We’re encouraging young people to share their experiences with school attendance through school-based participatory research, essay, social media and other projects.
Student voice projects offer young people a path to being participants in improving attendance at their schools. Learn more from the Grad Partnership about strategies for helping educators and other adults to feature youth voices.
To lift up youth voice projects, we’re supporting the U.S. Department of Education’s Attendance Champions Challenge. This initiative calls on young people, aged 13 to 19, to address chronic absence by identifying and solving barriers to school attendance. With the deadline approaching on November 29, 2024, now is the time to get involved!
What is the Attendance Champions Challenge?
Chronic absence, defined as missing 10% or more of the school year, has increased since the Covid-19 pandemic, affecting students across rural, suburban and urban schools. The Attendance Champions Challenge aims to reverse this trend by encouraging young people to propose creative solutions.
How to Get Involved
Students and organizations working with youth can participate in a variety of ways. Entries can be submitted as part of schoolwork (e.g., in English or civics classes), through student clubs or youth-led campaigns. The goal is for students to think critically about what prevents their peers from attending school and to develop innovative and impactful solutions.
The Department of Education offers resources to support these efforts, including the Social Media Campaign Guide developed by Attendance Works. This guide provides ideas on how students can create campaigns to promote school attendance and engagement. Check the FAQs on the Attendance Champions
Challenge webpage for additional resources and tips on submitting a strong entry.
Important Dates and Submission Guidelines
The Attendance Champions Challenge opened on September 3, 2024, and submissions are due by November 29, 2024, at 9:00 PM ET. Entries should be submitted through the challenge webpage, found under the How to Enter tab.
Submissions should propose strategies to improve school attendance and engagement that are backed by research and real-world insights. Every participant in the challenge will receive a certificate of participation and may be invited to share their ideas at future events hosted by the Department of Education.
Spread the Word
Help spread the word by sharing this opportunity with your networks! A flyer with a QR code and other resources are available on the challenge website which you can distribute to students, teachers and community leaders.
Together, we can tackle the problem of chronic absence and make a lasting impact on students’ lives. Don’t miss the chance to be part of the solution!
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