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Elementary leaders cite parent facilitators and family advocates to reduce chronic absenteeism
Summary
Elementary-level leaders highlighted attendance committees, parent facilitators, DESSA screening and restorative practices; staff said family advocates and community partners play a key role in outreach to families and students.
Angela Asaro, the district’s associate superintendent for elementary schools, told the board that elementary attendance has improved in recent years and that schools are focusing on root causes for absences through attendance committees and family outreach.
"Our parent facilitators are a great support to our schools in this area, working with administrative teams, to reach out to parents and really talk about the importance of attendance in relationship to student achievement," Asaro said. She described regular monitoring, monthly attendance meetings and use of MTSS staff and community partners to intervene for students at risk of chronic absence.
Asaro also described restorative practices and social-emotional learning programs in elementary schools — including RULER, Choose Love and Responsive Classroom — and said those approaches, combined with mentoring and adult connections, contribute to students feeling a sense of belonging that supports attendance.
Board members asked for evaluations of partner effectiveness and caseload data for family advocates; staff said partnerships operate under memoranda of agreement that define data access and roles and that the district can provide non-identifying effectiveness measures.
