Increasing Attendance through Building Community

This workshop focuses on addressing chronic absenteeism in K–12 schools by fostering a sense of community across classroom, school, home, and broader community contexts. It begins with a deep dive into the definitions, data, and influencing factors of absenteeism, and moves toward research-based strategies to promote attendance through supportive, rather than punitive, measures. Emphasis is placed on relationship-building, positive school culture, and coordinated community involvement. Participants explore real-world approaches to transforming attendance outcomes by developing inclusive environments and strengthening student engagement.

• Chronic absenteeism: students missing 10% or more of school days annually.
  
  
• Inequities in attendance, with students of color, those from low-income families, and students with disabilities disproportionately affected.
  
  
• Ineffectiveness of punitive approaches, such as suspensions, which tend to worsen absenteeism and impact marginalized groups more severely.
  
  
• Weak home-school-community relationships, contributing to students’ lack of motivation or support for attending school regularly.
  

1. Participants will identify root causes and risk factors of chronic absenteeism Address root causes including academic, socio-emotional, environmental, and socioeconomic challenges. This understanding enables more targeted, compassionate, and culturally responsive interventions.
   
   
2. Practical strategies to build community within schools and classrooms Implementing positive student-teacher relationships, creating inclusive school cultures, establishing student-led attendance initiatives, and utilizing early detection systems.
   
   
3. Explore methods to engage families and the broader community This includes organizing parent workshops, facilitating home visits, and partnering with local businesses, health providers, and social service agencies to remove attendance barriers and reward consistent attendance.
   
   

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