Summer 2024 / Volume 81, Number 9

www.ascd.org / Special Digital Issue

From
ABSENT to

Engaged
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 Summer 2024
Volume 81 • Number 9

From Absent to Engaged

22 38
10 Good Attendance Starts 22 We Love You Here! 34 Adapting Discussions
in the Classroom Shadae Thomas Harris to Unpredictable
Hedy N. Chang Richmond Public Schools is Attendance
Teachers have tremendous decreasing chronic absenteeism Matthew R. Kay
power to influence student by showing families they are How can teachers turn
attendance. valued. student unpreparedness
into participation?

16 Using AI to Fuel 28 The Middle Matters

Engagement and Jennifer Ciok 38 3 Strategies to Boost
Active Learning Regular attendance in middle Students’ Connection
Amy Holcombe and school is one of the strongest to School
Steve “Woz” Wozniak predictors for success in Gabriela López
Used in combination with high school—and beyond. New tools and resources can
creative human intelligence, help educators deepen student
artificial intelligence can engagement and belonging.
transform the way students
experience school.
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ASCD/ISTE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

NIKOLE BLANCHARD, CO-PRESIDENT;
MATT MINGLE, CO-PRESIDENT; JEREMY OWOH,
PRESIDENT-ELECT; CARLA JEFFERSON, TREASURER;
CHRISTIE TERRY, SECRETARY; PATRICIA BROWN;
CATHY COLLINS; PHYLLIS LOCKETT;
SOPHIA MENDOZA; ADAM PHYALL, III;
NORIS PRICE; SARENA SHIVERS; MARLON STYLES;

54
TACY TROWBRIDGE; KIM WALLACE;
AVIS WILLIAMS; CHARLES BADU YEBOAH

42 Attendance Is 54 Engagement: Are You DEPARTMENTS

a Family Affair Keeping SCORE?
Todd Rogers and Karen L. Mapp Harvey F. Silver and 5 Reader’s Guide
Research shows how strategic Abigail L. Boutz Sarah McKibben
family engagement can reduce A simple framework can help
educators promote (and track) 6 Advisory
absenteeism.
five key factors of engagement. 66 Tell Us About
48 Making School Worth Students share why they miss
Kids’ Time 60 INTERVIEW: Reinventing school and how teachers
Aleta Margolis
Summer Learning can help.

Educators can bring school Anthony Rebora

68 EL Takeaways
environments to life by Researcher Allison Crean Davis
mirroring children’s innate says intentionally designed
curiosity and imagination. summer programs offer
students a “unique and novel
experience.” Cover: ASCD illustration
Art resourced from Ksenz-E/Shutterstock
More from
JOURNAL STAFF
Proactive, Not Punitive Try Something New Put “Professional”
Sarah McKibben, Editor in Chief
Shift to proactive Florida superintendent
Back in PD
Tara Laskowski, Director,
attendance strategies to Matthew Hayes offers three District administrator Digital & Editorial Content
reduce chronic absences novel ways different schools Elizabeth Dampf advises Jessica Comola, Editor
in your school or district have reduced chronic school leaders how to
Emma Holdbrooks, Associate
with these tips from author absenteeism—and seen honor teacher agency and Online Editor
Jessica Sprick. great results. choice in PD sessions.
Lucy Robertson, Production Editor
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DUPLICATING POLICY: Readers of Educational

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 Reader’s Guide

Reducing Absenteeism Through

Engagement and Support

“C
an we talk about chronic the benefits of using more supportive and less
absenteeism?” This title of a punitive language in truancy notices and sending
recent Reddit post grabbed my families personalized attendance “nudges” (p. 42).
attention mid-scroll. As the teacher posing This issue is also packed with ideas on
the question explained, she sees the “national increasing student engagement so students
headlines” about the problem, but her district want to show up and learn. For example,
is in “complete denial.” “How can we ‘build coauthors Amy Holcombe, dean of education
relationships’ with kids who are never there?” at High Point University, and Steve Wozniak,
she asked. The struggle to get kids to go to school cofounder of Apple, share AI activities (and
and then actually attend class, she added, is like sample prompts) that can help students be
trying to keep “sand in a sieve all day long.” “active participants in their learning as opposed
Her frustration was palpable, and to passive recipients of information” (p. 16).
understandably so. Since the onset of Another article helps teachers keep “SCORE”
the pandemic, chronic absenteeism has of key engagement factors, including student
skyrocketed—and it’s taking a toll on student success, c­ uriosity, o
­ riginality, and interpersonal
engagement and academic achievement. Why ­relationships (p. 54).
have so many students and families become As this issue of Educational Leadership shows,
­disconnected from school? What can schools do fixing the “sieve” will take strategic work. But if
to ­re-engage them? the 500+ ­comments on the Reddit post are any
While chronic absenteeism is a deeply complex indication, chronic absenteeism is front of mind
issue, this digital edition of EL suggests that for classroom teachers. Let’s make addressing it
headway can be made. You’ll read about an front of mind for states and d ­ istricts, too, as
initiative in the Richmond, Virginia, school preparation for the new school year gets
district that almost halved absenteeism rates in underway.
some buildings by shifting family engagement
from “an isolated potluck into an essential
strategy that foster[s] student achievement and
two-way ­communication with families—on their
terms” (p. 22).
A recent NPR/Ipsos poll showed that just
one-third of families can identify what chronic
absenteeism actually is (missing 10 percent or
more of the school year). To ensure families
understand how it impacts their children’s
education, clear communication is essential.
Todd Rogers and Karen Mapp, researchers at
the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Sarah McKibben
cofounders of EveryDay Labs, share studies on Editor in Chief

ASCD / www.ascd.org 5
 Advisory

RESEARCH ALERT

To Bring Students Back to School, Visit Them at Home

A
recent report by the Center for Connecticut Education Research
Collaboration (CCERC) highlights how home visits
are transforming student attendance in
Connecticut. The Learner Engagement and
Attendance Program (LEAP) demonstrates
that personalized support directly
in students’ homes can make
a real difference.
Launched during the pandemic
in the summer of 2021, LEAP
targets students at risk of
chronic absenteeism by
fostering positive home-
school connections. At the
heart of LEAP’s effectiveness
are home visits that focus on
understanding families’ strengths,
aspirations, and barriers to
attendance. Conducted by trained
staff and community members, these
visits are culturally responsive and
adaptable to family preferences.
This approach ensures that interventions
are targeted and effective by identifying students
in need through school attendance data, tracking
their progress, and tailoring support based on insights from
families. Almost all of the participating districts saw a boost in attendance
rates, leading to an average increase of nearly 15 percentage points during Source: Center for Connecticut
the 2021–22 school year. Dramatic improvements were seen in districts like Education Research Collabo-
ration. (2022). An evaluation
Hartford Public Schools, where attendance rates jumped by nearly 30 percent.
of the effectiveness of home
The CCERC report also emphasizes best practices that enhance the visits for re-engaging students
program’s success: paying home visitors, ensuring their safety, connecting who were chronically absent
in the era of COVID-19.
families to visitors who speak their home language, and repeating visits to
build stronger connections with families.
As LEAP’s success indicates, sometimes it takes going door-to-door to
reconnect with students and families.

6 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024 FG TRADE / iSTOCK

 Advisory

NUMBERS OF NOTE

52%
of students who
experienced
homelessness
were chronically
absent during
the 2021–22
school year.
SUWAREE TANGBOVORNPICHET / iSTOCK

Source: National Center for Homeless

Education. (2023). Student homelessness in
America: School years 2019-20 to 2021-22.

QUOTABLE

“
We know that hunger leads to many
mental and physical health issues.
It can affect children’s ability to
“
focus and perform to their potential,
and it also has an impact on
student attendance.
—Luis Eladio Torres
The Six Priorities: How to Find the Resources
Your School Community Needs (ASCD, 2023)

ASCD / www.ascd.org 7
 Advisory

NOTEWORTHY

When Attendance Gets Personal

Individualized messages about students’ attendance can reduce days missed.

N
o one likes a robocall, especially about with two districts on a personalized postcard
their child. When informing families of project designed to address families’ misconcep-
student absences, many schools rely on tions about the importance of attendance in the

generic messages with a lot of legalese. But there is early grades (kindergarten through 2nd grade).

growing evidence that a little bit of personalization The postcards displayed the student’s name, the
number of days absent, and information about
can go a long way toward reducing absenteeism
what lesson the student missed that day. Over the
and building awareness of the importance of
course of one school year, the postcards reduced
­in-school instruction time.
absences by 7.9 percent, equal to gaining roughly
In one recent personalized message intervention,
6,883 instructional days.
eight rural districts in New York and Ohio reduced
These low-cost strategies provide caregivers with
absenteeism by 2.4 percent over the course of the
timely information about their child’s absences and
year by partnering with the National Center for
can be replicated by any district. Both networks
Rural Education Research Networks to pilot a series
provide free PDFs detailing the process for other
of personalized emails, texts, calls, and letters. In
schools to try.
another, Harvard’s Proving Ground Network worked

SENSVECTOR / SHUTTERSTOCK

8 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024

 Advisory

FIGURE 2.4 Anonymous Student Survey on Causes of Absenteeism

Approximately how many days have you been absent this year (circle one)?
0–1 2–5 6–9 10–17 18+

More
than
Indicate how often the following reasons contributed to your absences. Never Once once

JURKOS / iSTOCK I was seriously ill.

I had a cold, headache, toothache, or other minor or moderate illness.

I was tired and needed to sleep.

SCHOOL TOOL I had a doctor or dentist appointment.

I felt anxious or depressed.

Why Aren’t I missed the bus.

Students Coming I had no transportation to school.

It was not safe to walk to school.

to School? Weather made it too cold or hot to walk.

O
I had hygiene reasons (e.g., no clean clothes, no deodorant, felt dirty).
ne of the first steps in
I had to work.
addressing chronic
I had to take care of younger siblings or other family members.
absenteeism is to uncover
I didn’t think it would matter if I was absent.
the barriers keeping students at
home. This anonymous student I didn’t think adults at school would notice or care that I was absent.

survey, from Teacher’s Guide to I didn’t think my peers at school would notice or care that I was absent.

Tackling Attendance Challenges I didn’t think my parents would notice or care that I was absent.
by Jessica Sprick and Tricia Berg I did not complete homework or assignments.
(ASCD, 2019), can provide teachers I was not prepared for a test.
with valuable data about why I did not understand the work or expectations in class and didn’t want to go.
students in their classrooms are
My classwork was too hard.
missing school. Available as a
My classes were boring.
downloadable PDF, the survey
I was having conflict with peers.
can be adapted to the time of year,
grade level, or other factors that I was being teased or bullied.

contribute to absenteeism in the I was having trouble with a teacher or staff member.

local community. I was hanging out with friends outside of school.

I was spending time with my parent or guardian.

I was using technology (video games, computer, cellphone) I can’t use at school.

I was doing things I wouldn’t want to report to the school or my parents.

I was competing or participating in an outside-of-school sport or activity.

I was competing or participating in a school-sponsored sport or activity.

Source: Sprick, J., & Berg, T. (2019). Teacher’s guide to tackling attendance challenges.
ASCD.

ASCD / www.ascd.org 9
 Good Attendance
Starts in the
Classroom
Teachers have tremendous power
to influence student attendance.
Hedy N. Chang

I
n the aftermath of the COVID-19 pan- well-being; and a focus on building relation-
demic, chronic school absence has nearly ships (Chang, 2023). Reestablishing these
doubled in the United States. The U.S. learning conditions will require engaging with
Department of Education and most U.S. the entire school community and investing in
states define chronic absence as missing the power of teachers to make a difference.
10 percent of school for any reason, whether
the absences are excused or unexcused Why Teachers Matter
or take the form of suspensions. This has Teachers are key to creating positive
repercussions far beyond the nearly one in classroom climates (Backes et al., 2022) and
three students who are chronically absent. building trusting relationships with students
In schools where at least 20 percent of stu- over time. When teachers show they care,
dents don’t regularly attend, it’s difficult for students are more likely to feel they matter;
teachers to move forward with new lesson when they express confidence in a student’s
plans (Gottfried, 2014), and it even increases ability to learn, students are more likely to
the likelihood of absenteeism schoolwide believe in themselves even when they’re
(Kirksey et al., 2024). feeling less hopeful. Because of their ongoing
Chronic absenteeism erodes learning con- contact with students, teachers can notice
ditions that motivate students, including if something is amiss and offer additional
physical and emotional safety; a sense of ­outreach or support.
belonging, connection, and support; academic By the same token, chaotic and alienating
challenge and engagement; adult and student classroom environments undermine efforts

10 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024

 MIKOLETTE / iSTOCK

to nurture attendance (Van Eck et al., 2017). approach to reducing absenteeism has resulted
Students and families may ignore messaging in significant declines in chronic absence post-
or outreach that promotes attendance if they pandemic in both California and Connecticut.
don’t feel a sense of belonging and don’t believe On the basis of our experience, we offer teachers
that ­classrooms offer meaningful learning the following strategies.
­experiences.
To address this issue, schools can use our Nurture belonging and connection.
three-tiered intervention model (see fig 1). Teachers can promote attendance in this context
Although teachers can contribute at every tier, in a variety of ways.
their involvement is particularly crucial in Warmly welcome students and families. Before
­implementing foundational and universal Tier 1 the school year even begins, teachers can
supports that reach all students. welcome families by sending a note, an email,
or a text or by making a phone call, and they can
What Teachers Can Do continue these practices throughout the year. If
I am founder and executive director of a school has a web-based parent portal, teachers
­Attendance Works, a nonprofit that serves at can add welcoming messages to their classroom’s
least 40 school districts in five U.S. states. Our page or use apps that enable two-way texting.

ASCD / www.ascd.org 11
FIGURE 1. A Three-Tiered Approach to Addressing Chronic Absenteeism dreams, build relationships,
and offer support. Parent
Teacher Home Visits reduced
chronic absence overall for a
school as long as the program
served 10 percent of the student
population. In C­ onnecticut,
the state-­supported implemen-
tation of LEAP in 15 school dis-
tricts improved attendance by
15 percent.
Provide engaging learning
opportunities. Students and
families are more likely to
feel connected to school if the
learning opportunities are
engaging and relevant to their
lives. “Relevant—and ­Culturally
Relevant—Instruction” in
the Attendance Playbook:
Smart Strategies for Reducing
Being welcoming also starts at the classroom door. Student Absenteeism Post-Pandemic (Jordan,
In this video by Edutopia, the teacher greets her 2023), describes how to help students connect
students at eye level and offers them a high-five, a what they’re learning to their lived experiences,
handshake, or a hug. increase student voice initiatives, and create career
Ensure positive relationships. Teachers and staff and educational pathways.
should consider the extent to which they have a Offer a supportive learning environment.
relationship with each student and family they According to a national survey by Youth Truth
serve. Adapted from a tool created by Harvard Uni- (Center for Effective Philanthropy, 2023), anxiety
versity, this resource on mapping quality connec- and depression increased significantly since the
tions offers a systematic way to examine whether COVID-19 pandemic. This tip sheet from the
every student has a positive connection to a staff National Association of School Psychologists
member, with special attention to students at risk (Malone, Dugas, & Ellis, 2020) offers a variety of
(Summers, 2024). strategies that teachers can use, including imple-
Invest in home visits. Relational home visits can menting predictable classroom routines, helping
improve attendance by bridging the gaps that exist students understand the connection between
when educators don’t live in the neighborhoods anxiety and physical symptoms, and creating a
served by their schools or share the ethnic or class plan for managing anxious behaviors.
backgrounds of their students. Two home visit
programs have been proven to reduce chronic Incorporate attendance messaging into
absence: Parent Teacher Home Visits, which is a ­routines and interactions.
universal intervention, and C ­ onnecticut’s Learner In morning routines, teachers can let students
Engagement and Attendance Program (LEAP), know they are missed when they’ve been absent,
which is a targeted intervention for chronically and they can welcome them when they return.
absent students. Both models emphasize using Key talking points for interactions with students
a first visit to hear about a family’s hopes and and families are included in the Showing Up

12 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024

 Promoting
attendance and
engagement
starts with knowing
who can help.

