summer are critical to ensuring 
students are excited, ready and present for learning in the fall. Summer learning programs can be especially important for c hildren who have been chronically absent and are living in economically-disadvantaged communities. The North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation (NCECF) has updated its Summer Learning Toolkit. Geared towards program providers, the toolkit can help staff communicate effectively with parents.  Download the toolkit here!

Find more resources from the National Summer Learning Association. 

Use the Attendance Works Out of School Time Program worksheet to examine whether your summer learning program has the right policies and practice in place to boost attendance.  Download the worksheet .

Enlist elected officials to sign proclamations.  Proclamations that declare September as Attendance Awareness Month send a signal that regular attendance is important to student success.  Download sample templates for local officials that can easily be adapted for state leaders and boards.

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Attendance Works! 

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We Belong in School!

Start planning this summer for how to create a sense of belonging in a classroom for all students, even when there is a wide range of developmental starting points. In the video from Edutopia, Boosting Engagement With Notices and Wonders, one teacher in Maine offers short prompts at the start of class. The few minutes of class discussion allow kids to listen to each other's ideas before they do their own analysis. The video is part of Edutopia's series, How Learning Happens. Watch!
AAC Webinar

The recording link for our webinar, Nurture Dreams: Ensure Students Feel Safe, Supported, Connected and Engaged, is posted! Find the speaker presentation slides and a discussion guide to help you view with colleagues. Take a moment and share this link with your colleagues and friends.  Find it here.

Save the dates! Our next webinar on August 8 will discuss how to create an engaging, healthy school climate that promotes attendance for all grade levels. The final webinar on September 10 will examine how chronic absence can be used to identify a need for schools and communities to work together to improve Conditions for Learning. Find out more in our blog post.
Policy News

Summer is a perfect time for reflecting on how to make reports and data on chronic absence easier to find and use.  The Data Quality Campaign's (DQC) latest Show Me the Data report examined report cards from all 50 states and the District of Columbia to see how well state leaders are using publicly available education report cards to provide easily understood data on student success and school quality. States have started the work, but there's more to do, DQC says. Find the report .

We're delighted that New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed a new law, the Attendance For Success Act (HB 236). The new bill inserts chronic absenteeism into New Mexico's state law for the first time. The law is designed to prevent absences, calls for early intervention and specialized support for students and families. Find the legislation and read more here.

Events

Poster contests are a great way to refresh messaging for the coming school year. Each year Count ME In in Maine sponsors a poster contest to engage elementary, middle and high school students in promoting school attendance! Submissions for Count ME In's 5th annual contest are due July 18, 2019. The winning posters will be reproduced with the artist's name and distributed throughout Maine. Find out more.
Corporate Attendance Partners

We want to send a big thank you to this year's Attendance Awareness Corporate Sponsors! Find out more on our webpage .   

Attendance in the News

Spread the Word!

We're getting ready for Attendance Awareness Month in September. How about you? bit.ly/1oqfID7 #SchoolEveryDay

Sometimes good attendance is simply a matter of good health: bit.ly/1oqfID7 #SchoolEveryDay 
Campaign Convening Partners
See the full list of Attendance Awareness Campaign partners here.
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