Minneapolis pilot shows early results from student-led teams and gradual reentry strategies

Minneapolis Public Schools staff told the Education Finance Committee about pilot work to align attendance coding across districts and about school-level interventions that reengaged students.

Colleen Cabell, director of student retention and recovery, described a subcommittee of seven pilot districts that is drafting recommendations on attendance coding, exempt absences and thresholds for half-day and full-day counts. "We want to be able to compare apples to apples," Cabell said, noting wide variation in how districts and even schools within districts code absences and tardies.

Staff from Minneapolis described implementation work in tiers. At the tertiary level, a small "We Want You Back" team handles 15‑day drops; at the tier‑3 case-management level, school counselors like Melissa Winship provide sustained individualized interventions. Winship described a middle-school case where phased reentry (starting with two class periods and adding time as comfort increased) raised a student's attendance from 37% in November to 75% by January.

Parents and a school engagement navigator provided written and oral testimonials about the difference targeted supports made for students facing anxiety, trauma and other barriers. A parent who spoke said outreach arrived at a moment when other efforts had failed and credited the intervention for getting her child back to class and improving grades.

Pilot staff recommended statewide guidance to clarify exemption codes and to set consistent period/half‑day/full‑day thresholds so that early indicators of chronic absenteeism can be recognized and supported uniformly.