RICHLEGG / iSTOCK
Matters for R.E.A.L. toolkit (Attendance Works, response to support healing. (See this article
2022). These focus on building routines, increasing from the American Psychological Association
engagement, providing access to resources, for guidance.) A variety of studies (Allison et
and supporting learning. Recognizing good and al., 2019; ­Attendance Works & Healthy Schools
improved—not just perfect—attendance can Campaign, 2015; Brundage et al., 2017; Chang et
generate excitement and create opportunities for al., 2019) reveal that many school absences are
messaging. For example, rather than recognizing caused by challenges beyond a student’s or family’s
only the students who show up every day for an control. These include lack of access to healthcare,
entire quarter, schools can hand out raffle tickets unreliable transportation, unstable housing,
daily to each student who arrives at school on lack of safe paths to school, as well as in-school
time in the morning and announce the winner difficulties, such as being bullied and struggling
at the end of the week during the last period of academically. In these cases, a punitive approach
the day on Friday to discourage students from could hinder attempts to identify and address
leaving early. Schools can do this intermittently the underlying reasons that students miss school
throughout the school year. (McNeely et al., 2023).
Consider these tips from Attendance Works
(2023, July) on how to establish meaningful Use conferences to promote attendance.
incentives, which might include offering no-cost One-on-one student-teacher conferences or IEP
rewards, such as being first in the lunch line meetings are opportunities to update families and
and having lunch with a favorite teacher, or caregivers on their child’s attendance and share
items that address common barriers to getting what students are learning. Before the conference,
to school, such as gas cards, grocery cards, or teachers should review attendance data for
food baskets. each of their students. If they aren’t sure how to
Avoiding a blaming approach is crucial. approach a particular child or family, they might
Research (Stempel et al., 2017) shows that consult with another teacher who has managed
absenteeism is correlated with traumatic to establish such a rapport. Teachers should
­experiences, which require a compassionate also make sure they have translation support to

ASCD / www.ascd.org 13
 FIGURE 2. Discussing Students’ Attendance Status with Families and Caregivers

c­ ommunicate with families who speak languages for getting help for a given student or family? If
other than English. your school lacks such a team, a school nurse or
Staff can tailor their approach according to social worker can help clarify what is happening
the student’s attendance status, which can range with a particular child or parent, and they may
from being excellent to being characterized by have access to resources that can reduce bar-
chronic absence. Figure 2 suggests a ­ ppropriate riers. For example, they might provide needed
talking points for each of three levels of health services or offer transportation passes.
­attendance. For more guidance on how to take a whole-
For students with severe levels of absenteeism, school approach involving teachers, check out
teachers might ask for help from the principal, this resource from Attendance Works (2023,
school counselor, or school nurse, or schedule an May). Districts and states can also focus on our
additional meeting to allow more time to under- key ingredients for systemic change (Attendance
stand why the student is absent. This toolkit Works, 2018).
from Attendance Works (2024) offers more tips
on engaging families at conferences. Helping Teachers Make It Happen
Teachers have tremendous power to influence
Draw on school resources. student attendance. They are the first to witness
Promoting attendance and engagement starts how absences can disrupt learning, not just for
with knowing who can help. Does your school the absent student but also for the entire class.
have a team that is responsible for crafting However, teachers shouldn’t be expected to
and implementing a schoolwide strategy for do this work alone. Education and community
reducing chronic absence? If so, who is on the leaders need to ensure that teachers have the
team? When do they meet? What is the process support they need to tackle chronic absenteeism.

14 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024

 absenteeism post-pandemic. FutureEd
For example, districts can ensure and Attendance Works.
that teachers have access to friendly
Reflect & Discuss Kirksey, J. J., Gottfried, M. A., Ansari,
A., & Lansford, T. (2024). Absent
and clear messaging about the impor-
tance of daily attendance and to tech- peers, present challenges: The differ-
How is your school addressing ential impact of in-person and virtual
nology that supports meaningful
chronic absenteeism post- classmate absences on future attendance.
two-way communication with fam- Working paper No. 01-003. Texas Tech
pandemic?
ilies. They should also have access to ­University, College of Education.
resources that address basic needs, Malone, C., Dugas, J., & Ellis, T. (2020,
What is the most important
such as food, transportation, and September 10). Anxiety: Helping
thing you can do as a teacher
handout for school and home. National
warm clothing. To support students to promote attendance?
­Association of School Psychologists.
who are experiencing social-emotional McNeely, C., Chang, H., & Gee, K. (2023,
or physical health-related challenges, What school or district March). Disparities in unexcused
teachers should also have easy access support would most help you absences across California schools. Policy
to counselors, mental health thera- in this effort? Analysis for California ­Education.
pists, nurses, and school-based health Stempel, H., Cox-Martin, M., Bronsert,
M., Dickinson, L. M., & Allison, M. A.
services. Districts can encourage
(2017, September 18). Chronic school
strong relationship building among absenteeism and the role of adverse
teachers by providing professional Backes, B., Cowan, J., Goldhaber, D., & childhood experiences. Academic
development and making sure that Theobald, R. (2022, October). Teachers ­Pediatrics, 17(8), 837–843.
and school climate: Effects on student Summers, A. (2024). Mapping relation-
teachers have time to visit or make
outcomes and academic disparities. ships: A systems solution for attendance,
phone calls to students and parents. CALDER Working Paper No. 274-1022. academic, and behavior success. Educa-
With this support in hand, teachers Brundage, A. H., Castillo, J., & Batsche, tional Service Center of Central Ohio.
can effectively promote attendance G. M. (2017, August). Reasons for Van Eck, K., Johnson, S. R., Bettencourt,
throughout the school day. chronic absenteeism among secondary A., & Johnson, L. S. (2017). How school
students: Survey summary report. climate relates to chronic absence:
Florida Department of Education and A multi-level latent profile analysis.
References ­University of South Florida.
Allison, M. A, Attisha, E., Council on Journal of School Psychology, 61, 89–102.
Center for Effective Philanthropy. (2023).
School Health, Lerner, M., DePinto, C.
Students weigh in, Part IV: Learning &
D., Beers, N. S., et al. (2019, February 1).
well-being after COVID-19. Youth Truth
The link between school attendance
Student Survey.
and good health. Pediatrics, 143(2).
Chang, H. N. (2023). Chronic absence:
American Psychological Society. (2021,
A call for deeper student and family
October). Students exposed to trauma.
engagement. State Education Standard,
Attendance Works. (2018). Key ingre-
3(3), 18–40.
dients for systemic change.
Chang, H. N., Osher, D., Schanfield,
Attendance Works. (2022, April). Showing
M., Sundius, J., & Bauer, L. (2019,
up matters for R.E.A.L. A toolkit for com-
S­ eptember). Using chronic absence data
municating with students and families.
to improve conditions for learning.
Attendance Works. (2023, May). District
Edutopia. (2019, January 14). Making
and school teams.
­connections with greetings at the door.
Attendance Works. (2023, July). Atten-
Gottfried, M. A. (2014). Peer effects in Hedy N. Chang is the founder and
dance recognition.
urban schools: Assessing the impact executive director of the nonprofit
Attendance Works. (2024, February).
of classroom composition on student initiative Attendance Works, which
Engage families at teacher conferences.
achievement. Educational Policy, 28(5), advances student success by reducing
Attendance Works & Healthy Schools
607–647.
Campaign. (2015, September). Mapping chronic absence.
Jordan, P. (2023). The attendance playbook:
the early attendance gap: Charting a
Smart strategies for reducing student
course for student success.

ASCD / www.ascd.org 15
Using AI to Fuel
Engagement and
Active Learning

16 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024

 Used in combination with creative human
intelligence, artificial intelligence can
transform the way students experience school.
Amy Holcombe and Steve “Woz” Wozniak

“W
hat’s your favorite yield 100 percent engagement. As educators,
subject?” our greatest challenge is replicating these
“Recess,” she engaging learning experiences within the
promptly replied. confines of four classroom walls filled by
“What’s your 30 desks and limited resources, a scenario
second favorite designed to educate the masses. Impossible
subject?” I asked. to reach a 100 percent engagement level? No.
Noelle, the precocious 2nd grader and Challenging? Yes.
­burgeoning artist who had mastered reading New artificial intelligence (AI) tools
at the age of 3, answered, “­Dismissal!” are rapidly making it less challenging to
Despite the presence of supportive adults break down the proverbial classroom walls
and a nurturing learning environment, and create more interactive and engaging
Noelle found herself disengaged from learning experiences in schools. AI encom-
school. Spending long hours confined to a passes a wide array of applications that can
desk for 180 days a year did not ignite her be used in K–12 education. These include
passion for learning. Instead, she thrived robotics, natural language-processing
outdoors, enjoying activities like bug col- models, image and music generation tools,
lecting, devouring books, and sketching automated planning and scheduling,
the bats that flew out of the bat house she machine learning, and knowledge-based
got for her birthday. While her curiosity systems (U.S. Department of Education,
knew no limits, school failed to engage 2023). Many educators have become early
her in exploring, thinking, and problem adopters and champions of AI, using it
solving. To Noelle, it was a place where as a pedagogical tool to enhance student
teachers imparted knowledge and students engagement and motivation for learning
listened dutifully. (Quizlet, 2023). Already, we are beginning to
Like Noelle, most children possess experience the ways in which AI can increase
an innate curiosity and drive to acquire engagement in the classroom while also
knowledge. They exhibit boundless reducing the rote work of teachers.
enthusiasm for experimentation, skills But there is more to be done. We believe
acquisition, and problem solving. This is that artificial intelligence (machine learning)
evident when observing them at zoos, chil- powered by large language models and
dren’s museums, playgrounds, or engaging prompted by actual intelligence (the
in imaginative play with friends. These human brain) can significantly increase
MIKIMAD / iSTOCK ­stimulating environments, where children engagement for students like Noelle. Here
are active participants in their learning as are some examples.
opposed to passive recipients of information,

ASCD / www.ascd.org 17
Creative Ways to Use AI content is both culturally relevant and
From simple idea generation to the accessible. To enhance content acces-
use of AI chatbots for research to 3 Tips for Citing sibility, educators are turning to AI
working with customized GPTs (gen- AI in Student and to adjust the reading level for mixed-
erative pre-trained transformers) ability groups within a class and are
targeted at specific content areas,
Teacher Work translating content into students’
teachers are experimenting with AI primary languages, catering to diverse
to level-up learning. The following
1 learning needs with great efficiency.
Note the way AI is used in
student engagement activities are After inputting a prompt to revise the
each based upon Steve’s model:
an assignment (e.g., was it text level, students can then complete
used for brainstorming, the teacher planned activity for that
Artificial Intelligence inspiration, revising, or particular lesson without the barrier
+ Actual Intelligence generating the content?). of accessibility.
Sample prompts: Rewrite this
Increased Student Engagement
2 passage at a 3rd grade level. [Or]
This model relies on machine Name the AI tool used. Translate this passage from English
learning to support more authentic into Spanish.
learning experiences for students. We
3
Provide the prompt used.
tested each of these activities with the Craft Case Studies
most widely used natural language AI tools efficiently create content,
GenAI tools, including ChatGPT, such as case studies or scripts,
Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity. The available online and that it is students’ saving educators time. By inputting
generated results were of similar ­transformation of them into new a prompt with parameters such as
quality and usability; however, we products that holds the real educa- audience, voice/tone, and length,
anticipate that these, and other tools, tional value. Shorten the fact-finding educators can receive tailored case
will rapidly advance in their usability process by teaching students how to studies in seconds, enhancing student
as the technology improves. use AI to quicky gather information, engagement in complex problem-
As with any GenAI tool, the output allowing more time for complex infor- solving discussions with real-life sim-
quality increases in relation to the mation-processing tasks that require ulations. Students can further engage
quality of the input. For best results, “actual intelligence,” such as fact- in the content and ideas through role-
teach students how to provide detail checking and analysis. After inputting play, debate, or by writing persuasive
and specificity in their prompts (the a prompt to gather facts (and arguments to convince others of their
question or input that is provided vetting those facts), students should viewpoints.
to the GenAI model) and then take activate their “actual intelligence” Sample prompt: Create three single-
advantage of the “ask follow-up” to transform those facts into new paragraph case studies depicting the
option provided to increase the quality products such as a comparison paper, experiences of the British, French, and
of the output. presentation, speech, or diorama. Germans following the signing of the
Sample prompt: Create a content Treaty of Versailles. In each case study,
Gather Facts Quickly matrix for beavers, nutria, groundhogs, identify the country’s main motivations
Remember those early research and muskrats that compares their and explain the conflicts they had with
projects when your class spent a week ­scientific name, physical characteristics, each of the other countries.
going to the school library, using a preferred environment, and behaviors.
card catalogue to find resources on Gamify Learning
a topic? Educators are now well- Create Accessible Content Enhance learning through gamifi-
aware that basic facts are readily Student engagement increases when cation by using AI to create interactive

18 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024

 Impossible to reach a 100 percent
engagement level? No. Challenging? Yes.

activities like word walls, Jeopardy or game an AI tool for personalized recommendations on
boards, scavenger hunts, crossword puzzles, and increasing clarity, tone, organization, or even to
vocabulary games. Introducing novelty into the serve as a grammar checker.
learning process boosts student engagement and Sample prompt: Generate a 200-word letter
retention of content. written from the perspective of an atom, asking the
Sample prompt: Create a Jeopardy Board for the Cavendish Laboratory not to be split.
novel To Kill a ­Mockingbird.
Personalize Tutoring and Test P ­ reparation
Generate Activities Using AI to study smarter is one of the most
One of the more popular uses of AI by educators cited uses by students. AI is a highly effective
is to brainstorm grade-level learning activities tool for engaging students in previewing and
that are more engaging than what they’ve done reviewing content by generating vocabulary
previously or than what is suggested in their cur- games, feeding questions at different DOK levels,
riculum materials. The AI tool will first decon- summarizing complex material, reviewing
struct the learning standard, breaking it down processes, and more. When students use AI to
into its fundamental components. Then it will craft their own study experiences, they are more
generate learning activities designed to engage engaged and motivated to learn the content.
students with the content by drawing from the Sample prompt: Create a match game to teach
best ideas from across the web. To explore a me the parts of a plant cell.
single suggestion further, use the “ask follow-
up” option for more details and how-to’s. Write Songs for Learning
Sample prompt: Generate a list of highly inter- There is much research linking music to infor-
active activities that are appropriate for teaching mation retention. Teachers and students can
a 4th grader about the causes of day and night and select a well-known tune and ask AI to generate
the phases of the moon. a content-related song using that melody. Chal-
lenging students to use AI to write a first version
Stimulate Writing or even a first verse followed by further student-
Many teachers use RAFT (role, audience, format, written verses will not only create a highly
topic) as a structured framework for increasing engaging learning activity but will aid in moving
writing engagement. This entire process can the information into long-term memory.
be modeled and taught to students using AI. As Sample prompt: Write a song to the tune of
a whole group, students can practice writing “Happy Birthday” to teach me about Marie Curie.
AI prompts—changing out the role, audience,
format, and topics—and quickly review how the Generate Choice Boards
output of the AI tool changes. After sufficient Nothing is more engaging than getting to choose
­modeling, challenge students to create their own how you learn. Provide a curriculum standard,
RAFT writing sample. They can then feed it into grade range, and number of choices and let AI do

