Attendance and Engagement Network
Did you know?
Attendance is a leading indicator of equity. Students that miss just two days a month for any reason are more likely to not read at grade level, and more likely to not graduate (Center for the Improvement of Student Learning).
Puget Sound Educational Service District (PSESD) is leading an Attendance and Engagement Network to improve student attendance and engagement, particularly for Students of Color. The Network, launched in January 2021, focuses on creating and sharing strategies, tools, and resources for attendance-related school improvement, including data systems.
In the first year of the Network, PSESD supported 12 school teams that received in-depth, one-to-one support in implementing key strategies around measuring and supporting student attendance and engagement. Teams had a particular focus on adopting and maintaining racial equity in the era of COVID-19. Teams learned to define, measure, and improve attendance and engagement in remote, hybrid, and transitional periods of schooling.
Network participants also experienced increased leadership capacity through professional development focused on:
- Developing actionable measures of student attendance & engagement;
- Developing authentic partnerships that center student, family, and community voice in decision making and operational processes; and
- Navigating the truancy petition process, diversifying truancy boards, and partnering with county courts to provide support for families and students.
Teams implemented six-week Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycles and continuous cycles of improvement to explore the impacts of the strategies and adjust strategy implementation as needed.
PSESD historically has tracked student engagement in its Measures of Progress through the Healthy Youth Survey. Due to school closures, this data was not collected in 2020. Historical data may be found at https://www.askhys.net/.