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Attendance Works Webinar #1 "Supporting Attendance & Participation to the Very Last Day of School"

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Attendance Works Webinar #1 "Supporting Attendance & Participation to the Very Last Day of School"

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AAC Webinar 1 — Committed: Supporting Attendance and Participation to the Very Last Day of School

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AAC Webinar- "Welcomed: Embracing Students and Families through the Summer and into the Fall"

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AAC Webinar- "Welcomed: Embracing Students and Families through the Summer and into the Fall"

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Welcomed: Embracing Students and Families through the Summer and into the Fall

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"Christmas in May Toy Giveaway"

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School Song and Video

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June is reflection

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21 Day School Challenge https://twitter.com/mwillisaka/status/1397554450961666048?s=21

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Community Events to boost attendance and enrollment

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Jesse Owens Community Farmers Market Flyer (1).PNG

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Final STEM Challenge of the year underway! Here’s the imagining & planning stage of the cycle. @CPSNetwork6 #STEMeducation #STEM

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Final STEM Challenge of the year underway! Here’s the imagining & planning stage of the cycle. @CPSNetwork6 #STEMeducation #STEM https://t.co/KefLtdpNeq

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Final STEM Challenge of the year underway! Here’s the imagining & planning stage of the cycle. @CPSNetwork6 #STEMeducation #STEM pic.twitter.com/KefLtdpNeq
— William H Brown STEM Magnet (@WHBrown_STEM) May 28, 2021

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Final STEM Challenge of the year underway! Here’s the imagining & planning stage of the cycle. @CPSNetwork6 #STEMeducation #STEM https://t.co/KefLtdpNeq

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Final STEM Challenge of the year underway! Here’s the imagining & planning stage of the cycle. @CPSNetwork6 #STEMeducation #STEM https://t.co/KefLtdpNeq

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Final STEM Challenge of the year underway! Here’s the imagining & planning stage of the cycle. @CPSNetwork6 #STEMeducation #STEM

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Otis' School Popsicles/Paletas in the Park

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Otis' School Popsicles/Paletas in the Park

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Thank you to all our families that came to our Popsicles in the Park event! #otispride #community @CPSNetwork6 @ChiPubSchools @OtisSchool

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Thank you to all our families that came to our Popsicles in the Park event! #otispride #community @CPSNetwork6 @ChiPubSchools @OtisSchool https://t.co/KiSjIErv4r

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Thank you to all our families that came to our Popsicles in the Park event! #otispride #community @CPSNetwork6 @ChiPubSchools @OtisSchool pic.twitter.com/KiSjIErv4r
— Claudia Guerrero (@CGuerreroCPS) May 22, 2021

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Thank you to all our families that came to our Popsicles in the Park event! #otispride #community @CPSNetwork6 @ChiPubSchools @OtisSchool https://t.co/KiSjIErv4r

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Thank you to all our families that came to our Popsicles in the Park event! #otispride #community @CPSNetwork6 @ChiPubSchools @OtisSchool https://t.co/KiSjIErv4r

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Thank you to all our families that came to our Popsicles in the Park event! #otispride #community @CPSNetwork6 @ChiPubSchools @OtisSchool

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Belmont-Cragin "Dia de Nino" Day of the Child Celebration

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Belmont-Cragin "Dia de Nino" Day of the Child Celebration

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Parents donated Ice cream and set up stations outdoors in the school parking lot.

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PreK Spa Day- no touching allowed.  They used a cane with a tennis ball on the end for massages. The stones, they just put them on your back and took them off and just a foot soak, no rubbing.  They talked about liability and insurance in their lesson. 😅  It was so inventive and cute.  Students in other grade bands used their dojo points to attend and pay for services.  🥰🥰  It brought so much joy to our school.

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Shana Moody CPSVendor
#773-719-9842 https://www.facebook.com/628907937/posts/10159431719337938/?d=n

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Outdoor recruitment

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Youtube has plenty of playlists to choose from.

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Kindness ideas, inspirational stories, quotes, FREE K-12 lesson plans and more.

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Everyone Matters "I Am" Selfie Photo booth

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Everyone Matters "I Am" Selfie Photo booth

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Have children create a poster that reflects some positive attribute about themselves and take a selfie at school/home.

