The future of our nation hinges on the education of our children. Yet, one in four U.S. students experiences chronic absenteeism, missing 18 or more school days per year.
published by Rand Corporation and the Center on Reinventing Public Education, reveals that about 9.4 million students—19% of all students—were chronically absent during the 2023-24 school year.
Families are essential to reversing this trend. Their active involvement can make all the difference in fostering a love of learning and encouraging healthy student attendance.
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However, traditional forms of attendance-driven communication rest on one-way absenteeism auto call notifications and letters sent home in the mail. How can we flip the script and more positively engage families around what might be K12’s most significant challenge?
Instead of focusing solely on the problem, districts can bring parents and guardians to the forefront as key partners in the solution.
Working together to end chronic absenteeism
Strong family engagement is a deeply effective strategy to reduce absenteeism. While all school districts have tools in place to inform parents of their child’s school absences, it’s important they convey this information in a positive and holistic way.
Here are five ways districts can place families at the forefront of their attendance improvement strategy:
1. Lead with empathy
Parents of chronically absent students are conditioned to picking up their phone and seeing or hearing messages like “Your child was absent from school today.” Or even worse, receiving punitive letters suggesting truancy court as the next step in their child’s academic journey. Over the course of a year, a parent or guardian may receive multiple autocalls and letters without a single positive or open-ended message.
One suggestion is to avoid starting the conversation with the parent by mentioning absenteeism. Instead, ask how the parent is doing. For example, “Hi! This is Jenna’s teacher, Ms. Rodriguez. I noticed that Jenna missed my science class earlier this week and I wanted to check in on how you’re doing. I’m here to chat any time.”
Demonstrating empathy by asking a small, caring question can lead to stronger partnerships and more trust.
2. Understand the ‘why’ behind student and family absences
No parent wants to feel like they are failing or setting up their child for failure. But socioeconomic barriers like poverty exist, perceptions around the importance of school are real, and aversion to school persists. How can district leaders and administrators understand the “why” behind student absences?
A simple text message or email that can be replied to is a powerful conduit to understanding the complexities behind chronic absenteeism. Shift away from the classic one-way attendance autocall notification and use two-way messaging to ask parents specific questions like, “How is your commute from home to school?” This way, districts will gain valuable insights into transportation challenges, such as parents with multiple children who struggle to get everyone to school on time.
3. Encourage two-way communication
Whether through your district’s school-home communication platform or in person, framing conversations with closed-ended and open-ended questions is an effective way to gather valuable feedback from parents. Consider starting with a closed-ended question like this: “On a scale of 1-10, how do you feel about your child’s school experience?”
Once you gauge their response, ask open-ended questions to elicit more dialogue. These can include asking parents what an ideal school environment looks like for their child or how things are going at home. Conclude by asking parents if the conversation was helpful, and gather any last-minute feedback or areas of improvement to focus on.
4. Build trust between school and home
Building trust requires consistent effort and open communication from both sides. Schools can foster trust by actively listening to parents’ concerns, valuing their input and being transparent about their decisions.
Regularly sharing positive news about students—not just contacting families when there’s a problem—goes a long way in building positive relationships. When parents feel heard and respected and see school as a partner invested in their child’s well-being, a strong foundation of trust is created, leading to better collaboration and improved outcomes for students.
5. Communicate the importance of attendance early and often
Proactive communication is key to getting ahead of chronic absenteeism by ensuring parents and guardians understand the importance of good attendance and the school’s attendance policy.
Instead of waiting for issues to arise, schools should emphasize attendance expectations early and often. This simple but effective approach can help prevent problems before they escalate and ensures parents are informed from the start.