ASCD / www.ascd.org 19
the hard work of generating assign- In general, there are three best
ments. Present the choice board to ­ ractices for the transparent use of AI
p
students, allowing them to select
Reflect & Discuss in teacher and student work. To cite AI
which activities they will complete to use in instruction, Steve suggests:
­demonstrate mastery. How could you use AI in the 1. Noting the way AI is used in
classroom to strengthen your
Sample prompt1: Create a choice an assignment (e.g., was it used for
students’ critical thinking skills or
board for 8th graders with 10 options ­brainstorming, inspiration, revising,
“actual intelligence”?
for mastering the following cur- or generating the content?).
riculum standard: Analyze the rela- 2. Naming the AI tool used.
Which activity suggested by
tionship between trade routes and 3. Providing the prompt used.
Holcombe and Wozniak piqued
the development and decline of major your interest the most? How As with any technology, the
empires (e.g., Ghana, Mali, Songhai, could you incorporate it in an increased adoption of AI will lead to
Greece, Rome, China, Mughal, Mongol, upcoming lesson or introduce it both innovative practices and unin-
­Mesoamerica, Inca, etc.). to staff? tended consequences. For example,
overreliance on the use of AI may lead
Produce Plays some educators to stray away from
Do you want to engage all your stu- Buddy, Eduaide.Ai, Brisk Teaching, state mandated curriculum standards
dents in active learning? Ask AI Twee, LingoTeach.ai, Gibbly, and PI. in favor of novelty activities. Further, a
to generate short plays, complete Teachers are largely leading the way in lack of training may lead to the misuse
with stage design tips, costuming, the development of these tools and are of AI, failure to cite original sources,
­narration, and dialogue around a even monetizing GPTs by developing or even the spread of misinformation
topic. Divide the class into groups, and offering them to others in the field when facts are not checked. As edu-
each with a different AI-generated seeking to save time. cators, we must take these lessons of
play, and challenge them to produce experience and learn from them so
the play for the class, interpreting the Looking Around the that we mitigate any collateral damage
script by acting it out for themselves Proverbial Corner while realizing the benefits of com-
and their peers as they gain a deeper It is expected that AI will soon become bining AI with actual intelligence to
understanding of the content. a standard tool for all educators, akin achieve increased engagement for
Sample prompt: Write a five-page to textbooks or computers. As its all students. AI is not a substitute
script at a 9th grade reading level for adoption grows, the need for regu- for human connection but rather a
a play about the Boston Tea Party that lation will rise in tandem. In 2023, support for teachers. It cannot replace
presents the perspectives of both the the U.S. Department of Education the “human element of teaching,
British government and American published its report Artificial Intel- which includes empathy, creativity,
colonists. Provide stage design tips, ligence and the Future of Teaching and adaptability to unique learning
­costuming, narration, and dialogue for and Learning, which includes defini- needs” (Greene-Harper, 2023).
six characters. tions of terms, explanations of new When used in purposeful ways by
For those seeking more inspiration, technologies, and guidance on the talented educators, AI offers the
Facebook and Instagram have a mul- appropriate use of AI tools. Nonprofit potential to personalize learning
titude of groups dedicated to the use organizations such as the Consortium engagement for all students, ensuring
of AI in K–12 education. Popular tools of School Networks (COSN) and that actual intelligence will always
being used by educators include but AI4K12.org have crafted guidelines carry greater value than artificial
are not limited to MagicSchool, Mizou, for AI use in classrooms, in addition intelligence. And for learners like
Diffit, Khanmigo, Hello History, to an increasing number of states Noelle, AI allows them to become
Curipod, Parlay Genie, Teacher’s and d ­ istricts. active participants in their own

20 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024

learning, offering limitless paths to engage with
data, information, and other students in ways that
are beyond our current imagination.
1
Sample prompt from the North C ­ arolina Department
of Public ­Instruction’s social studies standards.

Authors’ note: Portions of this article were edited with

Perplexity AI, using the prompt, “Rewrite for clarity.”

References
Greene-Harper, R. (2023, April 27). The pros and cons of
Amy Holcombe is the dean of the Stout School of
using AI in learning: Is ChatGPT helping or hindering
Education at High Point University in North Carolina.
learning outcomes? eLearning Industry.
Steve “Woz” Wozniak is the co-founder of Apple
Quizlet (2023, July 14). Quizlet’s state of AI in education
survey reveals teachers are surprise AI champions. Computers Inc., Woz Ed, Woz U, and Efforce. Together,
[Press release]. PR Newswire. Holcombe and Wozniak have convened students,
U.S. Dept. of Education, Office of Educational educators, and members of the public to discuss the
­Technology. (2023, May). Artificial intelligence and role of AI in the future of teaching and learning.
the future of teaching and learning: Insights and
­recommendations.

Create Your
Rhythm for
Innovation!
Supercharge your
leadership skills in Explore, Collaborate, Excel
Nashville, Oct. 18-20.
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ASCD / www.ascd.org 21
We Love You Here!
“M
Richmond Public s. Brown,” I said, “I’m Dr. Harris, chief engagement
officer from Richmond Public Schools. We wanted
Schools is decreasing to tell you how great your daughter is doing. We love
seeing her at school.”
chronic absenteeism by Ms. Brown (a pseudonym) seemed surprised to see

building relationships
me knocking on her door for a home visit. Her eyes darted from me to Marquis,
the family liaison. The corners of her mouth turned upward, but she had
grounded in trust. ­questions in her eyes.
“So, you’re just coming by here to say she’s good?” Her head tilted to the side.
Marquis shifted his notebook to his left hand, extending his right hand toward
Shadae Thomas Harris
Ms. Brown. She examined his hand for a moment before taking his offering.
“Yeah,” I said. “We love her and wanted you to know she’s gotten more
learning time in since she’s been making it to school more often. Thank you. Is
there ­anything else we can support you with?”
A long exhale filled the space between us as Ms. Brown’s shoulders relaxed.

Above: City leaders, teachers, and emergency services personnel cheer

students on during their first day of school at Fairfield Court Elementary.

22 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024 PHOTOS COURTESY OF RICHMOND PUBLIC SCHOOLS

 A family liaison
shares breakfast
snacks and words of
encouragement with
students getting off the
bus at Martin Luther
King Jr. Middle School.

“OK.” She smiled. “That’s good to hear. Whew. I when the truth was, in communities like
didn’t know what to expect.” ­Richmond’s historic Jackson Ward neighborhood,
When I visit families like the Browns, I am barriers persisted for families that prevented
reminded of bell hooks’ definition of love as an ­students from coming to school.
action. I agree that loving well is “the task in Laden with assumptions about what families
all meaningful relationships” (hooks, 2000). As believed and needed, this punitive way of thinking
Richmond Public Schools’ (RPS) first-ever chief failed to acknowledge families’ humanity,
engagement officer, my role supported the dis- strengths, and challenges. By not creating space
trict in building meaningful relationships with to understand families’ experiences, the system
families and the community to reach district alienated them, isolating absenteeism from
goals. I aimed to create a system of learning that learning and family contexts. After spending time
loves the s­ tudents, families, and communities with families to understand their actual needs, I
of Richmond well. realized that the solution to chronic absenteeism
could neither decouple students from their
Why Traditional Methods Fail families nor families from their communities and
In the 2021–22 school year, chronic absenteeism, ­contexts. We needed to see families.
which RPS defines as being absent 10 percent
or more of the school year, soared as high as A Relationship Issue
37 percent across all student populations. Atten- As a former principal, I believe that students not
dance officers monitored families when students coming to school isn’t an attendance issue; it’s a
missed school and told families when and how relationship issue.
to show up. This one-sided relationship failed to As sociologist Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot writes,
lower chronic absenteeism. “Parents enter the school building not just as indi-
This traditional approach to absenteeism was viduals but as representatives of families, their his-
punitive. It assumed that students missed school tories and aspirations woven into the tapestry of
because their families didn’t value e
­ ducation, their children’s lives” (2003, p. 11). These h
­ istories

ASCD / www.ascd.org 23
 Barack Obama
Elementary School
Teacher of the Year
Sharese Williams and
one of her students share
a joyful hug.

include uncomfortable experiences of not being Some individual schools experienced a 50 percent
seen or valued, and if the district doesn’t take reduction in chronic absenteeism by prioritizing
that into account, it will be difficult to build family engagement.
trust. Parents are balancing the world: raising Here are some steps we took.
their children, making a living, and advocating
for a better future. It’s a lot. Families will not take Looking at the Problem from a
part in spaces they feel don’t value them. Systems Approach
A relationship based on trust makes love Systems either create or impede capacity. To
possible. As a district, RPS committed itself to understand our obstacles and capacity, RPS
showing families that we value them by teaching hosted over 150 meetings in Richmond as part
with love, leading with love, and serving with of a districtwide strategic planning process. The
love as its priorities. From these district pri- meetings included RPS leadership, community
orities, I developed the We Love You Here cam- partners, and families. Engagement emerged
paign in 2022 as an initiative of the Office of as a clear districtwide priority from these
Engagement. The We Love You Here campaign ­conversations with the community and families.
was an intentional departure from transacting While relationships with families had always
with families, where attendance was the com- been a priority, family engagement was con-
modity. Our families needed to know we loved sidered a stand-alone activity. Each school and
them. Through activities that shifted RPS’ classroom used tactics like back-to-school nights
attention from attendance to making families and parent potlucks. These activities, while
feel seen, heard, and loved, we showed we important, did not invite families into a rela-
deserved their trust. tionship with RPS. They told families how to
As family engagement went up, chronic engage with the district rather than listening to
absenteeism in Richmond went down. Between families about how they wanted to be engaged.
the 2021–22 and 2023–24 school years, chronic We had to shift family engagement from an
absenteeism fell from 37 percent to 18.6 percent isolated potluck into an essential strategy that
for all students, a decrease of nearly 20 percent. fostered student achievement and two-way

24 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024

 RPS family liaisons
visit residents during
a Community Walk, a
neighborhood engagement
event aimed at building
strong relationships and
trust between families
and schools.

c­ ommunication with families—on the building of authentic relation- their feedback into action.
their terms. ships; (3) engagement affirms dif- One critical change we made was
In the Office of Engagement, ferences so that families feel seen, to create new family liaison roles
we tracked the implementation of heard, and loved; (4) engagement to replace attendance officers. The
engagement strategies at the school supports families’ advocating for their family liaison is a point of contact for
and district levels and created division- children; and (5) engagement shares families, and the role’s goal is to help
wide engagement toolkits that pro-
vided leaders clear expectations and
examples of how to build trust with
families. This initiative gave families
As home visits increased, we
a seat at the table. The office also
signaled to the district and the com-
saw chronic absenteeism
munity that families and communities decrease across the district.
were important in Richmond.

Prioritizing Relationships powers such that parents are equal remove barriers to student attendance.
Traditionally, educators have con- partners (Henderson, 2007). We divided our 22 family liaisons into
sidered family engagement to be an Our office provided professional neighborhoods so they could develop a
additional task outside their essential development that helped our edu- deep understanding of communities—
work. That narrative, however, had cators develop empathy for families the places of worship, the community
to shift for the district. The Office of and recognize their contributions leaders, and any persistent barriers.
Engagement created a professional to their child’s education. Teachers Family liaisons walk their assigned
learning experience for educators increased their direct outreach and neighborhoods regularly during com-
that spoke to Anne Henderson’s interaction with families. Our edu- munity walks, becoming visible to
five dimensions of effective family cators began holding space to listen to residents and greeting students on
engagement: (1) engagement is linked families, so parents felt they had a seat their way to school.
to learning; (2) engagement requires at the table. Our goal was to convert The family liaisons also conduct

ASCD / www.ascd.org 25
 Students not coming to school isn’t an
attendance issue; it’s a relationship issue.

morning home visits with all our families in families. For example, as home visits increased,
Richmond, with additional in-person supports for we saw chronic absenteeism decrease across the
some families when needed. During these visits, district. This shifted engagement out of a silo;
family liaisons listen to stories about the families’ we could now identify and share our best strat-
lives and share positive affirmations about the egies across RPS. Ultimately, the engagement
families’ children. They don’t discuss attendance. dashboard pushed us to quantify engagement,
Instead, they ask how we can help. As bell hooks analyze impactful practices, and draw stronger
explains, “We cannot know love if we cannot sur- correlations between engagement and positive
render our attachment to power” (2000, p. 135). ­attendance.
Spending time with families inside their homes Most importantly, the dashboard, accessible
shifts power to families on their terms and creates to both district and school-based staff, facilitated
a relational demand for the district to act on stronger internal communication and enabled
what it hears. school and district stakeholders to reallocate
We also realized there was an opportunity to resources in response to families’ needs. For
build meaningful, trusting relationships with fam- example, during home visits, my team spoke with
ilies even at the most punitive level—the truancy families about their needs, hopes, and desires. As
hearing. We partnered with the Richmond Juvenile we tracked this data across the district, we saw that
Court system to move petition hearings out of the housing was a real need for families. The Office of
courtroom and into a local middle school. The judge Engagement moved to create community partner-
now asks families to talk to various community ships that could provide direct financial assistance
partners located around the room, each one pro- to families.
viding potential services that could address family Quantifying engagement also meant changing
needs and offer areas of support. Families are how we measured absenteeism. Before the cre-
given a specific amount of time after working with ation of the Office of Engagement, absenteeism
a partner to improve attendance. Once families was measured by the number of u ­ nexcused
show improvement in a ­ ttendance, the court drops absences. However, whether or not the absence
the petition. is excused, students who miss school are still
missing instruction; missed instruction impacts
Quantifying Outreach achievement. I asked district leaders to reconsider
Teaching and learning are inseparable from atten- how we measured absenteeism so we could get a
dance. However, it is impossible to understand the fuller picture of how students were doing. Looking
impact of family engagement without looking at at the issue as instruction missed, rather than just
data in the context of r­ elationships with families. unexcused absence, created a fuller picture of the
I worked with my team to create an engagement learning environment and allowed us to u ­ nderstand
dashboard, which tracked not only our outreach with greater nuance the support f­ amilies and
to families but also feedback from them about how ­students needed.
to improve their educational experience. Using
the engagement dashboard, my team could clearly Honoring Personal and Community History
see how increased engagement correlated with As a former principal and the daughter of a
stronger attendance and relationships with our community organizer, I learned years ago the

26 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024

importance of honoring a commu-
­
the essence of my work as an educator
nity’s history and its present realities. and an engagement leader. This love
As each child enters the classroom Reflect & Discuss includes students, families, and staff,
with unique stories and needs, so because the people doing the work
does each family and community. Which of the strategies for need love, too.
When I came to Richmond, I sought engaging families mentioned Absenteeism is a national crisis.
to understand the beauty, resistance, here would work best for your Without our families, we cannot
and triumph of the communities school or district? address this issue. Our actions must
where my students and families grew align with our values, honor the com-
up. I spent my first year as the chief How does your school show munity’s needs and wisdom, and build
families they matter?
engagement officer asking ques- relationships grounded in trust. As
tions and listening. Family members bell hooks said, “True love does have
shared their hopes and dreams for the power to redeem, but only if we
themselves, their children, and social media, our website, and a are ready for redemption” (2000,
RPS. They expressed a desire to see family newsletter, we leveraged visual p. 107). Our responsibility is to be the
their children make an impact, drive storytelling to share families’ and love that creates a community that sees
change in Richmond, and inspire community members’ experiences. and welcomes families.
others from their community. Our In addition, the district expanded
conversations took place in living its communications team to create References
rooms, during engagement events, or space for families to tell their own Henderson, A. T. (2007). Beyond the bake
sale: The essential guide to family-school
any space that provided opportunity stories. These stories helped us repair
partnerships. New Press.
for ­connection. the harm that was done and let the
hooks, b. (2000). All about love: New
Richmond has a complex rela- ­community know we prioritized them. visions. William Morrow.
tionship with the Black community. The first step in redressing harm is Lawrence-Lightfoot, S. (2003). The
Richmond’s Jackson Ward community to recognize it. It isn’t easy to honor essential conversation: What parents
is known as the Harlem of the South history, but understanding the past and teachers can learn about each other.
Random House.
and thrives as an entertainment and and present harm experienced by
economic hub for the Black com- families begins the journey toward
munity. Yet Richmond’s history healing. We separate ourselves from
includes being the former capital families when we do not invest time
of the Confederacy, and many of its and heart into knowing their truth,
residents reacted violently to school including their tears and outrage. By
­desegregation. knowing what shapes families—where
Richmond’s complex history meant they have come from and where they
that many parents rightfully did not want to go—we can create a person-
trust us. We had to own our history alized engagement system based on
by openly acknowledging the harm the needs and the beautiful strengths
Shadae Thomas Harris, previously the
families experienced in the past and of the school community. We can build
chief engagement officer at Richmond
their concerns when interacting with a foundation to repair past injustices
Public Schools, leads Groundwork
families and the school staff now. and communicate respect and love so
Consulting, where she assists school
The Office of Engagement needed a families know they are valued.
districts in developing engagement
message that parents and community systems that center families. She is also
members could rally behind. The We Giving Families a Voice a distinguished professor in residence
Love You Here campaign was born from An effective engagement system at Virginia State University and the
the realization that parents needed to shows love for people. Love grounds founding faculty member of the VSU
feel love from the district. Through my actions with families. This act is Engagement Institute.

