Attendance Awareness Campaign Update

A project led by Attendance Works

September 1, 2022

Transitioning Back to School for 7-12

Welcome to Attendance Awareness Month!

Students are more likely to come to school when they feel safe, know that someone at the school cares about them, and when there are exciting and relevant lessons. Administrators, educators and staff can ensure every student feels welcomed and engaged and learns about the importance of daily attendance. Find ideas and tools for the middle and high school years below.

Build community spirit during the first month of school, using our Back-to-School calendar of activities. Two calendars – one for secondary and one for elementary grades – can be used by advisory/home rooms or the entire school. You can choose to do one week or four! Find the calendar.  

We’ve created new social media images for the 2022 AAC! Download zip files for images you can post to Facebook or Twitter, as well as messaging about the importance of strong attendance. Find it all on our Attendance Awareness Campaign website.

We rely on contributors like you to help us keep Attendance Works resources free for everyone. Join our movement and donate today.

Peer Group Connection is an evidence-based program that supports and eases students’ successful transition from middle to high school, or from elementary to middle school. The program taps into the power of older students to create a nurturing environment for incoming youth. Learn more.  

All students benefit from a trusting relationship with adults at school. Edutopia has published 5 Ways to Get to Know Your Middle and High School Students Better. Check it out.  

Did you know that our Secondary Student Success Plan and Help Bank, both with 2022-23 calendars and translated into four languages, are designed for student use? Find them.

Register today for AAC Webinar #4: What Works to Sustain Engagement and Attendance? Wednesday, September 28, 2022: 12pm-1:30pm PT / 3pm–4:30pm ET. Sign up here.

Research

The Wingspread Declaration on School Connections reviews the research on school connectedness, its effect on student behavior and offers recommendations for how schools and districts can increase students’ sense of belonging in school. Read more in a blog post from ACSD.

A report from Brookings digs deep into technical assistance needs at community schools. Building programming to address attendance and chronic absence is core to the community school strategy in many districts. Find the report. 

Attendance Awareness Celebrations

Central High School in St. Joseph, MO started the new school year with a “big attendance” kickoff student assembly. The school hosted a traveling bicycle motocross group at assembly, and promoted the slogan “bring your A game to school.” View the video via KQTV2 ABC.  

Caldwell School District in ID is promoting good attendance all year long with its #EveryDayMatters, #CadaDiaCuenta campaign! Check out the short video.

Events

Join the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading on 9/6 to kick off its #LearningTuesdays fall webinar series with a deep dive into the National Partnership for Student Success (NPSS). Hear how NPSS plans to support the nationwide three-year effort that brings together experienced organizations to recruit, train and support 250,000 caring adults in roles serving as tutors, mentors, student success coaches and wraparound service coordinators. Register now!

The California Community Schools Learning Exchange (CSLX) and the National Center for Community Schools are proud to announce the Community Schools Fundamentals Workshop! From September 19-30, 2022, the events will be held in locations throughout California. Learn more and register.

The National Family Support Network is offering online training on September 27 and 28 for program managers and direct service staff who work with, or would like to develop, a Parent Advisory Committee (PAC). Learn more and apply to attend.

Partner Spotlight

MENTOR aims to drive equity and close the mentoring gap through quality mentoring relationships, while activating a movement that prioritizes relationships and fuels opportunities for young people everywhere.

MENTOR recently joined the National Partnership for Student Success (NPSS) to help students thrive this school year by serving as the technical assistance provider and expert in the field of youth development. Learn more.

Corporate Sponsors

Thank you AAC 2022 Corporate Sponsors! Your support helps to make it possible for us to offer – at no charge – webinars and resources that equip everyone to improve student engagement and attendance.

Attendance in the News

What we’re watching as Detroit district students return to school, Chalkbeat Detroit, August 29, 2022

LAUSD faculty, staff address barriers leading to chronic absence, Spectrum News 1, August 19, 2022

Sample Tweet

Studies show that students who meet regularly with mentors are 52% less likely than their peers to skip a day of school. Help 1 child feel special while also having a positive effect on the learning environment in an entire classroom. Become a #mentor! https://www.mentoring.org/

Attendance Works is a non-profit, national and state initiative. Our mission is to advance student success and reduce equity gaps by addressing chronic absence. Find free downloadable resources, research, consulting services and more on our website: www.attendanceworks.org

For more information contact: i[email protected]

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