Best Practices for Increasing Attendance and Engagement: Learning from the Expertise in the Room

Leveraging Student Voice and Student Focused Conversations to Improve Student Outcomes
Joseph Jonas and Claire Bastian, Franklin School District 

The brightest minds in most school districts are the learners that populate the classrooms each day. They inspire with their innovative ideas and ways to take on complex problems. At Franklin High School, we have taken on student focus groups and empathy interviewing to gather data on how to best support students in areas such as an advisory model, mentorship, and creating belonging for all. In addition, we supported all staff in coming together to team on a student they all share in our student focused PLC conversations. Through teaming, staff are able to identify a key barrier for a student, strategies to support, and a continuous improvement framework to spark positive change.

Attendance, The Hard Part of the Job
Jamie Saunders and Ellen Blair, Elkhorn School District

During this session, you will learn how Elkhorn Area High School improves attendance through building relationships with students. You will also be introduced to the student/teacher-friendly system that the Associate Principals use to track daily attendance. Besides these tier-one approaches, we will also give you a few tier-two and tier-three strategies. * This model can be used in all grade levels.*

The Power of Positive Relationships
Vince Propson, Ripon School District

This BOOM session presentation explores how positive relationships between high school students and staff directly improve attendance rates. Based on Vincent Propson's article, it highlights the role of belonging, engagement, and support in keeping students connected to school. The presentation emphasizes shifting from punitive discipline to a culture of support that encourages students to show up, engage, and succeed.

Making Attendance the Focus for Everyone
Daniel Butler and Nicole DeRoehn, Two Rivers School District

This presentation will highlight how tracking grade-level, individual, and overall school attendance rates and making it visible for the school community improves overall attendance. We will show how a strategic use of data helps identify trends, address concerns early, celebrate progress, and engage students, staff, and families. By using attendance data strategically, schools can foster a culture that values being present and supports student success.