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Children can create their own comic books online or in person. Try book creator for free: https://bookcreator.com/

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Strategies for Connecting with Students and Families

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Strategies for Connecting with Students and Families

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Attendance Works Ideas

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Bond Elementary Home Visits with Resources for Parents

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Bond Elementary Home Visits with Resources for Parents

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Partnering with a local church

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Celebrating students and staff

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Belding Elementary-Principal Billie Elish Music Video

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Belding Elementary-Principal Billie Elish Music Video

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Chicago Belding Principal as Billie Eilish

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STEM Remake learning day continue today @MClarkEagles with Project Exploration building bridges for our future. @ChicagoACES4 @justice4all44 @ChiefDavidBrown @momaVeJa @trpresdrj @chicagosmayor @ChiPubSchools @hchipjohnson @canderson311

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STEM Remake learning day continue today @MClarkEagles with Project Exploration building bridges for our future. @ChicagoACES4 @justice4all44 @ChiefDavidBrown @momaVeJa @trpresdrj @chicagosmayor @ChiPubSchools @hchipjohnson @canderson311 https://t.co/T2ciXpZN5I

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STEM Remake learning day continue today @MClarkEagles with Project Exploration building bridges for our future. @ChicagoACES4 @justice4all44 @ChiefDavidBrown @momaVeJa @trpresdrj @chicagosmayor @ChiPubSchools @hchipjohnson @canderson311 pic.twitter.com/T2ciXpZN5I
— Michele Clark Academic Prep High School (@MClarkEagles) May 16, 2021

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STEM Remake learning day continue today @MClarkEagles with Project Exploration building bridges for our future. @ChicagoACES4 @justice4all44 @ChiefDavidBrown @momaVeJa @trpresdrj @chicagosmayor @ChiPubSchools @hchipjohnson @canderson311 https://t.co/T2ciXpZN5I

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STEM Remake learning day continue today @MClarkEagles with Project Exploration building bridges for our future. @ChicagoACES4 @justice4all44 @ChiefDavidBrown @momaVeJa @trpresdrj @chicagosmayor @ChiPubSchools @hchipjohnson @canderson311 https://t.co/T2ciXpZN5I

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STEM Remake learning day continue today @MClarkEagles with Project Exploration building bridges for our future. @ChicagoACES4 @justice4all44 @ChiefDavidBrown @momaVeJa @trpresdrj @chicagosmayor @ChiPubSchools @hchipjohnson @canderson311

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Looking for Super heroes at Michele Clark 

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Looking for Super heroes at Michele Clark 

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Partnered with Hospitals, Churches to provide resources for families

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It doesn’t cost money when you open your school 2 the community 2 show our children,parents & partners that you care during times of crisis.Feeding 2,000+families,providing 2,000 diapers,masks $1500 in 👶🏽 formula, Covid testing,1,000 toys & books. Let’s make kindness go viral💙

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It doesn’t cost money when you open your school 2 the community 2 show our children,parents & partners that you care during times of crisis.Feeding 2,000+families,providing 2,000 diapers,masks $1500 in 👶🏽 formula, Covid testing,1,000 toys & books. Let’s make kindness go viral💙 https://t.co/racSndlzct

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It doesn’t cost money when you open your school 2 the community 2 show our children,parents & partners that you care during times of crisis.Feeding 2,000+families,providing 2,000 diapers,masks $1500 in 👶🏽 formula, Covid testing,1,000 toys & books. Let’s make kindness go viral💙 pic.twitter.com/racSndlzct
— Stacy Stewart (@Rev_principal) August 16, 2020

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It doesn’t cost money when you open your school 2 the community 2 show our children,parents & partners that you care during times of crisis.Feeding 2,000+families,providing 2,000 diapers,masks $1500 in 👶🏽 formula, Covid testing,1,000 toys & books. Let’s make kindness go viral💙 https://t.co/racSndlzct

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It doesn’t cost money when you open your school 2 the community 2 show our children,parents & partners that you care during times of crisis.Feeding 2,000+families,providing 2,000 diapers,masks $1500 in 👶🏽 formula, Covid testing,1,000 toys & books. Let’s make kindness go viral💙 https://t.co/racSndlzct

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It doesn’t cost money when you open your school 2 the community 2 show our children,parents & partners that you care during times of crisis.Feeding 2,000+families,providing 2,000 diapers,masks $1500 in 👶🏽 formula, Covid testing,1,000 toys & books. Let’s make kindness go viral💙

