Last year we convened an Attendance Task Force with representation from teachers, administrators, nurses, and counselors from across the district. This group reviewed SEP chronic absenteeism data, discussed strengths and barriers to promoting good attendance in our district, and learned about research-based strategies for improving attendance in a multi-tiered, multi-domain system of support.
One barrier the task force identified was shifting attitudes about the importance of attendance due to the impact of the pandemic. We saw a need to share what we’ve learned with the entire SEP community to help raise awareness about the importance of consistent school attendance. As a result, this September we will be participating in Attendance Works’ 2023 Attendance Awareness Campaign. This year’s national theme is Showing Up Together! We will also be using #GladYouAreHere to promote our campaign this fall.
Our involvement will include:
District-wide social media campaign
Outreach to local businesses and organizations to raise awareness
A variety of activities to boost belonging, including Friday greeters in our elementary buildings and academic calendar magnets for families
Early intervention postcards for Tier 2 teams to target students who miss days early in the year
Why September? Previous research has demonstrated that 50% of students who missed 2-4 days in September and 90% of students who missed more than 4 days went on to become chronically absent for the school year (Attendance Works).
We hope all SEP buildings will join in as we celebrate good and improved attendance and share the positive aspects of school attendance with students and families this fall. For more info, see the following resources:
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