Attendance Awareness Campaign Update for August 27, 2026

Attendance Awareness Campaign Update

A project led by Attendance Works

August 27, 2026

Engaging Young Learners and

Their Families!

Although kindergarten is typically one of the grades with the highest chronic absence rates, the good news is that we’re seeing particularly large chronic absence reductions in the early grades. It shows us that when educators use evidence-based practices as part of a sustained, comprehensive approach, we can turn around today’s absenteeism.

We applaud the improvements to date! We also realize that work must continue. Chronic early absence is still higher than pre-pandemic. Helping our youngest learners and their families to attend school regularly is essential to developing the social, emotional and academic skills that lay the foundation for early school success.

Last week we were delighted to celebrate five years of success for the Learner Engagement and Attendance Program (LEAP) in CT. Spearheaded by Gov. Ned Lamont and the Connecticut State Department of Education, this home visiting program has been instrumental in building relationships with families and students, helping the state to achieve a 16.4% chronic absence rate this past school year. Read more in U.S. News & World Report.

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

What works!

District leaders in CT and GA described how they cut chronic absence to levels before the pandemic in the Campaign for Grade Level Reading session, A Tale of Two States: Reducing Chronic Absence. Fulton County Public Schools, GA for example, saw its K-5 chronic absence rate drop to 9.7% in 2025-26, down from, 27.3% in 2021. Charity Trowbridge, director of attendance improvement, described the district’s dedicated attendance department, consistent family communication addressing common attendance misconceptions, family engagement plans and community partnerships (in-school mental health providers, vision care, university engagement partners).

Sandra Faioes, interim superintendent of Norwalk Public Schools, CT described a 40% reduction in chronic absence. Especially effective strategies included centralized, personalized outreach with “peer-comparison” style attendance communications with families, LEAP home visits, school-based health and mental health supports and attendance teams in every school.

The session also highlighted the role that state departments of education and coalitions can play in building awareness and strengthening the capacity of localities to adopt effective practices.

Below you will find more resources and research focused on pre-k through elementary students.

Webinars

Join us on September 23 for AAC Webinar #4, Ensure Support All Year Long. Speakers will focus on a proactive approach to improve attendance during every school season. Webinars are on Wednesdays at 12-1:30pm PT / 3-4:30pm ET. Register for the last webinar in this year’s four-part series.

Spread the word!

💬 Join Attendance Works, the Institute for Educational Leadership, and campaign partners on Sept. 23 at 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET for the fourth webinar in the 2026 Attendance Awareness Campaign series: Ensure Support All Year Long. Consistent support for attendance throughout the year starts with positive relationships, prevention and early intervention.

🔗 Don’t miss this free event!

https://www.attendanceworks.org/resources/webinars/

Attendance tools

Our updated Perfectly Punctual toolkit, for settings serving preschool and early elementary children and their families, engages children daily in monitoring their own attendance, honors parents monthly for getting their children to school on time and translates attendance data into management information for school administrators.

Check out Ready, Set, Go to School with Punctual Pete, an interactive, full-color activity book and our first collaboration with Lakeshore Learning.

Check out the National AfterSchool Association’s 2026 Back-to-School Products & Services Catalog, featuring resources to help out-of-school time professionals start the school year strong. Explore tools for curriculum, workforce support, funding, program development and more.

Students at every grade level benefit from a warm welcome. Send home a letter at the start of school and set the tone for a welcoming and supportive school year for families and students. Find sample letters.

Our Early Matters: Cultivating Engagement and Attendance In Kindergarten toolkit offers strategies for welcoming and partnering with families. The toolkit is a guide for integrating attendance into district, school and community practices designed to smooth the transition into and through kindergarten.

Research

Research looking at elementary students in Delaware shows that high rates of schoolwide chronic absence among elementary students have impacts on both Math and ELA test scores for all students in the school, and it can make it harder for students to feel a part of classroom interactions. When one student frequently misses school, peers are more likely to do the same.

Two recent studies examined early grade level chronic absence in California. The Persistence of Chronic Absence Between Kindergarten and 1st Grade in California: Insights to Break the Cycle of Absenteeism shows that chronically absent kindergartners were more likely to be chronically absent in 1st grade compared with their nonchronically absent kindergartners, underscoring the need to tackle chronic absence early.

An Overlooked Early Warning Signal: Chronic Absence and District Mobility in Grades K-3 in California found that chronically absent K-3 students are more likely to change districts between school years, and to remain chronically absent in their new districts compared to those who stayed.

The National Immigration Law Center’s The Impact of Immigration Enforcement and Anti-Immigrant Policies on K-12 Schools, Educators, and Immigrant Youth and Families surveyed educators in 14 states, and discusses the impacts on student well-being, enrollment and attendance. It includes recommendations to support schools.

Events

Join SchoolHouse Connection along with a McKinney-Vento liaison for a discussion about attendance for students experiencing homelessness. Register for the Sept. 30 webinar, Showing Up, Staying Connected: Family Engagement Strategies to Support Student Attendance.

The National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement will hold its 2026 National Assembly for Family Engagement in Education, on October 26–27 with virtual sessions and in person October 28–30 in San Diego, California. The event will feature more than 100 sessions exploring strategies, research and practices for building family-school partnerships.

Professional development

The next Professional Leadership Attendance Network (PLAN) cohort begins January 20, 2027. (PLAN) is designed to support district leaders responsible for improving attendance systems. For more information contact Lorri Hobson (Lorri@attendanceworks.org) and Zach Freeman (Zach@attendanceworks.org).

The Fall 2026 national e-learning series kicks off on Sept. 8! This three-part e-learning describes tiered strategies that promote attendance and engagement using a team approach.

Partner spotlight

Communities In Schools has been helping students achieve in school, graduate and go on to bright futures for more than 30 years. Its mission is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. CIS launched a campaign to boost student attendance.

CIS and Whataburger have kicked off the “Ready, Set, Learn!” Back-to-School Tour bringing school supplies, student celebrations, community resources and college care packages to seven CIS affiliates and licensed partners across the country. Watch the PSA.

The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading seeks to disrupt generational poverty and ensure more hopeful futures for children of low-income families. CGLR supports community-driven initiatives to improve the likelihood that these children will grasp the first rung of the success sequence ladder — graduation from high school.

Through its Learning and Engagement Opportunities (LEO) framework, CGLR hosts weekly webinars every Tuesday afternoon that tap the best science, ideas, and programs featuring guest faculty, community members, funders, state and federal officials and others.

Campaign convening partners

See the full list of Attendance Awareness Partners here.

Campaign sponsors

A special thanks to the campaign 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.

News highlights

School attendance has bounced back in Connecticut. Leaders hail LEAP program, AP, August 21, 2026

Absenteeism Is a Major Problem. So Why Can’t Schools Agree on How to Measure It?, The74, August 10, 2026

Students miss over 200M more school days annually since COVID, K-12Dive, Aug 11, 2026

NYC revamps how schools handle school avoidance under legal agreement, Chalkbeat, August 3, 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