ASCD / www.ascd.org 27
 The
MIDDLE
Matters
Regular attendance in middle
school is one of the strongest
predictors for success in high
school—and beyond.
Jennifer Ciok

T
he bell rings. You are standing in the hallway chronically absent (missing more than 10 percent of the
welcoming students as they arrive. You school year for any reason) compared to pre-pandemic
overhear an intense conversation happening levels (Hays, 2024).
between a group of 8th grade boys about the For middle schoolers in particular, being chronically
newest drama between two celebrities. A few absent in these critical years can be the start of a pattern
7th graders share with you a good thing that that persists throughout the rest of their school career.
happened in their social studies class. A bunch A pre-pandemic longitudinal study of students in Utah
of 6th graders are racing to make it to class on found that chronic absenteeism begins to rise in middle
time. You are glad to see so many of them in the building, school, and that the more consecutive years of being
but in the same moment are worried about the quarter chronically absent for students led to a greater likelihood
of middle school students who are likely absent that day of a student dropping out. For each year that a student is
(Hays, 2024). Questions are swirling among staff: Why are chronically absent starting in 8th grade, the odds that he
so many students not coming to school? How can we get them or she will drop out approximately double (Utah Education
to come? How can we get them here on time? How can we Policy Center, 2012). More recently, in 2022, the U­ niversity
continue to teach the students who are in class every day, but of Chicago’s To&Through Project released a report
also support the ones who are not? finding that students with strong grades and attendance
Though concerns about attendance are not a new issue, in elementary and middle school were far more likely to
they have become more pressing and pervasive since 2020. graduate from high school and then enroll in college. In
Almost double the students nationwide are considered fact, students who had above a 3.0 GPA and 90 percent

28 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024 AKAMAKU / SHUTTERSTOCK

attendance were twice as
likely to graduate and almost
four times as likely to attend
college then those who
fall below in both of those
metrics (Seeskin et al., 2022).

Understanding Student
Experience
Knowing that attendance
is one of the strongest pre-
dictors of success for middle
schoolers in high school and
beyond, and that higher
attendance is linked to a
higher GPA and high school
graduation, it is important
to understand why students
who are coming to middle
school continue to come and
why those who don’t aren’t.
There are many reasons
why middle school students
FB TRADE LATIN / iSTOCK

may be absent from school, need to be made. Educators should share the
and many of those problems may not entirely purpose of the survey with students and let
be in their locus of control. Barriers like illness, them know what they will be doing with the
food insecurity, having to help care for younger ­information. This will help to get more truthful
siblings, other responsibilities at home, or unre- and robust answers from students.
liable transportation can cause students to be It is also important to find out why students
late or not come at all. Violence in a community aren’t attending school regularly. In these cases,
can lead to students being afraid to travel to and surveys are not enough. Oftentimes, because they
from the school campus. Some middle schoolers are chronically absent, these students’ voices are
are unsure of how they fit into their community missing in survey data, or students haven’t been
and can experience anxiety or bullying, which in school enough to feel like they can accurately
can lead to missed days or weeks. Each of these answer the questions. Conducting a focus group
factors requires a different approach and level of or an empathy interview with students (and
support for students and their families. potentially their families) may help to gather
A short culture and climate survey can be additional information. The principal, coun-
helpful to better understand the perceptions selors, or other team leaders can create a focus
students have of the school and their experiences group of chronically absent students to give them
overall. (See p. 31 for examples of questions to an opportunity to build off one another as to the
ask.) For students who are regularly in school, barriers they face in coming to school. Watch
this type of survey can help give school leaders for body language and for those who do not
information about both the positives of the participate to see if follow-up is needed. For an
school experience and what potential changes empathy interview—a o ­ ne-on-one conversation

ASCD / www.ascd.org 29
 It is important
to understand
why students
who are coming
to middle school
continue to come
and why those
who don’t aren’t.

MONKEYBUSINESS IMAGES / iSTOCK

with a student to understand their story and Brooklyn Raney writes in One Trusted Adult,
challenges—make sure that the student knows having a trusted adult during the period of
that they are not in trouble and that you are there adolescence “can significantly reduce risk, give
to listen and understand what is keeping them you a safe place for processing normal life ques-
from attending school. Stay curious when having tions, provide a teacher and model of important
these conversations and use them to better life skills, and help you calibrate your inner
understand the experiences of your students. compass” (Raney, 2019, p. xviii).
Once you have a better understanding of Having a positive, trusting connection to an
why students are missing school, you can start adult at school has also been shown to “have
to assemble teams who can support them and tremendous benefits that include reduced bul-
their families. These teams are most effective lying, lower drop-out rates, and improved social-
when made up of staff who can bring different emotional capacities” (Harvard Graduate School
approaches to problems, such as administrators, of Education, 2023).
counselors, teachers, or attendance coordinators. Here is a strategy that I have used effectively
with schools to identify students who may not
Building Trusted Connections have a strong connection at school and help them
Having a trusted adult at school is essential start the process of building that connection.
for middle school students in a time of devel- Begin by asking students if they feel connected
opment when they are trying to figure out who to an adult at the school and why. This can be
they are, who they might want to become, and done in a quick entrance or exit survey. Just make
how they fit into the school community. As sure that you have a way to track the i­ nformation

30 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024

and gather all voices. Flag stu- Survey Students About Their
dents who note that they don’t Connection to School
have a connection to anyone in Why aren’t students coming to school regularly?
the building. A simple survey can help you understand the root
Then ask teachers to identify causes of absenteeism—and also highlight areas for
students who they think would improved student connection to school. Questions
come to them with a problem. like the ones below can help identify themes and
Flag students who are not iden- patterns of students’ experiences.
tified by any teacher. Then
compare the lists. If there Scaled Questions

JA-ALJONA / SHUTTERSTOCK
are students who didn’t feel (1-strongly disagree to 4-strongly agree)
a connection to any teacher, n Our school is a welcoming place for all students.
but certain teachers felt those
n I can go to a teacher when I have a question about their class.
students would come to them
n I can go to a teacher when I have a problem.
with a problem, ask the teachers
to build a connection to those n I am happy to come to school each day.

students. For students who n The work we do in class is connected to things I am interested in.

named a teacher, but teachers

didn’t name them, make sure Open-Ended Questions
that the trusted teacher knows n Which teacher do you have a connection to? Why?
that the student feels connected n Which project/assignment/unit has been your favorite this
to them. If there are students year? Why?
who said they didn’t have a con-
n What has been your favorite moment at school this year?
nection to anyone and teachers
n What is something that you think our school does well?
also didn’t identify them, then
n What is something that you think our school could improve?
find teachers who are willing to
build an intentional connection Source: Jennifer Ciok
with those students.
Once teachers have their
individual lists of students to build intentional through the year, have students answer the same
connections, ask them to check in with those ­questions again, and see if more students feel a
students as often as possible throughout the week connection or if additional students need to be
about something other than their performance added to the intervention.
in school. Aiming for even a two-minute check-in Having trusted adults who are looking out for
each day can make a huge difference in building specific students helps not only to build connec-
that connection. tions, but also to problem solve when troubling
Every two to three weeks, ask teachers to share patterns arise around social-emotional needs,
any important information that they learned attendance, behavior, or grades. One middle
about their list of students in a team meeting. school team I worked with who put this into
Keep track of relevant information (such as stu- practice saw a big improvement. Two-thirds
dents’ interests, challenging home situations, of the students who said that they did not have
or interactions with peers) in a spreadsheet a connection at the beginning of the year were
so that you can see patterns and trends and able to name a trusted adult halfway through
note if ­additional support is needed. Midway the year. Teachers also reported that they

ASCD / www.ascd.org 31
 ­ nderstood their students better and that they
u
became better listeners to students’ needs when
they intentionally sought connections with Reflect & Discuss
them. They also saw students that they check in
with taking more accountability for their grades, What are a few ways that you currently
attendance, and behavior. gather data from students about their
experiences at school? How do you and
your colleagues act on that data?
Engaging Students in Learning
Though some attendance barriers go beyond
what an individual educator can solve, there are Of the three strategies—sharing stories,
some challenges that can be improved by making building connections, and connecting
changes in the classroom to help students to life outside of school—which do you
think is most needed in your school
feel more connected to their learning. Middle
or district? Why?
school is the second most active period of brain
development, a time when synapses are being
strengthened and students are exploring their
identity in a variety of new ways. To engage
students in learning, educators need to show experience that you have had where food was an
students they are seen, valued, and heard. They important part of the story?) or something con-
need to give students opportunities to build nected to their past (Share a time when you felt
peer relationships, share their own stories, and celebrated?). Teachers can assign a bigger project
feel like their work is connected to their life and where students have to interview someone from
­contributing to their community. their family about an experience or time period
Understanding how students are experiencing in history and share it with the class. They can
the classroom is the first step in knowing which give students choice in how to share their story
area to focus on. After analyzing survey results and make sure their peers have the opportunity
and information collected from focus groups or to give positive feedback. Sharing of stories can
empathy interviews, school leaders can share rel- break down barriers and build a strong sense of
evant findings with teachers so they can improve belonging where students feel connected to their
the experiences of students in their classrooms. classroom and school community.
Here are a few examples of ways educators can
better engage students. Help students build intentional connections.
Building structures where strong peer-to-peer
Encourage students to share their stories. relationships are central to the success of the
Knowing that your story matters and people see classroom is one way to make students feel
you for who you are is one of the most important valued in the classroom. This could take the form
things for middle school students seeking of a peer buddy system in the classroom where
belonging. As adolescents grapple with who students meet to hold each other accountable
they are and how they fit into their community, for the goals they set. It could also be opportu-
storytelling is a way for them to see each other’s nities where students come up with and lead the
humanity and perspectives and find common opening question of the day. Would you rather?
connections. questions are always a favorite, as are any ques-
Storytelling can happen in many ways. tions that generate some controversy. You
Teachers can give students time to share a story would never guess how much discussion comes
about their lives outside of school (What is an from asking the question, Would you rather

32 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024

 Join or renew
your ASCD
have pizza or tacos? or Which is more
important to you, loyalty or humor?
c­ urrently experiencing school,
making sure that all students have a
membership
These activities can help make school trusted adult in the building, and fig- and be a part
feel more ­relevant to students and uring out new ways to engage students
show them their voice is valued. based on their current development of a passionate
and the need to feel seen, valued, and
community
Connect learning to life heard, can truly make a difference in
outside of school. growing a strong community where of visionaries,
Why are we doing this? How will this students know that they belong.
ever help me? are questions that stu- trailblazers, and
dents often ask and teachers dread References
Harvard Graduate School of Education.
changemakers.
having to answer. Telling students
(2023). Relationship mapping strategy:
that they will “need this later in life”
Making caring common. Making Caring
often seems like an inadequate and
Common Project.
unsatisfying response. Helping stu- Hays, G. (2024, January 17). Chronic absen-
dents to make connections between teeism is up across the country. School
what they are learning in school and leaders are trying to address why. PBS.
life outside of school builds relevancy Raney, B. (2019). One trusted adult: How
to build strong connections and healthy
and a greater understanding of the
boundaries with young people. Circle
content. This can happen in small Talk ­Publishing.
ways, like giving students a choice in Seeskin, A., Massion, T., & Usher, A.
what they are learning or how they (2022). Elementary on-track: Elementary
are sharing their learning, having school students’ grades, attendance, and
future outcomes. University of Chicago
them practice a relevant skill like
Consortium on School Research.
public debate, or having students
Utah Education Policy Center. (2012). New benefits
make and share their own connec- Research brief: Chronic absenteeism.
tions to the content through writing
are coming.
or group share-outs. This could also Join or
become an entire unit where stu-
dents engage in a passion project or a renew
service-learning project that allows
them to take some action to help
today!
their community. Giving students
the opportunity to have this type of
choice and voice allows them to know
that they are being heard and that Click or scan below.
their voice matters and can make
a ­difference.
Jennifer Ciok is the manager of
Paving the Path for coaching and improvement for the
Future Success University of Chicago’s To&Through
For many middle schoolers, school Middle Grades Network. Her book on
can bring up a lot of emotions and practical ways for classroom teachers
to make work more meaningful in
can come with a lot of barriers.
middle school is forthcoming by ASCD.
­Understanding how students are

ASCD / www.ascd.org 33
Adapting Discussions
to Unpredictable Attendance
How can teachers turn Matthew R. Kay

student unpreparedness

I
began my teaching career at a school where,
into participation? for many reasons both in and outside of their
control, a lot of students struggled to come
to class. This meant that, on any given day, I
had no idea which students would be there.
I could plan few, if any, discussions around the
assumption that the same students who were
there yesterday would be there today. This also
meant that few valued resources, like books, went
home with kids because our school was not partic-
ularly confident that it would ever get them back.

34 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024 INCOMIBLE / iSTOCK

Always be ready for nobody to
have done “the reading.”

So, every day and every discussion had to make sense within
the context of a single class period. I could neither assume prior
knowledge about a text nor depend on the ability to follow up with
a student the next day. This is no longer my teaching reality, but
I learned a career-shaping lesson about class conversations
that first year: always be ready for nobody to have done
“the reading.” With this, our discussions can survive in
the face of absenteeism that can be both unpredictable
and ­pervasive.
Practically, this means that class discussions benefit
from teachers giving students immediate access to rel-
evant information and key terms before we start prompting.
Some kids might not need this information, as they come
to the moment prepared. Others, for whatever reason, do not,
and so we face the choice to either leave them behind or to give
them just enough of a grounding to participate. If our pride gets
involved, we might choose the former. This is understandable.
But it too often is an illogical choice. If kids do not have enough
information to participate, awkward silence might not be the
only consequence. These kids might become a classroom man-
agement problem. And what’s the point? It’s not like kids who
enter a c­ onversation unprepared will suddenly start doing their
homework tonight out of e ­ mbarrassment. We cannot fill students’
return to school with “gotcha” moments meant to shame them
into attending.

