“Our relationship with Attendance Works has been instrumental in our collective work on attendance, not only in Kent County, but across Michigan. Our research, messaging, policy and practice, strategies, and commitment to school attendance would not be where it is today without our long-standing relationship with Attendance Works."
— Carol Paine-McGovern, former Executive Director, Kent School Services Network – A Community School Coalition
Our Vision

Students of all backgrounds and circumstances attend school regularly, engage in learning and thrive.

Our Mission

Attendance Works advances success in school and beyond for all students by reducing chronic absence. 

The Problem

Our country is facing an attendance crisis. Prior to the pandemic, eight million students were chronically absent (missing 10% or more of the school year). That number has nearly doubled. Missing too much school affects students' academic progress, social development and future success. Left unaddressed, chronic absence will dramatically increase the number of students struggling with reading, writing and math and escalate dropout rates. Existing attendance and truancy practices are woefully inadequate given today’s unprecedented levels of chronic absence.

Our Approach

As a nonprofit initiative, Attendance Works partners with schools, districts, states, communities and organizations to ensure that chronic absence is recognized as a serious issue that can be addressed through proactive, supportive strategies. 

Whether education takes place in a building or through online learning, we seek to:

  • Build public awareness and political will to shift away from punitive action and instead partner with students and families to address the challenges that prevent them from participating in learning.

  • Encourage proven and innovative practice by offering free tools and resources on our website, as well as fee-for-service technical assistance that equips districts, schools and communities to take a data-driven approach that improves student attendance and engagement.

  • Facilitate peer learning among schools, districts and states to cultivate better practice and leverage collective wisdom, skills and knowledge to inform more effective strategies.

  • Advance policies (local, state and federal) that improve attendance and reduce chronic absence by making data systems more transparent, strengthening school-community partnerships and removing barriers to getting to school.

Our Approach to Addressing Attendance Challenges
We promote:

  • Problem-Solving Not Blame: The response to absences should use a problem-solving approach involving students and families. Using blame and punishment to address absences further alienates students and families.

  • Data Monitoring: Every school and district in the country should monitor and respond to chronic absence as early as possible and throughout the school year, beginning ideally in preschool.

  • Identifying Patterns and Barriers: Attendance and chronic absence data should be analyzed to understand trends and challenges affecting student attendance and the need for systemic solutions. 

  • Co-creating Solutions. Schools and their partners need to develop strong relationships with all students and families, and engage them in developing solutions to the attendance-related issues that impact their lives.

  • Developing Strategic Partnerships: Districts and schools can reduce chronic absence  when they partner with community organizations, public agencies and other groups to resolve barriers and build relationships with students and families.

  • Adequate Resources: Federal, state and local governments should use chronic absence data to identify where additional investment and strategic support are needed to remove barriers to attendance and expand opportunities to learn.

Governing magazine featured Attendance Works' Hedy Chang and the growing awareness of chronic absenteeism in a 2021 feature article, Chronic Absenteeism Is a Huge School Problem. Can Data Help?