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Providing books, diapers, cleaning supplies and lunches from Care Kitchen

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BCS Cares💙 pic.twitter.com/31bUSnvngC
— Stacy Stewart (@Rev_principal) July 2, 2020

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Our first student led exhibition @BelmontCragin was a huge success where our children were able 2 present in-depth passion projects across content areas. A great way to build student agency in school by empowering their voice and choice! #CPS #Cahnfellows #Leadgolden

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Our first student led exhibition @BelmontCragin was a huge success where our children were able 2 present in-depth passion projects across content areas. A great way to build student agency in school by empowering their voice and choice! #CPS #Cahnfellows #Leadgolden https://t.co/695KnHWoWJ

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Our first student led exhibition @BelmontCragin was a huge success where our children were able 2 present in-depth passion projects across content areas. A great way to build student agency in school by empowering their voice and choice! #CPS #Cahnfellows #Leadgolden pic.twitter.com/695KnHWoWJ
— Stacy Stewart (@Rev_principal) March 4, 2019

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Our first student led exhibition @BelmontCragin was a huge success where our children were able 2 present in-depth passion projects across content areas. A great way to build student agency in school by empowering their voice and choice! #CPS #Cahnfellows #Leadgolden https://t.co/695KnHWoWJ

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Our first student led exhibition @BelmontCragin was a huge success where our children were able 2 present in-depth passion projects across content areas. A great way to build student agency in school by empowering their voice and choice! #CPS #Cahnfellows #Leadgolden https://t.co/695KnHWoWJ

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Our first student led exhibition @BelmontCragin was a huge success where our children were able 2 present in-depth passion projects across content areas. A great way to build student agency in school by empowering their voice and choice! #CPS #Cahnfellows #Leadgolden

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The pandemic doesn't stop our parent programs!  Our parents came out to de-stress through a parent paint party! @CPSNetwork16 @EMPEHI4Ever @CpsFace

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The pandemic doesn't stop our parent programs!  Our parents came out to de-stress through a parent paint party! @CPSNetwork16 @EMPEHI4Ever @CpsFace https://t.co/Py8VrHTBin

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The pandemic doesn't stop our parent programs! Our parents came out to de-stress through a parent paint party! @CPSNetwork16 @EMPEHI4Ever @CpsFace pic.twitter.com/Py8VrHTBin
— Femi Skanes (@FemiSkanes) May 19, 2021

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The pandemic doesn't stop our parent programs!  Our parents came out to de-stress through a parent paint party! @CPSNetwork16 @EMPEHI4Ever @CpsFace https://t.co/Py8VrHTBin

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The pandemic doesn't stop our parent programs!  Our parents came out to de-stress through a parent paint party! @CPSNetwork16 @EMPEHI4Ever @CpsFace https://t.co/Py8VrHTBin

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The pandemic doesn't stop our parent programs!  Our parents came out to de-stress through a parent paint party! @CPSNetwork16 @EMPEHI4Ever @CpsFace

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Join us on Tuesday, April 27th, at the Campaign for Grade Level Reading's (CGLR) webinar, co-sponsored by EdWeek, The Fall K-3 Classroom: What the Data Imply about Composition, Challenges and Opportunities. Learn more and register with EdWeek here.

New data provided by Curriculum Associates will shed insight into how the make-up of classrooms will change as a result of what CGLR is calling the "Covid-19 slide-turned-avalanche." Their analysis is sobering, and it reveals that teachers will need to respond to a wider than ever range of academic experiences among their students.

Attendance Works will offer data suggesting that early grade classrooms are likely to experience higher than normal levels of churn, which can affect learning for the entire classroom, including students who are not chronically absent.(See this research by Michael Gottfried.)

"Enrollment hesitancy" among families is likely to result in some students, especially those living in communities that have experienced the more significant impacts from the pandemic, delaying participation in in-person classrooms. Families who have experienced more illness and death from Covid-19, and also distrust public health and educational systems, are understandably reluctant to send their students to school without strong assurances of health and safety.

At the same time, schools are likely to experience higher levels of chronic absence in the early grades than ever before. Even in a more typical school year, it takes a while for families with young students to get used to a new environment and establish a regular routine of showing up to school. It takes time to arrange daily transportation and back up support so children can attend class even when families face challenges. These adjustments will be even harder this year when so many students have been out of the routine of in-person school for as much as 18 months.

