Tools and Templates
Resources designed to be filled out, used directly, or adapted to be used for a variety of purposes related to attendance
Embedded Files
These resources provide tools to support two areas: 1) communications with students and families, and 2) educator planning and interventions to improve attendance and reduce absenteeism.
Communications
Communications
Tools and templates to help educators communicate with students and families
Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow
A sample PowerPoint presentation for school staff to show and present to parents to support attendance.
Audience: Administrators, Staff
Source: Galt Joint Union Elementary School District
A sample PowerPoint presentation from a school social worker to parents on the importance of attendance.
Audience: Teachers, Staff
Source: Escondido Union School District
A user/audience specific tool to navigate difficult and sensitive conversations regarding attendance.
Audience: Administrators, Families, Teachers, Staff
Source: Children's Health Fund
Strategies to promote strong attendance habits in preschool and early elementary children and their families. The guide features daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly activities that help prevent or reduce chronic absenteeism. This resource also provides tools for making your own Punctual Pete costume, downloadable templates and certificates, parent and teacher surveys, scorecards and reminder cards.
Audience: Administrators, Teachers, Staff
Source: Attendance Works
A one-page template that school & district staff can use for automated calls to parents regarding student attendance.
Audience: Administrators, Attendance Teams
Source: Attendance Works
A toolkit of blurbs and links to use on social media to support student attendance using the R.E.A.L. framework.
Audience: Administrators, Staff
Source: Attendance Works
How to Text Message Parents to Reduce Chronic Absence Using an Evidence-Based Approach
A toolkit for school districts considering using text messages to improve attendance to understand their goals for using text messaging, the procedures and IT infrastructure needed to implement a texting strategy, strategies from the Parent Messaging Study, and how to set up a text messaging system.
Audience: Administrators, Attendance Teams
Source: Institute of Education Sciences
Student "Stay at Home/Return to School" Guide
A free downloadable and editable attendance document that clearly outlines when parents should keep students at home due to illness and when it is appropriate for them to return to school.
Audience: Administrators, School Nurses, Staff
Source: The School Nurse, LLC
Free posters and handouts to increase awareness about attendance guidelines for parents.
Audience: Administrators, Attendance Teams
Source: Teachers Pay Teachers
Council on Children and Families Chronic Absenteeism Toolkit
Activities, posters, and sample parent communications in various languages to support awareness and engagement around attendance and chronic absenteeism.
Audience: Administrators, School Nurses, Staff
Source: Council on Children and Families
A 30-minute activity that demonstrates the effects of absenteeism on students. The activity includes time to reflect and discuss, and can be adapted to different audiences. Teachers and paraeducators can conduct this exercise in the classroom or during events where parents are in attendance.
Audience: Teachers
Source: Attendance Works
Illustrating the Gap Interactive exercise
This exercise is designed to show how the gap in 3rd grade reading grows when students miss too many days of school. The activity illustrates this gap as children have or do not have access to high quality preschool programs, regular preschool and school attendance, and summer learning opportunities.
Audience: Administrators, Staff, Teachers
Source: Attendance Works
Planning and Interventions
Planning and Interventions
Tools and templates to help administrators and staff to design, organize, or carry out attendance interventions
This page contains a series of tools to help school leaders and staff identify and address systemic barriers that contribute to chronic absenteeism.
Audience: Administrators, Attendance Teams, Staff
Source: Attendance Works
Chronic Absence landing page of framework of tools and resources to assist teams in understanding individual student circumstances and motivations, guiding tailored interventions.
Audience: Administrators, Attendance Teams
Source: Attendance Works
Learning opportunity focused on 2 key components of a comprehensive student-centered attendance plan: an attendance process to follow when students are absent, and attendance strategies focused on tiered supports and a culture of attendance.
Audience: Administrators, Attendance Teams
Source: Butte County Office of Education
Welcoming Schools Self-Assessment
The Connecticut State Department of Education has focused on creating welcoming cultures and climates in schools to increase engagement and positively impact student outcomes, including attendance. This multi-part self-assessment tool helps school leadership teams asses their physical environment, school-wide policies/practices, culture and climate, and home/school communications.
Audience: Administrators
Source: Capitol Region Education Council (CREC)
School Attendance Playbook Part 1:
Connection, Understanding and Community
A toolkit providing schools and districts with with practical strategies and resources to foster connections, increase understanding among all partners, and build community to accelerate student engagement post-pandemic. This is the first in a two-part series, focused on the fall semester.
Audience: Administrators
Source: Los Angeles County Office of Education
School Attendance Playbook: Part 2:
Promoting Positive Student Attendance
Part 2 of the School Attendance Playbook provides strategies to address attendance challenges, foster a culture of engagement, and enhance the learning experience of students. It is particularly focused on understanding and addressing attendance dips as the school year goes on.
Audience: Administrators
Source: Los Angeles County Office of Education
Guide to the Attendance Playbook
Developed by Attendance Works, this guide is a companion to the updated Attendance Playbook. The guide assists educators and their teams in thinking through key questions in selecting, prioritizing, and implementing strategies included in the playbook.
Audience: Administrators
Source: Attendance Works
Supportive Routine Attendance Routine Agenda
A sample agenda for an Attendance Team Outreach meeting agenda and notes.
Audience: Administrators, Attendance Teams
Source: Attendance Works
Tackling Chronic Absenteeism: 5 field tested tools
The Principal Project highlights the complexity of chronic student absenteeism and underscores the necessity for both individualized support and scalable, consistent interventions tailored for all students. School leaders can access five specific, data-driven tools—recommended by their peers—to help drive meaningful and sustainable attendance improvements.
Audience: Administrators
Source: Principal Project
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