October 2024: School Administrator

Advertisement

Additional Articles

Staff

Editor's Note
Grasping for Attendance Plans

As a member of the 91制片 team that evaluated the 845 proposals from presenters for next March鈥檚 National Conference on Education, I wasn鈥檛 surprised by the number that addressed the subject of chronic absenteeism among students.

At least several dozen conference submissions touched on the subject. One promised 鈥渢ried and true techniques鈥 based on human-centered improvement science. Another was titled 鈥淗ealth Equity and Absenteeism in Schools: The Transformative Role of School-Based Healthcare.鈥 Other solutions touted structured home visits and 鈥渕ulti-modal transportation plans.鈥 And given the escalating attention to artificial intelligence, who could be surprised to see one proposed talk titled 鈥淎I-Powered Superintendent Solutions.鈥

This month鈥檚 issue of our magazine lends ideas to the confounding issue of how to ensure students attend school every day. Hedy Chang, founder and executive director of Attendance Works, shares evidence-based approaches of several school district partners. Fred Williams, superintendent in Dublin, Ga., discusses his 鈥渨hole-child approach.鈥 The Learning Policy Institute details the experience of a unique rural collaborative among schools in California addressing attendance.

Clearly, school leaders are grasping for answers. We鈥檝e offered a few ideas and resources worth considering.

Jay P. Goldman
Editor, School Administrator
 703-875-0745
 jgoldman@aasa.org
 

Join the Conversation


Advertisement

Advertisement