Making the Most of Discussion Time

There are a couple of ways to ground students in the information
being discussed. Unfortunately, both of these strategies eat at
valuable discussion time, so we have to choose wisely. First,
we can read aloud the portion of the text that will be discussed.
If we want the class to discuss one moment in an entire scene,
we could read aloud just that moment, even if it’s only one of
25 assigned pages of their homework. (I am a fan of making this
reading interactive, having kids “act out” or do dramatic voices.)
This roughly three-minute investment is not just for the kids

ASCD / www.ascd.org 35
 Discussions should not just be another way
for students who miss school to feel excluded
from the community that we’ve built.

who didn’t read. It’s for the kids who “read” overeager teacher. Again, what’s the point? Just
while doing their chores or playing video games tell them what happened! Now we can ask our
or watching TV. It’s for the kids who “read” at interesting prompts and get going.
2:00 a.m. with their eyes half-closed or in the
lunch period before class. Everyone could always Reframing Accountability
use a review. Any veteran ELA or history teacher Just to be clear, I am not against accountability.
can remember moments when students gasped I’m actually pretty old-school about quizzes,
at something that happened in the reading, using them for just about every take-home
and when asked why they were surprised, the reading. Students who don’t do the reading
students said some version of, “I swear that I will fail these quizzes. Students who don’t do
read it! I just didn’t remember that happening!” the reading will write bad essays. They will
I teach students Lord of the Flies, and every probably not get a good grade in my class.
year, when Simon dies, students who have not But class d­ iscussions have got to be different.
read attentively are s­ urprised as I review this Everyone gets to engage with the ideas if they
passage aloud: have even the slightest motivation to do so. Kids
At once the crowd [of kids] . . . poured down the who didn’t read might not get as much out of a
rock, leapt on the beast [Simon], screamed, struck, conversation as kids who did. But they should
bit, tore. There were no words, and no movements get something. Discussions should not just be
but the tearing of teeth and claws.1 another way for students who miss school to feel
They say, “Wait, they ate him?” Giggling, I excluded from the community that we’ve built.
say, “In a way, yup!” And suddenly, engagement Put simply, great classroom discussions should
is boosted. give students who are not motivated by quiz
Second, we can give students a quick summary
that might only take a few seconds. It helps if we
do a little bit of “selling” the reading. We might
just say, “So, in last night’s reading, ___ got in an
argument with ___ and it was wild!” From here, Reflect & Discuss
we could either tell the class what happened or
ask for volunteers to do so. It might be tough to Kay suggests great discussions
figure out when to ask for volunteers. Awkward can do more than hold students
silences are not always bad—­sometimes stu- accountable. How can class-wide
dents just need time to think or to work up the discussions authentically motivate
courage to raise their hands. But these awkward and engage students?
silences can be destructive when they follow
simple requests, like asking kids what happened What’s one strategy you could use
in the reading. We face the temptation to passive- to not make class discussions a
aggressively extend the silence, thinking we are “gotcha” moment for
unprepared students?
embarrassing unprepared students. And I’ve
seen students do the same, wanting to punish an

36 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024

 Create a Culture
We cannot Where Everyone
fill students’
return to school
Is Most Likely to
with “gotcha” Succeed
moments meant Second Step® High School helps educators create a school
climate where students can build the social-emotional skills
to shame them they need to thrive in the classroom and beyond.

into attending.

grades a reason to earnestly engage

with the content. (And even, with wild
hope, to come to school!) It’s a similar
feeling to a friend making us watch an
episode of their favorite HBO series.
We need just enough basic infor-
mation to root ourselves in the episode
that we are watching. And if that
episode is entertaining enough, we’re
more likely to watch future episodes.
We might just go home and stream the
show from the beginning.

1
Golding, W. (1954). Lord of the Flies.
Faber and Faber, p. 153.

Matthew R. Kay teaches students

English at Science Leadership Academy
High School SecondStep.org
in Philadelphia and is the author of two
books, including We’re Gonna Keep On
Talking (Stenhouse, 2023). 2024 Committee for Children

ASCD / www.ascd.org 37
 3 Strategies
to Boost Students’
Connection to School
New tools and resources can help educators
deepen student engagement and belonging.

38 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024 MICHAEL AUSTIN / THEiSPOT

S
Gabriela López
of learning and development into effective classroom
practices and tools that help educators address day-to-day
chools across the country are still grap- challenges. Today, this prominently includes addressing
pling with the long-term effects of the the gaps in connection and engagement that can lead
COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing chronic to absenteeism. Just as we know that there is no single
absenteeism, which remains well above explanation for the rise in chronic absenteeism, we rec-
pre-pandemic levels, is a particularly ognize that no single program or approach will create and
daunting challenge (FutureEd, 2023). sustain an environment of connection and belonging. But
While there is no single reason why more here are three innovative initiatives that show distinct
students are missing more days of school, it’s clear that promise and give schools new ways to deepen students’
increasing students’ sense of connection and belonging engagement with their education.
at school is central to making them feel more welcome,
engaged, and motivated to make it to class. 1 Seeing Students’ Potential
Studies consistently show that increasing students’
connectedness to school leads to positive outcomes, When schools know more about the indi-
including reduced absenteeism, higher test scores, and vidual strengths and aspirations of their
increased graduation rates (Centers for Disease Control students, they can better support student
and Prevention, 2023). According to Attendance Works, success. Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS)
a nonprofit working to reduce chronic absenteeism, works with schools nationwide to help them identify stu-
­students feel connected to school when: dents from historically under­represented backgrounds
n They know there is an adult at school who knows and with the potential to succeed in advanced coursework
cares about them. (such as Advanced Placement and International Bac-
n They have a supportive peer group. calaureate), design outreach plans to engage them, and
n They engage at least some of the time in activities create support systems to ensure they succeed.
they find meaningful and that help others. The EOS approach starts with the Student Insight
n They feel seen and welcome in school. (2023) Card, which provides 43 unique insights for each student
In other words, schools must be intentional about with data from a survey developed to understand stu-
supporting each student’s sense of inclusion. And when dents’ interests, aspirations, challenges, and barriers
done well, the work to create an environment of con- to enrolling in higher-level courses. The survey helps
nection and belonging pays off. A recent study by The schools better understand their students and design
Grad Partnership found that schools using relationship- ways to engage highly capable students in advanced
centered interventions as part of student success systems coursework.
saw a reduction in chronic absenteeism of more than five EOS has worked with over 900 schools to help more
percent in one year (Balfanz & Byrnes, 2024). than 70,000 students enroll in advanced courses who
Over the past few years, many schools have imple- would otherwise be unlikely to enroll. For example, after
mented programs to promote student well-being, Verona Area High School in Wisconsin adopted the EOS
including increased access to counseling and new cur- model in the fall of 2013, AP enrollment increased among
riculum focused on supporting whole child development. low-income students and students of color by 25 percent
But there are additional opportunities to build systems in one year. Over the next nine years, the district enrolled
and structures that can help educators know their stu- more than 500 students of color and low-income students
dents more deeply, build stronger relationships, and make in AP courses. In New York City, schools working with
learning more relevant to students’ lives—all of which can EOS increased enrollment in AP/IB courses by an average
help to build stronger connections to school. of 16 percent—or 3,400 students—over six years, while
At the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), we partner increasing or maintaining course and exam pass rates
with organizations to translate research on the science (Equal Opportunity Schools, 2022).

ASCD / www.ascd.org 39
 Enrolling more students with the interest and
aptitude in advanced coursework expands oppor-
tunities for Black and Latino students to succeed Relationship-Building Tip:
in higher education and STEM fields. The work of
Ask each student how they like to
EOS also demonstrates that schools can take a sys-
be recognized for their hard work.
tematic approach that signals to students that edu-
cators care about their future and believe in their
A question like this can provide
abilities, a key part of strengthening c­ onnection. insights that shape how teachers
interact with students and show

2 Expanding Graduation Pathways students that their perspectives

and voices are valued.
In New Mexico, Future Focused
Education (FFE) is part of a statewide
effort to redesign graduation require-
ments and connections to the work-
place to better prepare students for These practices give students greater agency
the future. The goal is to make learning more over their education, allowing them to connect
­relevant and engaging by building new high school to their interests, identities, and com-
school graduation pathways grounded in the munities. When students are engaged in their
unique needs of communities and the workforce. learning, they are more motivated to tackle
FFE actively works with 47 local education ­challenges that stand in the way of their goals.
agencies across New Mexico and expects that
number to grow. As part of this collaboration,
3 Building Teacher-Student
community members come together to create a
graduate profile that defines the knowledge and Relationships
skills that local educators, business, and com- Educators recognize the impact of
munity leaders believe are important as students positive relationships with students
transition to adulthood. The profile includes mea- on connection and belonging. A
sures of academics and career readiness, as well as recent survey of teachers found
skills that honor students’ cultural and linguistic that 78 percent rated building
identities. stronger connections with their students as a
FFE recently supported these efforts in the highly effective strategy for boosting student
Peñasco School District, where district leaders engagement (Gradient Learning, 2023).
engaged community members of the small rural Yet teachers face challenges in building trusting
school district to create a culturally informed relationships with all of their students, especially
profile. This new graduate profile gives the school in middle and high school where each teacher
district a roadmap to improve student engagement may see more than 100 students per day. In col-
and increase enrollment. laboration with Gradient Learning, CZI brought
Capstone projects allow high school seniors to together learning scientists, educators, students,
demonstrate that they have mastered the skills and community partners to develop Along, a
in the graduate profile. During these months- digital communications platform that supports
long projects, students dive deep into topics that relationship building between teachers and stu-
interest them, conduct research, and present dents. The tool gives teachers a m­ eaningful and
their findings in public exhibitions of learning to easy-to-use way to check in with each student and
school, family, and community. collect feedback that can shape their instruction.

40 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024

Teachers need support in building trusting partners like these has reinforced our
belief at CZI that with the right sup-
relationships with all of their students, especially ports, educators can cultivate
authentic, unique connections with
in middle and high school where each teacher
students that are a critical part of
may see more than 100 students per day. addressing the absenteeism crisis.

Along is grounded in research that respecting their interests, and cre- References
shows that when students have ating meaningful experiences both Attendance Works. (2023, November 17).
All hands on deck: Today’s chronic absen-
positive relationships with their in and out of school, students are
teeism requires a comprehensive district
teachers, they are more likely to feel more engaged and excited about
response and strategy.
motivated and engaged in school, their learning. Balfanz, R., & Byrnes, V. (2024). Off to a
develop positive social and emotional Educators also need help to make strong start: The GRAD partnership year
competencies, and perform better these shifts. Tools like Along and 1 student success system/on-track results
­academically. resources from organizations like 2022–23. Everyone Graduates Center,
Johns Hopkins University.
With Along, teachers can connect Equal Opportunity Schools and Future
Centers for Disease Control and
with students by asking them Focused Education can provide ­Prevention. (2023, August 2). School
research-informed questions designed teachers and school leaders with the connectedness.
to find out how they think and expe- necessary support to address the needs Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. (2023). Tech
rience the classroom. For example, of their students. Working with spotlight: Along. Education Report:
Unlocking Student Potential.
teachers might ask how students
Equal Opportunity Schools. (2022). 2021-
like to be recognized for their hard
2022 year end report.
work. These insights can shape how
teachers interact with students, and
Reflect & Discuss FutureEd. (2023, October 13). Tracking
state trends in chronic absenteeism.
the feedback loop signals to students Gradient Learning. (2023). Poll: 2023
What steps have you taken in student engagement.
that their perspectives and voices
your school or classroom to
are valued.
increase students’ sense of
In a 2023 survey of more than 700
connection and belonging?
teachers and students who actively
Where do you think there is room
used Along, 89 percent of teachers for improvement?
agreed that Along helps in finding the
capacity to build relationships with In your view, how are
their students. Similarly, 72 percent opportunities for advanced
of students agreed that Along helps coursework and student
their teachers get to know them (Chan engagement related? How is
Zuckerberg Initiative, 2023). your school or district supporting
such opportunities?
Creating Lasting Change
Connection can play a part in drawing What specific strategies do Gabriela López leads CZI’s portfolio of
teachers in your school or grants focused on the translation of
students to school and combating
district use to build strong research in the science of learning and
chronic absenteeism—but it must be
developmental relationships with development into classroom practice.
consistently woven into the fabric of
students? What supports do they Prior to CZI, she was the director of Early
the school day. By supporting condi-
need? Childhood Program Quality Assessment
tions in schools where students see and Equity Implementation at WestEd’s
adults as partners in their learning, Center for Child and Family Studies.

ASCD / www.ascd.org 41
 Attendance Is a
Family
Affair
S
New research shows
tudents missing school has always been a chal-
how schools can build lenge, but since the pandemic it has become a

family engagement as national crisis. High rates of absenteeism are

undermining student learning and increasing
a strategy to reduce the chasm between schools and families. Yet, as
researchers who study family engagement, we have seen
absenteeism. how schools can build productive relationships with families
that can actually reduce absenteeism.
Todd Rogers and Karen L. Mapp Parents have the most influence over their children’s
lives. Enlisting them as true partners in student success is a
critical—but often overlooked—attendance strategy. Here,
we discuss how educators can do this in both strategic and
tactical ways.

Family Engagement Goes Both Ways

Let’s start by describing the framework for how we think
about strengthening the productive connection between
schools and families. Karen developed the Dual Capacity-
Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships in
2013 while working with the U.S. Department of Education
and revised it in 2019. This research-based framework iden-
tifies the “essential” conditions that must be met to develop
and sustain effective partnerships between families and
schools. The “process conditions” describe the practices that
must be deployed to build trusting and respectful partner-
ships between families and educators, while the “organi-
zational conditions” describe the leadership commitment
and required systems and structures that must be in place

42 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024

 GORDO25 / SHUTTERSTOCK

ASCD / www.ascd.org
43
 to support and sustain the process conditions education research and consulting group
(Mapp & Bergman, 2019). TNTP, we looked at the link between family
A central philosophy of the framework is that engagement and chronic absenteeism in schools
both schools and families require development before, during, and after the pandemic (Learning
in key areas—such as understanding each other’s Heroes/TNTP, 2023). We found that schools that
expectations and overcoming barriers to commu- had established strong connections with families
nication—to foster a collaborative environment before the pandemic—with its massive increase
that supports student success, including in chronic absenteeism—tended to be buffered
reduced absenteeism. By emphasizing reciprocal from the most extreme increases in chronic
capacity-building, the framework offers a stra- absenteeism after the pandemic. In fact, com-
tegic approach to enhancing family engagement, pared with schools that had weak connections
recognizing that both educators and families with families before the pandemic, these schools
play critical roles in achieving the shared goal of had a 39 percent smaller increase in chronic
student success. absenteeism post-pandemic. We saw similar
effects for English language arts and math profi-
ciency—strong family relationships powerfully
“Attendance nudge” programs have been
muted the detrimental effects of the p­ andemic.
shown to reduce chronic absenteeism To measure family engagement, we used
teacher-family surveys1 conducted before the
by 10 to 15 percent districtwide. pandemic. They documented the level of trust
between parents and teachers, the extent of
It’s worth underscoring two points from parent involvement in school activities, and
the updated framework that are often over- the degree of influence parents had on school
looked. First, family engagement in schools decision-making processes. While this study
should be focused on student success, not merely showed how strong family engagement miti-
involvement in school events. Showing up for gated the pandemic’s effects on absenteeism,
bake sales is good, but genuine partnership additional research is shedding new light on
between families and educators about student how schools can enhance family c­ onnections to
goals and student learning is better. Second, suc- reduce absenteeism moving forward.
cessful family engagement is an explicit strategy,
not an aspirational goal. This means districts, Family Engagement as an
schools, and educators must prioritize building Attendance Strategy
relationships and trust with families. It means To use family engagement as a strategy for
making the family-school connection a core reducing student a­ bsenteeism, we must think of
area of accountability, planning, professional families as partners and invest time, attention,
­development, and practice. and money to support staff and families. Care-
givers are the experts on their own children.
The Link to Absenteeism Rather than sidelining them or focusing on
While productive family engagement has been what these caregivers are perceived to lack, it’s
shown to increase student academic success, more productive (and more inclusive) to create
until recently there has been no research on its a collaborative environment where families feel
impact on attendance. That’s why we joined a valued and are more likely to engage actively,
research team that produced a powerful study productively, and supportively in their child’s
showing exactly this connection. In collabo- education.
ration with the family engagement advocacy Strategic family engagement requires the
organization Learning Heroes and the n ­ onprofit attention of school leadership, money for

44 Educational Leadership / Summer 2023

 Schools that had established strong
connections with families before the
pandemic tended to be buffered from
the most extreme increases in chronic
absenteeism after the pandemic.

