Every Day Counts

Addressing Chronic Absence in K-12 by Improving Data Access & Utilization

The number of chronically absent students from school has doubled since before the pandemic. An unprecedented number of students miss ten or more school days in an academic year, which can significantly and negatively impact academic outcomes. But this doesn’t have to be the case. Research and evidence-based strategies tell us that with the correct information and data, educators and student support teams can better understand the challenge and engage with families and students to address this issue.

Accurate and timely data is critical as school districts nationwide work to understand the problem, address students' barriers in coming to school, and intervene with various tiered supports. Following the September 4th call to action, the need from the field for this type of collaboration has only increased.

Background information

In collaboration with the National Partnership for Student Success (NPSS) Support Hub at the Johns Hopkins University Everyone Graduates Center, Project Unicorn is working to support stakeholders in K-12 education in understanding and addressing chronic absence in their communities. In response to feedback from school districts in the National Partnership for Student Success’ Attendance Solutions Network –launched in the summer of 2024– and building upon the Ed-Fi Alliance Starter Kit for this use case, we have outlined a model data schema–a set of attendance and intervention data elements–for inclusion in student information systems and edtech products who support schools in addressing absenteeism with the proper supports. This data can’t be a luxury or only available to those who can afford it. So the schema aims to create a lightweight layer for including this data into baseline student information system (SIS) subscriptions and other edtech tools, which will help school and district leaders understand their attendance and chronic absence data to implement timely interventions to support students and families.

Join the Next Phase Design Working Group

The work still needs to be completed. We're excited to invite interested stakeholders to join our Design Working Group focused on improving school district access and the utility of student attendance data to help address chronic absence. We are assembling a team of educators, edtech industry leaders, and school/district administrators to help us continue to design solutions that make it easier for schools and districts to securely access student attendance data with the details they need to identify students at risk of becoming chronically absent and target timely interventions. Your insights and experiences are invaluable in ensuring the continued work and solutions are practical and user-friendly. You can participate in online discussions, surveys, and virtual focus groups as a group member. Your feedback will directly shape the development of tools and resources to empower schools and districts working to increase student engagement and address chronic absence in their communities.

If you are passionate about data interoperability, addressing chronic absence, and improving student engagement and want to make a difference, we encourage you to join our Next Phase Design Working Group. Please visit the link below to express your interest or learn more. Working together, we can create a more equitable and supportive education system for all students.

RESOURCES

Project Unicorn is grateful to our partners from the states of Michigan and Virginia, the Center for Democracy and Technology, the Student Data Privacy Consortium, and the National Academy of Public Administration for contributing the resources below. These resources offer valuable tools and guidance to help communities tackle common data-sharing challenges. They provide frameworks for establishing trust and governance, ensuring data security and privacy, and fostering stakeholder collaboration. By utilizing these resources, communities can promote responsible data-sharing practices, leading to more effective decision-making, improved resource allocation, and enhanced outcomes in various domains.  

Interested in learning more or have any questions? Email projectunicorn@innovateedunyc.org.