How to Address Chronic Absenteeism: A Proactive Toolkit for District Leaders

In a new op-ed in The 74 Media, David Nitkin digs into one of the most contentious questions in education policy: What should accountability look like for innovative schools? Drawing on findings from the Canopy Project—a nationwide scan by Center on Reinventing Public Education and Transcend of leaders from some of the most innovative schools across the country—the op-ed challenges one of the most popular reforms gaining traction: through-year testing. States like Montana, Texas, and Missouri are betting on multiple assessments throughout the year to provide more timely data. The problem? Canopy leaders reject it by nearly 3-to-1. They describe it as "a well-meaning but misguided boss who requires you to submit a new weekly report 'to make your job easier.'" Their vision instead: accountability systems that evolve alongside new models of learning—right-sized assessments, differentiated requirements for different school types, and broader measures beyond test scores. Read the full op-ed: https://lnkd.in/gcBab_gB

The accountability issue continues to be a difficult policy issue for most states and policy makers. This adds some interesting options into the mix that are worth exploring.

Public education is facing tough times - funding cuts, staffing shortages, uncertain environments, and mounting pressure on teachers and administrators alike. But what if, rather than just surviving these challenges, we turned them into opportunities? In this latest blog, Jonathon Barberio dives into how schools can make that shift by: ✨Recognizing that student behavior often reflects broader system- and family-level stress, not just classroom missteps. 🤝Reframing our relationship with families by moving from deficit-based conversations (“What the child isn’t doing”) to supportive partnerships (“What does the family need so the child can thrive?”). 🏫Building school systems that become stabilizing forces - offering consistent, predictable support rather than just reacting to symptom behaviors. 💬Asking ourselves this question: “What does this family need to help their child feel safer, ready to learn, rather than what’s the next behavior punishment?” Because here’s the truth: Students don’t come to school in a vacuum. Their behavior carries the emotional residue of home, of systems that haven’t yet caught up, of unrest and instability. When schools see them as signals for change - not simply as problems to fix - we open the door to real transformation. How Public Schools Can Turn Challenges into Opportunities | Jonathon Barberio, MA, LPCA Read the full post at https://lnkd.in/gPycH5mt. This post was written in collaboration with Threshold Learning.

The74 highlights how states are stepping up with evidence-informed strategies to improve student achievement. The article spotlights cross-state sharing of practical, state-led approaches as federal involvement recedes, emphasizing implementation lessons and results. In Tennessee, we’re translating educator feedback from the #TNEdSurvey into practical guidance. Our TES Cell Phone Snapshot examines how middle and high schools set and implement cell phone policies—providing timely data to inform decision making and support strong learning environments. See our snapshot here: https://lnkd.in/eBUQsRWb Read The 74 article here: https://lnkd.in/esRU9ZHd

The teacher shortage is a crisis, but it's also an opportunity. We can't just fill classrooms- we have to fundamentally reimagine the profession so that educators feel respected, empowered and supported. When they do, students can thrive. Organizations like Green Dot Public Schools California and Teach For America are showing what works right here in Los Angeles: investing in teacher agency, wellness and diverse talent pipelines. Read the full op-ed from our Executive Director, Dr. Lida Jennings, MBA, Ed.D., to see how we can turn a moment of struggle into a movement of renewal. Check out the article here: https://lnkd.in/gj83dUnR

Across the UK, school attendance is in crisis. We all know it, but very few are talking about what actually works. At Sophia High School, we don’t guess. We measure. Transparently. Daily. Honestly. 📊 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗺𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝟭 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 (7 weeks, all students including AP & EHCP): - 84.56% overall - 96-98% for Key Stages 1-2 - 62.9% for Alternative Provision students (many of whom were once unable to attend mainstream school at all). These aren’t vanity metrics. They’re real data from real children, whose stories can’t be reduced to a number. ✨ The Year 10 student who went from 40% to 92% attendance. ✨ The neurodivergent Year 8 who can finally focus in a class of 8 instead of 32. ✨ The anxious Year 7 who shows up every day because they feel seen. That’s what happens when every lesson is live, every class is small, and every child is known. We’re proud of our results, and honest about where we still need to grow. Because transparency is part of learning too. So here’s our challenge to the sector: If we’re going to fix the attendance crisis, let’s prove it. 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮. 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙩. Not cherry-picked stories. Not vague claims about “engagement.” Real attendance. Real lessons. Real accountability. Because children deserve more than digital promises. They deserve schools that show up for them, every single day. 🟨 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗲. Do yours back up your claims?

