88th Annual CASCWA State Conference

As we continue to analyze and evaluate various strategies to combat chronic absenteeism within our student populations, Micha Saenz and Gabby Britt review the multiple barriers to school attendance, vulnerable student populations, and how chronic stress contributes to chronic absenteeism. They will also provide in-depth and invaluable strategies to assist school districts in developing strategic plans to support their students in multiple domains. In this presentation, they will offer comprehensive school-wide approaches and interventions to support students by removing barriers, providing targeted support, and accessing necessary, school-based and community-based resources  

Improving Chronic Absenteeism Network (ICAN) is a collaborative improvement model that makes use of an innovative network approach.  Discover how school teams participating in a boots-on-the-ground “breakthrough” network has resulted in a remarkable decline in chronic absenteeism across multiple cohorts. Explore the improvement journey of ICAN and its far-reaching impact in re-connecting students to the school community.  Learn from the San Diego County Office of Education innovative approach synergizing improvement methodology, tools, and adult mindsets within a network context to center on students and their lived experiences. A comprehensive session unraveling ICAN's groundbreaking approach and potential utility as a model to replicate.

Attendance Matters! Strategies depend on your specific data and supports. Participants will review how a school with 80% English Learners, near the Mexican border, with 94% ADA supported growth to result in 97% ADA in four years. Participants will also see examples of tiered systems for different roles within a school site and district, to support students and help in improving ADA along with decreasing chronic absenteeism. Jorge Garcia has supported the attendance support requests, and Lisbeth has supported sites in middle school with attendance intervention, particularly when reaching tier 3 supports. Collaboration will be integrated, and strategies to consider equity and climate within the priority in attendance.

While chronic absenteeism has been a “hot topic” for the past few years, the pandemic thrust school attendance into the spotlight and pushed educational leaders to reexamine their systems of support in order to improve attendance and reduce chronic absenteeism rates. The Model School Attendance Review Board (SARB) Recognition Program identifies and recognizes outstanding and innovative multi-tiered school attendance improvement programs at the district or county level.  This workshop will include a panel of Model SARB awardees who will share strategies and best practices for implementing multi-tiered systems of support for attendance and encouraging collaborative, non-punitive approaches to engaging with students and families.

Meaningful Shifts for High Impact Attendance Initiatives