­ ersonnel and interventions, and

p ­ attendance nudges.” It can also mean
“ strategy to reduce chronic absen-
ongoing educator professional devel- facilitating more meaningful two-way teeism. One component of the strategy
opment. Principals must set clear communication between teachers was to repurpose “attendance officers”
expectations for teachers and staff and families. into “family liaisons.” The title change
regarding the importance of building Finally, district leaders can support came with a job description change as
relationships with families and policies that recognize, reward, and well. Instead of taking a more punitive
provide the necessary training and expand effective family engagement approach, family liaisons were
resources to do so effectively. They practices—from individual teacher asked to foster personal, trust-based
must also be innovative in overcoming practices that build trust with families ­relationships with families. They
barriers to family participation, to districtwide attendance-nudge were embedded within communities
whether ­logistical, linguistic, or ­programs. and tasked with understanding and
­cultural. helping families with their unique
Likewise, teachers need to develop Two Key Tactics challenges and aspirations.
and refine skills in effective commu- Exactly how to make family These liaisons do more than pro
nication, cultural competence, and engagement a central pillar to forma outreach, too; they address real
collaborative problem solving. They reducing absenteeism will vary by barriers to attendance. For example,
must move beyond traditional parent- district, but the general approach is they provide direct aid to families to
teacher meetings to more meaningful going to be the same: investing in and reduce housing insecurity. The dis-
interactions that leverage the insights prioritizing relationships with fam- trict also works with the local justice
and strengths of families to support ilies. Consider how Richmond Public system to focus less on its punitive
student success. Schools in Virginia has approached role and more on offering support
Family engagement also requires this challenge. Like districts around and access to resources. Finally,
deliberate and sustained commitment the country, Richmond has struggled Richmond has centralized its data into
from the district; it serves students with high rates of chronic absen- a ­dashboard to better understand and
best when it is integrated into a dis- teeism. To change this trajectory, the target their outreach efforts.
trict’s strategic framework. This urban district committed to strength-
requires allocating resources—both ening family engagement—hiring its 1 Attendance Nudges
financial and human—to support first chief engagement officer, Shadae One tactical way the Richmond
schools in their engagement efforts. It Harris—and saw impressive improve- district used this data was to
may well require a formal senior-level ments (see related article on p. 22). As implement “attendance nudges”—­
position focused on this work. a result of the multi-tiered approach communications to families on a
Districts should invest in systems she has overseen, chronic absenteeism regular cadence about their student’s
that facilitate regular, meaningful has decreased by nearly two-thirds in absence record (EveryDay Labs, 2022).
communication with families. This some schools. (See Figure 1 on p. 46.) To execute this,
can take the form of routinely deliv- The district used the Dual Capacity- the district partnered with EveryDay
ering information that families Building Framework as the foundation Labs, an organization we are both
find valuable and actionable, like for the creation of their engagement affiliated with that helps d
­ istricts

ASCD / www.ascd.org 45
FIGURE 1. Attendance Nudge Example

Your November Update Track Casey’s Absences

Casey’s most recent absences occurred on the following dates:
Albert Hill Middle School
3400 Patterson Avenue Casey has missed (abs_list_key)

Richmond, VA 23221 6 days Tues, Sep 26 (E)

Monday, Oct 2 (U)
this school year* Fri, Oct 6 (U)
Wed, Oct 11 (U)
Parent/Guardian of:
CASEY LEE
How can we help? Mon, Oct 16 (E)
Wed, Oct 25 (U)
123 2nd Street
Anytown, USA 12346

Dear Parent/Guardian of Casey Lee, Did you know? All missed school, for both excused and unexcused reasons, adds up to lost
learning time.
Many families tell us it is helpful to get updates about their student’s attendance. To
help you track Casey’s attendance, you may receive additional letters this school year.
Start the school year off right!
Casey is an important part of our school community. We want to partner with you to
Create a routine to help Casey learn and stay on track this year. Here are some
help Casey attend school every day.
tips that many families find useful:
If we can help with anything, call the school or see the resources on the back of this
letter. ● Choose a spot to keep your child’s school backpack and
supplies.
Sincerely,

Tanya Maple ● Work with your child to check their backpack each night to
Principal look for homework and important notes.
Albert Hill Middle School
● Make sure Casey gets to bed on time! Getting enough sleep
will help Casey be ready for the school day.

Casey’s Attendance Snapshot

We’re Here to Help!

Casey 6 Absences If we can help with anything, call the school: (school_phone)
For food, technology support, translation services, and other resources call our
Average 6th Grade Family Support Hotline: 555-123-4567.
student at Casey’s 4 Absences
School
* We send these letters to help families keep track of attendance. It’s just for your information, and we hope you find
it helpful. The letter lists excused and unexcused absences between the first day of school and (pull_date). We know
Total Missed Days of School
students miss school due to illness, religious holidays, or emergencies. Please talk with your student’s school and health
provider in advance when your student will miss school. For questions and support, or if you no longer want to receive
*Questions about this letter? Call 555-123-4567 and reference this these letters, contact (parent_support_phone) and provide the code below.
unique code ict1234, or see the footnote on the back for more info.
Turn Over
Unique Code: <<01_unique_code>>

In districts that partner with EveryDay Labs, families of students who miss more than a few days of school typically
receive a personalized “attendance nudge” every 4–6 weeks by mail, as well as supplemental text messages.
There are more than 10,000 versions of these letters depending on factors like the time of year, grade level, and
language spoken at home. Example provided courtesy of EveryDay Labs.

reduce absenteeism by engaging year, such as, “Karen has missed are delivered by U.S. mail and by text;
families. These interventions have 7 days so far this school year.” They the greatest impact comes through the
been tested, replicated, and optimized can also include comparisons to peer printed mail nudges.
to reduce absenteeism based on more absences; grade-specific information
than a dozen randomized controlled about why attendance matters; and 2 Better Truancy Notices
experiments conducted in school dis- useful information about absenteeism, Another easy-to-implement tactic
tricts around the country. Overlaying health support, and transportation to support family engagement as
nudges on top of other strategies resources offered by the school dis- an attendance strategy is to rewrite
consistently reduces chronic absen- trict. Which specific message a family mandated school-to-family com-
teeism by another 10 to 15 percent receives is tailored to their unique munications. For example, consider
­districtwide (Robinson et al., 2018; circumstance—there are more than the “Notices of Truancy” states
Rogers & Feller, 2018). 10,000 versions of these messages, require schools send to families when
How do they work? Attendance depending on factors like the time of a student is late or absent a certain
nudges are a series of personalized year, grade level, and language spoken number of times. Todd conducted
messages delivered throughout the at home, to name a few. The messages research on rewriting these notices

46 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024

 administrative communications: The
with a team of collaborators that A Common Goal
case of truancy notifications. Educa-
included Hedy Chang, executive The Dual Capacity-Building tional Researcher, 50(7), 442–450.
director of Attendance Works. Framework can help schools Learning Heroes/TNTP. (2023, October).
Working with a large urban district, transform their approach to family Family engagement impact study:
they rewrote the notices to be clearer engagement, fostering communities Investigating the relationship between
pre-pandemic family engagement and
and more direct, more supportive, where educators and families work as
current student and school outcomes.
and less punitive, and then conducted partners toward the common goal of Mapp, K. L., & Bergman, E. (2019). Dual
an experiment involving more than student success. This collaborative capacity-building framework for family-
130,000 families.2 approach reduces absenteeism, while school partnerships (version 2).
To illustrate what treating families building stronger, more resilient Robinson, C. D., Lee, M. G., Dearing, E.,
& Rogers, T. (2018). Reducing student
as partners looks like, consider the ­communities, schools, and
absenteeism in the early grades by
first two sentences of the original ­classrooms.
targeting parental beliefs. American
notice used statewide in California Educational Research Journal, 55(6),
before the study, followed by the first
1
We used the “Involved Families” 1163-1192.
index in the 5Essentials survey adminis- Rogers, T., & Feller, A. (2018). Reducing
two sentences in the improved notice
tered statewide in Illinois. student absences at scale by targeting
that we wrote. 2
School districts should consult their parents’ misbeliefs. Nature Human
legal counsel before changing their own Behaviour, 2(5), 335-342.
Original: mandated notices. Rogers, T., & Lasky-Fink, J. (2023).
Good attendance is required for academic Writing for busy readers: Communicate
excellence. California Education Code Authors’ note: The writing of some more effectively in the real world.
section 48260 provides that a pupil (child) sentences in early drafts of this essay was Penguin.
subject to compulsory full-time education assisted by OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
or to compulsory continuation education
who is absent from school without a
valid excuse three full days in one school References
year or tardy or absent for more than a EveryDay Labs. (2022, September 12). A
30-minute period during the school day nudge in the right direction: A small push
without a valid excuse on three occasions can make a world of difference.
in one school year, or any combination Lasky-Fink, J., Robinson, C. D., Chang,
thereof, shall be classified as a truant H. N. L., & Rogers, T. (2021). Using
and shall be reported to the attendance behavioral insights to improve school
supervisor or to the superintendent of the
school district.

Improved:
We need your help. Todd’s absences
from school are concerning, and your Reflect & Discuss Todd Rogers is the Weatherhead Pro-
­partnership is crucial. fessor of Public Policy at the Harvard
Kennedy School of Government. He
Is family engagement in your
is a behavioral scientist who works
The difference is dramatic. In the school or district laser-focused
to increase student attendance,
district studied, the improved notices on student success?
strengthen democracy, and improve
were 40 percent more effective at How do you know?
communication. Karen L. Mapp is a
reducing absences over the following Professor of Practice at the Harvard
month (Lasky-Fink et al., 2021). Yet What tone do the truancy
Graduate School of Education. She is
truancy notifications are just the tip notices sent to families in your
a national expert in family and com-
of the iceberg. Districts should make community convey? Could the
munity engagement and has authored
language be revised to be easier
all their communications to families many books on the topic. Rogers and
to read, more supportive, and
easier to read and more centered Mapp both advise EveryDay Labs, an
less punitive?
on families as partners (Rogers & independent absentee-reduction
­Lasky-Fink, 2023). ­organization not endorsed by Harvard.

ASCD / www.ascd.org 47
Making School
Worth Kids’ Time

48 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024

 “I
Aleta Margolis

Educators can bring school nquisitive.” “Impulsive.”

environments to life by “Pure energy.” These are

some of the words a group of
mirroring children’s innate Washington, D.C., teachers
participating in the Inspired
curiosity and imagination. Teaching Institute listed
when asked to describe
characteristics of children. Children are natural
learners who are eager to experiment, to
manipulate their environment, to explore. Most
children, when they are young, are not afraid of
failure. Their days are filled with trial and error
and new discoveries. Most children are messy,
adventurous, and excitable.
In contrast, school tends to be a subdued place,
where order, raised hands, and straight lines are
rewarded. Oftentimes, little space is provided for
youthful exuberance or student decision making.
As learning expert Eric Jensen points out, “At a
typical school, nearly every decision, from length
of time on learning to whom to work with, is
­dictated and managed outside student control”
(1998, p. 59).
The rift between healthy childhood behaviors
and school expectations is especially vast for stu-
dents living in vulnerable circumstances. In his
most recent book, An End to Inequality, Jonathan
Kozol notes Black and Brown students who live
in low-income communities are far more likely
than their white or wealthy peers to be subjected
to a “severity agenda” designed to “keep them
on a straight gray line of march to their next
examination [including sitting] stiff and silent
in the classroom, no impulsive and unscripted
questions, many numbered lists of minor misbe-
haviors and the unpleasant penalties for each,
[and] regimens of shaming for those who aren’t
JORM SANGSORN / SHUTTERSTOCK

‘performing up to expectations’ ” (2024, pp. 4–5).

Of course, all children should learn to be
considerate, to listen to others, and to master
­academic subjects. The question is: Do they have

ASCD / www.ascd.org 49
to stop acting like children in order to
make it through the school day?

Can We Blame Them?

While there are situations in which
students are forced to miss school
because they need to care for siblings
at home or face other external barriers
that make it difficult or i­ mpossible
to attend, the primary reasons for
student absenteeism, according to
decades of research, are not these

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALETA MARGOLIS

external situations that “pull” them
out of school. Instead, students are
“pushed” out by school-based factors
that make school unpleasant (Doll
et al., 2013).
How many children could attend
The Profile Pages activity from Inspired Teaching helps educators understand their
school, but frankly, don’t want to due students better, value their voices, and strengthen peer connections.
to negative school environments or a
lack of connection to their teachers
and peers? A report from CASEL found education changemakers, we have “Am I engaging with students and
that “more than 8 in 10 recent high a unique opportunity and, given their families from a deficit-based
school students say they felt bored the growing engagement crisis, an stance? Might I be thinking, even
at school at least some of the time” ­imperative to create school commu- unconsciously, ‘How do I convince
(DePaoli et al., 2018). Young people, nities where students’ full selves— these kids and their parents that
like all people, don’t want to go places their curiosity, their needs, their school is valuable, that learning is
where they don’t feel engaged. If they ideas—are welcome and valued. important?’ ”
find school to be a place where their Or are you engaging with them from
thoughts, ideas, and interests are not Seven Ways to Make School an asset-based stance? Asset framing,
particularly valued, can we blame Worth Kids’ Time a concept coined and popularized by
them for not showing up? Below are concrete strategies teachers social entrepreneur Trabian Shorters,
Keith Johnstone, former classroom and school leaders can use to increase means assuming students and their
teacher and renowned improvisa- engagement and connection and families are inherently curious
tional theater director, refers to adults decrease boredom and disaffection, people who want to learn (Shorters,
as “atrophied children” in his book which just might make students more n.d.). From an asset-based stance,
Impro (1979), claiming that we’ve lost interested in coming to school: ask yourself: “How can I ensure that
the ability to imagine, to play, to com- school identifies, values, and builds
municate genuinely with one another. 1 on the aspirations and contributions
Imagine what it would be like if school Examine underlying assumptions. of our students and their families?”
fostered children’s imaginations, Due to the day-to-day pressures of and “How can I describe the school
curiosity, and communication skills, their job, educators can sometimes experience to students and their
while increasing their knowledge of fall into patterns of thinking that fail families in a way that lets them know
the world. to fully appreciate students’ potential we value our students and want them
As teachers, school leaders, and and interest in learning. Ask yourself: to thrive?”

50 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024

 2
Engage empathy.
Ask yourself: “Would I want to be a
h nol ogy
Tec
student at my school?” Picture what it
feels like to come into a classroom for
the first time where you are greeted
with a list of rules and consequences
for breaking them, versus one in
which you’re invited, for instance, to
create a “profile page” about yourself
and share with classmates your
answers to questions like: What do I
contribute to my learning environment? EDUCATOR

What do I like about where I live? What

ogy
would I like to be doing five years from
Pr a c

now? Imagine yourself as a student

walking into both classrooms. Which

ag
classroom would make you feel more

ed
t ic

supported and valued?

e P
3
Broaden the definition of success.
Borrowing from improvisational

Take the
theater, embrace a “Yes! And . . .”
approach. Yes! Students need to
learn content and prepare for assess-

Next Step
ments. And students need interesting,
meaningful work to do that engages
their curiosity and engages them
in authentic interactions with one
another. Yes! Teachers are expected
to deliver specific content to their with ISTE Professional Development
students on a specific timeline and
to ensure their students absorb that
content and can prove they have done
Empowering educators to transform
so on a test or other assessment. And
while learning skills and content learning with proven, practical professional
is important, education decision development based in learning sciences.
makers need to ask ourselves a
critical question: “What price are
we paying when we prioritize the
delivery of content and skills over the Partner with us.
needs, interests, and engagement of
our ­students?”
A slightly less bleak version of that

ASCD / www.ascd.org 51

2024_SummerEL_PLSAd.indd 1 5/30/24 11:24 AM

 If kids find school to be a place where their thoughts, ideas, and interests
are not particularly valued, can we blame them for not showing up?

question is: “How can we spend our the difference between covalent and making age-appropriate decisions
time with young people in schools so ionic bonding; or ask students to about how to allocate funds in the
that they get to engage their curiosity, write p­ ersuasive essays arguing for school’s budget, as school leaders did
forge meaningful connections with changes to school policies to support recently at the Inspired Teaching
peers and adults, and learn content ­well-being.) Demonstration Public Charter School
in a way that is meaningful and rel- in Washington, D.C., when they
evant?” Content does not have to be 5 ­surveyed students about which vendor
learned at the expense of personal Put kids in charge. they preferred for school lunches.
well-being. And personal curiosity and Give students something to do that’s Putting kids in charge might also
excitement do not have to be sacrificed worth showing up for. This can be look like asking a student why they
for learning to happen. As educators, as small as inviting them to choose broke a rule, rather than proceeding
of course we know this. But when we where they sit, decide which of two directly to the consequences for doing
are overwhelmed with the day-to- novels the class will read next, or so—or, even better, engaging students
day demands of adjusting schedules, grapple with a difficult mathematical in creating rules in the first place. The
responding to administrative requests, equation instead of turning to the more opportunities students have to
documentation, meetings, catching up teacher for instructions on how to take the lead, the more ownership
to curricular timelines, and more, we solve it. they feel over their learning expe-
can lose sight of this core truth. It can be as big as tasking high rience, and the more likely they are to
school students with designing and want to spend time in school.
4 implementing a schoolwide poll on
Connect the mind, heart, and body. whether their peers intend to register 6
In most schools, a student’s day is to vote once they turn 18 (and why Embrace awe.
divided by subject area. This artificial or why not), or involving students in Much of our focus in the classroom is
separation often results in the belief on imparting information and con-
that movement is for gym class, firming our students have, indeed,
critical thought is for English lit, and learned the day’s lesson so that we
mathematics is for algebra. Time is Reflect & Discuss can move on to the next one. Sur-
carved out to address students’ social- prise, wonder, and curiosity don’t fit
emotional well-being, as if mental What’s one way your school
neatly into that delivery-reception
health is its own discrete subject. supports children’s natural ­paradigm. But research has shown
What if, instead, the entire school curiosity and wonder? that experiencing awe—defined by
day were a time for SEL and academic social ­psychologist Dacher Keltner
learning, and a time for students This article outlines seven (2024) as “the feeling of being in the
to engage their minds, hearts, and strategies to boost student presence of something vast that
bodies? (Consider inviting students engagement and connection. transcends your understanding of
to journal about how they feel when Which of these strategies seems the world”—offers a host of benefits
they encounter an unfamiliar math most needed in your school, that increase our students’ capacity
problem; challenge chemistry students and why? to learn and their interest in doing so
to use their bodies to demonstrate (Heshmat, 2023).