Here's the story of how one district improved teacher retention and student outcomes through strategic scheduling efficiencies... But first, why does this matter? Here are a few highlights: ➡️ $4 million identified in potential savings without staff reductions or negative impact on students ➡️ Up to 256 additional hours of literacy instruction per student annually identified through schedule optimization at elementary level ➡️ Instructional disparities identified and addressed across campuses, with some students receiving up to 90 more daily minutes of literacy instruction than peers, enabling improved resource allocation at Strategic Support Campuses Like many, this district faced declining enrollment, teacher burnout, and competing with tech sector for talent. To retain teaching talent, they needed to increase teacher salaries while improving student outcomes without additional funding. The district chose to engage Abl, a BetterLesson company. And together, we focused on three core solution areas: ✅ Comprehensive Data Analysis Analyzed time, courses, enrollment, & staff data across 56 campuses to identify inefficiencies and instructional disparities ✅ Strategic Support for High-Need Campuses Identified "Strategic Support Campuses" and developed targeted action plans with additional stipends to recruit and retain teachers at highest-need schools ✅ Schedule Optimization & Consistency Created non-negotiables for instructional minutes and identified high school scheduling improvements to maximize seat utilization Here's what Dennis Covington, district CFO had to say about the process: "The depth of analysis is something that most school districts—maybe none—have the expertise to carry out on their own. This journey has shown us how we can be more efficient and improve outcomes for students. We will leverage every single dollar saved to incentivize our teachers to stay in the profession they love." Want the full story? ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/e-fZrUUh

School Accountability Just Became Optional: What This Means for Educational Equity The U.S. Department of Education is now allowing states to waive annual testing and public reporting requirements—dismantling two decades of accountability standards. The impact is immediate: → Parents lose access to data needed to evaluate school quality → Teachers lose diagnostic information to adjust instruction → Policymakers lose evidence to target resources where they're needed most Why this matters now: We're erasing the only system that forced us to see achievement gaps and inequitable outcomes. For years, disaggregated data exposed which students were falling behind and which schools were failing to serve marginalized populations. Without it, vulnerable students simply disappear from view. This isn't about reducing testing burden—it's about hiding failure and calling it progress. The consequences compound: college readiness gaps widen, workforce preparation suffers, and economic mobility stalls for entire communities. For educators, administrators, and policymakers: The question isn't whether accountability is perfect—it's not. The question is how we improve outcomes when we refuse to measure them. What alternatives is your district considering to maintain transparency while addressing legitimate concerns about over-testing? Source: The74 #Education #EducationPolicy #EdLeadership #K12Education #EducationalEquity #TeachersOfLinkedIn #SchoolLeadership #EducationReform #EdAdmin #DataDrivenEducation

Powerful call to action from Dr. Zoe Stemm-Calderon: how we invest in education is as critical as how much. Thoughtful investments grounded in need, evidence, and belonging must guide our decisions if we want to close learning gaps and deliver on the promise of a high-quality education for every student. 

Yikes. That’s what I said out loud when I saw the latest reading report out of Indiana and the number of third graders being held back for another year. Then I thought about how I could use this data in my class tonight as I teach about MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) and RTI (Response to Intervention) and the importance of building systems of support before students fall so far behind that retention feels like the only option. In Indiana this year, about 3,000 third graders are being retained because they didn’t pass the state’s reading assessment. On paper, it might look like accountability. But the research tells a different story. Yes, retained students often show short-term gains in reading scores. But by middle school, those gains fade and retention is often linked to higher dropout rates, lower motivation, and weaker social-emotional outcomes, especially when students are retained in later grades. We have decades of data showing that holding a child back rarely solves the problem. But we also know what does work: Evidence-based interventions within an MTSS framework High-dosage tutoring and small-group instruction Explicit, systematic reading instruction grounded in the science of reading Family engagement and progress monitoring Early, targeted intervention, not late remediation When we invest in these supports, we don’t have to rely on retention as a safety net. (invest is the key word here) We can prevent learning gaps before they widen and help every student move forward with the skills and confidence they need to thrive. Because our goal isn’t to give students another year of the same. It’s to give them another chance with the right supports in place. And to do that, we need to fund education. We need to invest in teachers and the supports they need to help students succeed. Not invest in another year of 3rd grade instruction for 3,000 students. We shall see what my class thinks of this tonight! #EducationPolicy #TeacherPrep #EquityInEducation