52 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024

 Simply asking students, “What are you Can children be themselves while
curious about?” or “What do you wonder
about?”—or incorporating this exercise into also learning in school? They can if
curriculum-based assignments—can infuse we rethink the school experience.
elements of awe into all aspects of the school
day. So can spending time outside, incorpo-
rating music into the classroom experience, Can children be themselves while also
and inviting students to share stories about learning in school? They can if we rethink the
times they made a difference in someone school experience. Students shouldn’t have to
else’s life. check their needs, wants, energy, and expertise
at the school door. When teachers and school
7 leaders engage with students from a place of
Change the narrative for families. genuine curiosity and respect, we won’t have
In addition to, or instead of, traditional to threaten students in order to get them to go
parent-teacher conferences, create ways to to school. They’ll want to spend their days
let families know they are important to the learning by our side.
school community. We know, for instance,
how important it is to offer food at parent References
events, but what about hiring local parent- DePaoli, J. L., Atwell, M. N., Bridgeland, J. M.,
& Shriver, T. P. (2018). Respected: Perspectives
owned restaurants to provide the catering,
of youth on high school & social and e­ motional
as Pittsburgh schools participating in the
learning. CASEL.
Parents as Allies (PAA) project do (Rayworth, Doll, J. J., Eslami, Z., & Walters, L. (2013). Under-
2024)? And while you’re at it, check out the standing why students drop out of high school,
PAA’s empathy interviews, a fabulous tool according to their own reports: Are they pushed
for engaging families and gathering useful or pulled, or do they fall out? A comparative
analysis of seven nationally representative
context about everyone in your school
studies. SAGE Open, 3(4).
­community (Kidsburgh, n.d.). Heshmat, S. (2023, January 30). The mental ben-
efits of seeking awe. Psychology Today.
If You Build It, Will They Come? Jensen, E. (1998). Teaching with the brain in mind.
Each year in the Inspired Teaching Institute, ASCD.
Johnstone, K. (1979). Impro: Improvisation and the
my colleagues and I ask participating teachers,
theatre. Routledge.
“Why do children go to school?” The answers
Keltner, D. (2024). Awe: The new science of everyday Aleta Margolis is
vary widely, but they always include some wonder and how it can transform your life. founder and president
version of, “Because they have to/because Penguin Putnam Inc. of the Center for
it’s the law.” We can’t simply require young Kidsburgh. (n.d.). Parents as Allies archives. Inspired Teaching.
people to go to school and expect them to show Kozol, J. (2024). An end to inequality: Breaking down
A former public school
the walls of apartheid education in America. The
up. And ironically, the consequences put in teacher, ­Margolis
New Press.
place for truancy can serve as disincentives, by Rayworth, M. (2024, March 4). Parents as Allies:
has taught teachers
perpetuating the idea that school is a negative New Castle’s schools are connecting with families around the world
space where ­students are forced to go and in creative and caring ways. Kidsburgh. how to incorporate
a place where they will be punished for not Shorters, T. (n.d.). About Trabian Shorters. Website students’ curiosity
of Trabian Shorters thought leader and creator and expertise into
­complying.
of asset framing. (n.d.). academic instruction.

ASCD / www.ascd.org 53
 Engagement:
E
A simple framework can ducators have long appreciated the
importance of engagement to student
help educators promote success. But with unprecedented rates
of absenteeism threatening to become
(and track) five key factors the new normal—and threatening edu-

of engagement. cators’ abilities to help students recover post-­

pandemic—the need to get students academically
and personally engaged in school is greater than
Harvey F. Silver and Abigail L. Boutz ever before.

SOLSTOCK / iSTOCK

54 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024

Are You Keeping
SCORE?
Conversations about the current attendance
crisis often focus on challenges that originate
UCCESSS
outside the school walls—for example, those Success has a powerful effect on people’s emo-
related to family circumstances or a lack of trans- tions, and emotions often drive our behavior. So
portation. But “outside factors” aren’t the only it’s no surprise that students who struggle often
ones affecting attendance. Shebby and Porter withdraw, disrupt classroom learning, or drop
(2021) note that many students are “voluntarily out of school entirely. On the other hand, when
absent because they are simply not engaged with students feel they can accomplish learning tasks
the classroom materials, their teachers,
or both” (p. 76). And feeling disconnected
FIGURE 1. Sample Menu Tasks for Area and Perimeter
and disengaged from school also plays a
key role in students’ decisions to drop out LEVEL 1 LEVEL 2 LEVEL 3

early (Bridgeland et al., 2006). So, if we

4’
9’
5’
want to get the absent students back and 5’
5’ 7’
keep the students who are coming to school 12’
10’
10’
3’

from leaving, we need to focus on keeping 5’

3’
5’

them engaged. 7’

What can educators do to make school Calculate the area and Calculate the area and Calculate the area and
a place where students want to come and perimeter of the shape. perimeter of the shape. perimeter of the shaded shape.

want to learn? A place where they’re not Source: Harvey F. Silver and Abigail L. Boutz
just physically present, but willing to
exert the mental energy that meaningful
learning requires? or goals successfully, they’re more likely to invest
The acronym SCORE can guide educators’ time and effort, even when those tasks are chal-
efforts to heighten engagement by helping them lenging (Goodwin et al., 2023; Hattie & Yates,
understand and keep “score” of key factors that 2014). That’s why finding a “just right” level for
can make a difference. It’s as simple as this: If students to work at is key—not so hard that they
teachers facilitate student Success, if they spark get f­ rustrated and give up, but not so easy that
Curiosity, if they invite Originality, and if they they lose interest.
foster interpersonal Relationships, they can boost The Graduated Difficulty framework (Silver
student Engagement. Let’s look at each of these in et al., 2007) puts students in charge of choosing
turn to see why. the right level and managing their learning.

ASCD / www.ascd.org 55
 When students feel they can accomplish learning tasks
or goals successfully, they’re more likely to invest time
and effort, even when those tasks are challenging.

­ tudents examine a menu of increasingly difficult

S by ­providing immediate feedback about perfor-
tasks, analyze what each level involves, decide where mance, and by triggering the sense of pride and
to start working, and move up when they’re ready ­accomplishment that comes from “leveling up.”
(see fig. 1). Working at a challenging but comfortable Pairing positive feedback with constructive
level lets students build the competence and confi- feedback is another way to facilitate that same sense
dence they need to achieve at higher levels. What’s of pride and accomplishment, while simultaneously
more, analyzing the full range of tasks inspires them encouraging growth. The Glow & Grow technique
to make that jump by letting them see where they’re (see fig. 2) promotes this kind of balanced feedback
going and what top-level work requires, assess where by having teachers point out what students have
they are now, and develop goals and plans for closing done well (what “glows”) and where their work
the gap. can “grow.”

CURIOSITY
Research tells us that setting achievable goals,
experiencing success, and connecting successes with
effort can have a powerful effect on students’ moti- If we want students to absorb and retain what we
vation and commitment to learning (Dweck, 2016; teach, then capturing their interest is crucial. As
Goodwin et al., 2023). But if you’ve ever watched a Bryan Goodwin and colleagues (2023) remind us, “If
child work for days, weeks, or months to master a your students don’t pay attention to what’s going on
video game, you don’t need research to appreciate in your classroom—if they don’t find it interesting,
the motivational power of Graduated Difficulty. relevant, or meaningful—you can be assured they
It motivates in the same way video games do—by will not learn it” (p. 25).
drawing on a natural desire to reach the top level, The challenge educators face, of course, is how to

FIGURE 2. Glow & Grow Feedback on 1st Grader’s “What’s Your Favorite Toy?” Assignment

Source: Boutz, A. L., Silver, H. F., Jackson, J. W., & Perini, M. J. (2012). Tools for thoughtful assessment:
Classroom-ready techniques for improving teaching and learning (p. 118). Thoughtful Education Press.

56 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024

get students curious about classroom content they
might not naturally be interested in. After all, few FIGURE 3. Divergent Thinking Stems and Sample
students come to class saying things like, “Linear Questions for Promoting Original Thinking
equations? Let’s get started!” or “I’ve always been
What if ?
dying to learn about osmosis!”
What if the United States had joined the League of Nations?
So how can we stimulate interest while still
What might be different now?
teaching the content we need to teach? Opening
lessons with curiosity-sparking questions can make What if there were no seasons? In what ways might our
world and lives be different?
any content more captivating, especially when those
questions invite students to explore puzzling facts or
How might ?
content-related “mysteries” like these:
How might we make this program run more quickly?
n How is it possible that the U.S. presidential
Generate some possible strategies.
­candidate who wins the most votes doesn’t always
win the election? How might we make our classroom a better place to live
n How is it possible that burning a forest can be and learn in? Generate some ideas.
good for its health?
n How is it possible that changing the order of
Why might ?
Why might we have gotten a different experimental
operations can change the solution?
outcome than we expected?
n Why would health experts say it’s better to cough

and sneeze into your elbow than into your hand? Why might the mouse have felt contented at the end
Making the content “mysterious” isn’t the only way of the fable?
to capture students’ attention. Try making content
more relevant to students’ lives—for example, by How many ways can you ?
using the analogy of a teenage breakup to engage How many ways can you use the numbers 1 to 20 to
students in exploring the colonists’ “breakup” with generate an equation that equals 10?

Great Britain. Or capitalize on the motivational power How many ways can you move from one side of the
of controversy by asking a debate-sparking question gym to the other?
to get students talking, such as, “Graphic novels: are
they canon-worthy or just kid stuff?” Getting students Source: Adapted from Silver, H. F., Perini, M. J., & Boutz, A. L. (2016). Tools
for a successful school year (Starting on day one) (p. 62). Thoughtful
interested in classroom content doesn’t just make Education Press. Copyright © 2016 by Silver Strong & Associates.
the learning more enjoyable; it actually helps it stick
(Gruber et al., 2014).

ORIGINALITY
Many students long to express themselves and their
ideas, but research and experience tell us they often
spend more time responding to recall questions and
A simple strategy to heighten
repeating others’ ideas than thinking independently students’ interest is to pose fewer
(Mehta & Fine, 2019). This leads to boredom and
disengagement.
“what’s the correct answer”
A simple remedy is to pose fewer “what’s the questions and more questions that
correct answer” questions and more questions
that invite multiple, unique responses. The stems
invite multiple, unique responses.
shown in Figure 3 make it easy to design questions
like these.

ASCD / www.ascd.org 57
 FIGURE 4. “Check Your Attitude at the Door” Poster

Source: Silver, H. F., Perini, M. J., & Boutz, A. L. (2016). Check your mood at the door (Sample tool).
Copyright © 2016 by Silver Strong & Associates.

When we pose questions that your own—and think about how to sometimes forget how important
invite students to share their ideas respond to what you learn. Might a it is to address students’ social and
and opinions, we’re telling them that student who is having a bad day need emotional needs. Doing so is crucial,
we value who they are and what they a little extra space or slack? Might you however, because emotions, it turns
think. What’s more, we’re building the be able to turn things around with a out, control the doorway to learning
kind of classroom climate that fosters kind word or an “I’m here if you want (Willis, 2007). If students come to
positive attitudes and ­attendance. to talk”? school feeling anxious rather than

RELATIONSHIPS
Continue to provide support and secure, if they feel they can’t rather
encouragement throughout the day than they can, if they feel lost rather
This may be the most important factor by doing what we call EMC (making than loved, then the door will shut,
of all because the relationships that Every Moment Count). Whether it’s a and learning won’t occur.

ENGAGEMENT
students form with their teachers and smile, a compliment, or an “I believe
peers influence how they feel about in you,” don’t miss an opportunity
school, how engaged they are, and to let students know you’re there for Addressing the barriers to attendance
how much they learn. According to them and rooting for them to succeed. that originate outside the classroom
Silver and Perini (2010), “For many When we focus on academics, we walls is crucial, but we need to look
students, the greatest inspiration inward as well. We need to ask our-
comes in knowing that they are part selves as educators what we can do to
of a community” (p. 329). So, if we
Reflect & Discuss make students who are voluntarily
want these students to want to come absent want to re-engage. And we
to school, we must build that kind of Which SCORE components do need to keep SCORE—and invite stu-
community in our classrooms. We you or your school pay most dents to keep SCORE through evalu-
must show our students we care about attention to? Which need more ation and feedback—of those elements
them, and we must teach them to care attention? within our control: our instructional
about and respect one another. choices and our classroom culture.
A simple way to show students we How do you promote success, How engaging are our lessons? How
care is to ask them how they’re feeling curiosity, originality, and positive welcoming and supportive are our
as they enter the classroom each day. relationships? What more could classrooms? How well do we support
To quickly gauge students’ emotions, you do? the natural drives that all people have
post a list of feeling words or emojis to be good at what they do, to explore
on the wall and have students tap Why is it important for students things that interest them, to express
to participate in assessing a
the word or image that best captures themselves, and to be cared about
classroom’s engagement score?
how they’re feeling. Use a poster like by others?
the one shown in Figure 4 or create The SCORE acronym spells out

58 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024

simple criteria for conducting this Shebby, S., & Porter, T. (2021). Research
matters: Moving from absent to
kind of assessment—criteria that can
present. Educational Leadership, 78(6),
help educators see what they’re 76–77.
already doing well and how they can Silver, H. F., & Perini, M. J. (2010). The
further boost engagement. Yet having eight Cs of engagement: How learning
the acronym isn’t enough. If the goal is styles and instructional design increase
to increase students’ motivation and student commitment to learning. In R.
Marzano (Ed.), On excellence in teaching
commitment to learning, teachers also
(pp. 319–342). Solution Tree Press.
need tools and strategies for putting Silver, H. F., Perini, M. J., & Boutz, A. L. Harvey F. Silver is president of Silver
the pieces of the acronym into (2016). Tools for a successful school
Strong & Associates and Thoughtful
practice. The more teachers use tools year (Starting on day one): Classroom-
Education Press. He is the author of
like the ones we’ve shared to promote ready techniques for building the four
multiple books on instructional tools
cornerstones of an effective classroom.
success, curiosity, originality, and pos- and strategies, including the ASCD
Thoughtful Education Press.
itive relationships, the more students Silver, H. F., Strong, R. W., & Perini, M. bestseller Teaching for Deeper Learning
will want to come to school, the more J. (2007). The strategic teacher: Selecting (2020). As a content developer at Silver
they will enjoy being there, and the the right research-based strategy for Strong & Associates, Abigail L. Boutz
more they will learn. That’s the power every lesson. ASCD. develops practical techniques for
of engagement. Willis, J. (2007). The neuroscience putting research into practice. She is
of joyful education. Educational the author of multiple titles in the Tools
­Leadership, 64(9). for Today’s Educators series.
References
Boutz, A. L., Silver, H. F., Jackson, J.
W., & Perini, M. J. (2012). Tools for
thoughtful assessment: Classroom-ready
techniques for improving teaching and
learning. Thoughtful Education Press.
Bridgeland, J. M., DiIulio, J. J., &
Morison, K. B. (2006). The silent

Find
­epidemic: Perspectives of high school
dropouts. Civic Enterprises.
Dweck, C. (2016). The new psychology of

Your
success. Ballantine Books.
Goodwin, B., Rouleau, K., Abla, C.,
­Baptiste, K., Gibson, T., & Kimball, M.

People!
(2023). The new classroom instruction
that works: The best research-based
strategies for increasing student
achievement. ASCD/McREL.
Gruber, M. J., Gelman, B. D., & Ran-
ganath, C. (2014). States of curiosity
modulate hippocampus-dependent Connect is your
learning via the dopaminergic circuit.
Neuron, 84(2), 486–496. ASCD + ISTE community
Hattie, J., & Yates, G. (2014). Visible
learning and the science of how we learn.
Routledge. Scan this
Mehta, J., & Fine, S. (2019). In search of code to start
deeper learning: The quest to remake connecting
the American high school. Harvard today!
­University Press.

ASCD / www.ascd.org 59
INTERVIEW

Reinventing
Summer Learning
Researcher Allison Crean Davis says intentionally
designed summer programs offer students a
“unique and novel experience.”
Anthony Rebora

How has the role of summer learning

S
programs within school systems
ummer learning has taken on greater
changed since the pandemic?
urgency and new forms since the
pandemic, as policymakers and One of the major changes has been the
education leaders have sought to extend and attention paid to summer learning on a
deepen students’ opportunities for academic national basis. The summer of 2021 in par-
development and enrichment. Summer ticular was a turning point. That’s when kids
were beginning to return to school broadly,
programs can also be a way to heighten
so there was an opportunity to bring kids
students’ connection to school and their own
together in person. There was also a call to
paths as learners. To find out more about new
action at that time from the White House and
developments in summer learning—and what
the U.S. Department of Education for states
works best in summer programming—we and school districts to use summer learning
recently spoke to Allison Crean Davis, the vice to help kids recover academically and socially
president for education studies at Westat and from having spent so much time away from
director of the National Summer Learning and school, their peers, and their teachers. And
Enrichment Study. Funded by The Wallace then finally the really big change was in
Foundation, this research project includes a funding for summer programs. That came
series of reports on how states and school from the federal government, earmarked
districts have responded to the call for greater ­specifically through the American Rescue
attention to summer learning in the wake of Plan. So all this created the opportunity for
summer learning to roll out at a national scale
the pandemic. A third and final report will be
in a way that we hadn’t seen before.
released later this year.

60 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024

 It’s important for
school leaders to think
of summer as . . .
an opportunity for
learning to be tailored
in different ways to the
PHOTO COURTESY OF ALLISON CREAN DAVIS
needs of their students.

Your most recent report says that, in

such as travel and camps, come back to school
response to that call to action and the
retaining more of their learning from the prior
funding, many state leaders focused
year. That has been a part of the “summer
on the potential of summer learning
slide” over time—it’s been a contributor to
through an “equity lens.” Do you think
gaps in p ­ erformance between different groups
that has altered the role and purpose of
of s­ tudents.
summer programs?
So summer learning has been increasingly
I think it has, and in fact, over the last 10 or 15 conceptualized to make a difference by providing
years, a lot of the research on summer learning the opportunity for kids who don’t necessarily
has had an equity lens. There’s a wealth of data have a lot of enrichment opportunities over
showing that kids who do not have opportunities the summer. I think that is more in focus now
for enrichment programming over the summer because, in general, many educators are more
tend to slip in their academic skills, whereas focused on equity, particularly in equity of
kids that have access to different learning opportunities.
­opportunities and enrichment ­opportunities,

ASCD / www.ascd.org 61
 FATCAMERA / iSTOCK
Your report also notes that there’s been
in their plans that they wrote for their American
a strong emphasis on social-emotional
Rescue Plan funding. But what we learned from
learning in summer programs launched
districts is that nearly all of them also offered
after the pandemic. Was that surprising
academic programming. And many of them
to you, given the traditional perception
paired that with social-emotional learning oppor-
that summer school is about addressing
tunities. So the translation in terms of what has
academic needs and the recent focus on
really happened on the ground is that summer
accelerated learning and learning loss?
programs have had strong elements of academic
Yes and no. I’m not surprised that people programming, in part because I think teachers
focused on social-emotional learning because it and families understood we had to curb that
is important, and it is not unrelated to academic learning loss.
learning. It’s very much related and a contrib-
uting factor. Also, because of the pandemic, there What goes into making a high-quality
has been a lot of concern about student mental summer program at the design level?
health and just the lack of socialization opportu- What are the steps that leaders need to
nities kids had during the pandemic. It felt really take to get there?
important just to bring kids back together in
learning how to socialize again. The best evidence we have is from a randomized
What we found is that emphasis on social-­ control trial that was conducted by the RAND
emotional learning was coming from the states Corporation and The Wallace Foundation over

62 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024

a decade ago. One basic ingredient is In terms of the messaging the particular needs are in your com-
having high-quality staff. We want and communication, how can munity, and what will get people
to have p ­ rograms where the staff are school systems counter the excited about coming to summer
well-trained and specialized in edu- traditional perception that learning. And really having messaging
cating students in the areas that are summer school is punitive or that is engaging, consistent, and has
priorities for the students, the school, just about academic recovery? multiple facets—not just one flyer or
and the district. poster. It should be clear. It should be
The next thing is starting early with It is a challenge. It is kind of amazing simple. And it should elevate the value
planning. This was something that how sticky that concept of summer proposition of summer learning pro-
a lot of schools and districts did not school being punitive has been. But gramming for parents and help them
have the luxury of doing in 2021. But there are some really good resources understand how it will help prepare
generally, planning should begin at the to help people think about how to students and propel them into their
latest by January for the next summer. message for summer differently. future in a positive way.
It’s also important to have a blend of One is a guide commissioned by the You also want to have a written plan
academic and enrichment activities, Wallace Foundation that came out and be able to articulate exactly what
so between three and four hours of in 2018. It goes into everything from this experience will look like for the
academics, and then usually three including messages that are important kids in the program. This can help
or four hours of enrichment blended to the students you are serving and counteract some of that old messaging
into the day. using students as messengers to about it being punitive. If students and
The research also says that pro- understanding your audience, what parents hear that kids will be involved
grams should run for at least five
weeks, optimally six weeks, and be
five days a week. And of course, the
other important ingredient is having a

Say Hello
coherent curriculum. So what are stu-
dents learning during that academic
time period especially, and is it aligned

to Witsby™
to what they’ve learned during the
academic year? There should be some
cohesion to what they’re learning.
Finally, it’s important to have smaller
class sizes during the summer so that
students are getting personalized
Powerful, Personalized PD
attention. Get to know the award-winning PD platform
So that’s the best evidence we have that’s available anytime, anywhere.
so far. One of the exciting things
as summer learning has scaled
throughout the country is that we’re Witsby Earns the
now in a position where we can study ISTE Seal!
what school systems are doing in a
number of different contexts and
An indispensable tool
learn about different ways in which for educators.
programs can be successful. So we will
have a wealth of new evidence and MAY 2024–2026 Learn more:
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ASCD / www.ascd.org 63
2024_SummerEL_WitsbyAd.indd 1 6/5/24 12:07 PM
 IT:PEOPLEIMAGES / iSTOCK
Use summer as a time and space to then having a bell ring. Summer should feel
like a different experience that is fun, engaging,
innovate, find new ways of working, academic, and enriching, and still have some
and think about finding some continuity with the school year in terms of the
curriculum and the way kids are learning.
continuity with the academic year. There can also be a trap where people feel
like academics are a no-no for the summer,
in different enrichment activities, that there’s that a
­ cademics are a turnoff for kids. But the
going to be a camp-like atmosphere, and that evidence does not support that. The evidence
there will be field trips and a lot of exciting things supports having a blend that provides some dif-
that might not traditionally be associated with ferent context around the academics so kids feel
summer school, it helps flip the equation. they’re in a unique and novel experience. Most
kids want to learn. They have no problem with
At the day-to-day level, what can learning when it’s fun and blended with other
school leaders and educators who are enriching activities. So educators shouldn’t shy
involved in summer learning programs away from that.
do to ensure they are engaging and The other thing I will say is that most suc-
effective? cessful summer programs also leverage partners.
Summer is a time when educators can really
There are a lot of proven ways. One is making get creative. Look around. Look at your com-
summer distinct and different than the tradi- munity assets. Look at your Boys and Girls clubs,
tional school year, so kids aren’t just going into the YMCA, your local arts programs, parks and
classes and sitting in rows of desks all day and rec programs, libraries. Think about how to

64 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024

harness those partnerships in ways How should school leaders So, use summer as a time and space
that, again, will help with staffing and be thinking about summer to innovate, find new ways of working,
enrichment and bring new life and learning as part of their overall and think about finding some conti-
new ­experiences into the learning. academic programming nuity with the academic year. Let the
and school-improvement academic year and the curriculum
It’s been three years since planning? inform and build some continuity for
President Biden’s call to action students and what they need to learn
on summer learning and the It’s important for school leaders to in the summer. And let some of that
inclusion of funding in the think of summer as not optional but as innovation that can happen in the
American Rescue Plan, which an essential component in their aca- space of five or six weeks during the
is now sunsetting. What’s demic programming, an opportunity summer inform what you do and try
your sense of what summer for learning to be tailored in different during the academic year.
learning will look like in the ways to the needs of their students.
near future? It’s also an opportunity to engage Editor’s note: This interview has been
with partners that frankly may also be edited for length.
It’s a great question. There’s a lot of great partners during the traditional
energy and excitement to sustain academic year.
summer programming and the ben-
efits we’re seeing for kids, but that’s
tempered by some concern about the
funds going away.
So, again, this is where I think
partners can come in. There’s a lot of
efficiency and economies of scale that
can happen when we are leveraging
LOOK
our community partners. There are
also additional funding streams. A
FOR THE
SEAL
number of people who have been doing
the hard work of building capacity
and providing technical assistance to
the coordinators who run summer
programs are also helping them
EdTech products that
identify different funding streams that
carry the seal have been
they may not have realized could be
leveraged for summer learning pro- vigorously evaluated for
gramming. So just because the ARP alignment to learning
funds are sunsetting, it doesn’t mean sciences and for teacher
that the whole program has to sunset. usability and agency.
There’s a lot of energy around building
bridges from those federal funds to
other local funds and other more per-
sonalized, tailored ways of supporting See which products have
this work. Funding matters, but it’s earned the ISTE Seal.
also the people and the ideas that will
sustain the programs.

ASCD / www.ascd.org 65
2024_SummerEL_IndustryAd.indd 1 5/30/24 11:22 AM
 Tell Us About

Why do you think some students miss a lot of school?

What could teachers do to help?

PAUL TONG / IKON IMAGES

Fourth Graders from Achievement First throw parties, give class competitions, or things like that
Bushwick Elementary in Brooklyn, New York to make it more fun so we do want to come.
—Anabelle R.
I think some students miss a lot of school because of bul-
lying, depression, they’re really sick, or have family Eighth Graders from Davis Drive Middle
problems. I think teachers can help these kids by talking to School in Cary, North Carolina
them or giving them stuff to calm them down. Or they can
Like a job, in school you should be able to take days off. We
tell them the world is not perfect, but it’s not that bad if
work 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, with homework after
we have our class and [we] will help you out. “You should
school and on weekends. Sometimes kids are just plain
know we will be there for you.”
tired or mentally exhausted, like adults. I don’t think
—Ami B. teachers and parents get that burnout is a real thing, espe-
cially in the days leading up to or after a big test. I think
Some students may not feel comfortable at school or teachers need to be more understanding of what kids are
maybe they don’t feel challenged at school to want to going through and dealing with, and look beyond the fact
come. Another reason might be because of bullies, or they that a kid has been missing a lot of school.
feel that the people at school don’t like them. Teachers
—Bridget K.
could try to give more rewards or do more fun things like

66 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024

If we had less homework, we would be less stressed, in the future. I think that this leads to them being
we would get more sleep, and therefore, would be able absent a lot because they find it impractical with the
to do better in school and come to school more and on decision that they’ve made not to attend college or a
time. I’m not saying to do away with homework alto- university. Something that I think teachers can do to
gether because we still need the practice, but teachers help this would be to educate students on the benefits
should work to assign less homework. of graduating with a high school diploma. I strongly
—Reese M. believe that when students know the benefits of
certain things, they have more interest and put more
Students miss a lot of school because they may not feel effort into these certain things because the students
comfortable or safe in that environment. If a student have it in their heads that they will e
­ ventually profit
doesn’t feel confident in their classroom or in their from it.
school, they will be more tempted to find excuses to —Emily E.
stay home or skip classes. To help them, teachers can
make their class more welcoming, invite students
who usually sit alone to participate in fun activities,
and be more open and accepting of students who
“Students miss school because they have
are struggling in any way. School should be a safe nothing to look forward to throughout
place for everyone, a place where students can enjoy their day. Essentially, it’s the same
learning and interacting with others. Teachers are old cycle. Eat, sleep, school.”
responsible for their students and providing them
with a safe place.
—Veronika E.
Students miss school because they have nothing to
Students may not have reliable and safe transpor- look forward to throughout their day. Essentially, it’s
tation to school daily because of bus rules. I believe the same old cycle. Eat, sleep, school. Teachers can
that teachers could help by talking to the students approach this issue by adding variety in their teaching
who have bad attendance records and try to get to the styles such as ice-breaker questions or daily check-
bottom of what the problem is. This could help give ins. By giving students something to look forward to,
data about what stops them from coming to school attendance will improve.
and could be sent to the administration so they can —Aaron P.
use special a
­ ccommodations to help the students.
—Sohum V. I think most students who miss school just can’t make
it, but for those who do it on purpose, I think school is
I feel like students miss school because the activities uninteresting or unimportant to them. They don’t and
in school can sometimes get boring. Students usually can’t find a reason to go to school every day. Teachers
enjoy learning that is more interactive and hands- can help students enjoy school more by taking the stu-
on. Fun activities such as team-building games could dents’ opinions into account. Teachers could include
make students socialize more and help students skip more inclusive topics and find out what students like
school less. by having classroom votes.

—Pavan V. —Danielle A.

High School Students from Health Editor’s note: Thank you to educators Robin Brantley
(Achievement First Bushwick Elementary), Julie
Sciences High and Middle College in
Adcock (Davis Drive Middle School), and Mikayla
San Diego, California
Haywood (Health Sciences High and Middle College)
I believe that some students miss a lot of school for their assistance in gathering the student responses
because they are disinterested in pursuing school featured here.

ASCD / www.ascd.org 67
 After spending time with families to Takeaways
understand their actual needs, I realized
that the solution to chronic absenteeism
could neither decouple students from
their families nor families from their I learned a career-shaping
communities and contexts. lesson about class conversations
that first year: always be
We needed to see families.
ready for nobody to have done
—Shadae Thomas Harris, p. 22 “the reading.” With this, our
discussions can survive in the
face of absenteeism that can be
both unpredictable
Oftentimes, because they are
and pervasive.
chronically absent, these students’
—Matthew R. Kay, p. 34
voices are missing in survey data.
Conducting a focus group or an
empathy interview with students (and
potentially their families) may help to
gather additional information.
—Jennifer Ciok, p. 28

Environments where children are

active participants in their
learning as opposed to passive
recipients of information yield
100 percent engagement.

—Amy Holcombe and Steve Wozniak, p.16

68 Educational Leadership / Summer 2024 BERKAHLINEART / SHUTTERSTOCK