Prior to the pandemic, one out of 10 kindergarten and 1st grade students were chronically absent nationwide; those levels could have been double or triple in low-income communities. Data from Connecticut, the first state to release chronic absence data for the 2020-21 school year, shows dramatic increases in absences in the early grades when comparing the current situation to the 2018-19 school year. (See image below.) As in the past, chronic absence is highest in kindergartners. Unlike the year prior to the pandemic, however, the number of students missing 10% or more of school days in 1st - 3rd grade is not decreasing but is remaining elevated.

This data is an indication of what could happen nationwide next year. Connecticut pays close attention to data accuracy and has maintained high levels of in-person instruction.

Left unaddressed, high rates of chronic absence predict adverse consequences for learning. Chronically absent kindergartners are less likely to read on grade level, more likely to continue to be chronically absent and more likely to be retained. The gaps grow over time.

Students who live in poverty suffer the most. They are more likely to experience systemic attendance barriers (including inadequate access to quality health care, unreliable transportation and unstable housing) that are hard to resolve and can last multiple years. And families living in low-income communities are less likely to have resources at home to make up for lost learning time in the classroom.

Chronic absence is also a leading indicator and cause of educational inequity. Institutional biases and racism contribute to the disproportionately high levels of chronic absence among Black students as well as Native American, Pacific Islander and Latino students.

All of this has implications for how schools, districts and communities can support the youngest students and their families in the coming school year. The early data demonstrate the even more urgent need for:

Enhanced attention to school climate.

Continuously monitoring attendance and chronic absence to determine which students/families/classrooms or schools need even more outreach and possibly support, and to provide quick feedback about whether what we have put is working.

Engaging in positive problem-solving not punitive action.

Establishing authentic partnerships between teachers, parents and caregivers - the people that Jessie Woolley Wilson calls the "learning guardians" for kids.

We applaud the CGLR for its leadership in showcasing data that helps us strategically plan for the return to school in fall for our youngest students. This first webinar launches a series of conversations with pioneering thought leaders about the overall well-being of young children and the challenges and opportunities now facing students, teachers, school leaders and school districts. Register for the webinar.

To learn more about creating a framework for strengthening engagement with families and students, especially with those who have lost out on significant instructional opportunities during the pandemic, check out our new toolkit, Pathways to Engagement: Covid-19 Recovery Through Attendance. The toolkit offers engagement and attendance tools and strategies for all modes of instruction.

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Preparing for the Fall: Examining the Implications of Classroom Composition and Churn - Attendance Works

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Join us on Tuesday, April 27th, at the Campaign for Grade Level Reading's (CGLR) webinar, co-sponsored by EdWeek, The Fall K-3 Classroom: What the Data Imply about Composition, Challenges and Opportunities. Learn more and register with EdWeek here. New data provided by Curriculum Associates will shed insight into how the make-up of classrooms will change ...

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Use Google Forms, Survey Monkey, Nearpod

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Your school community has been through a lot over the last year.

The COVID-19 pandemic has meant "a year of crisis and uncertainty" -with students, families, and staff members experiencing high levels of stress, trauma, and anxiety driven by the pandemic.

Even when we return to school for the 2021-22 year (in person or online), the effects of the pandemic will be real and tangible.

That's why it's important to continuously check-in with your students, families, and staff. How are they doing in today's unique learning environment? What does your school community need academically, socially, and emotionally?

Consider running a 360° stakeholder survey program when the 2021-22 school year is back in session. The surveys can help you gather student, family, and staff feedback on the learning environment (whether in-person, hybrid, or virtual); COVID-related health and safety procedures; social support systems; student academic needs; school cultural responsiveness; and school leadership and communication. With the data, your school and district leadership teams can identify and respond to the community's needs.

Here are 53 questions to learn more about your student, family, and educators' experiences during the pandemic.

53 Survey Questions for Students, Families, and Staff

For Students (Grades 3-5 and 6-12):

1. How would you like to be learning right now (more time at home, more time at school, etc.)?

2. How difficult or easy is it to use the distance learning technology (computer, tablet, video calls, learning applications, etc.)?

3. How satisfied are you with the amount of time you spend speaking with your teachers?

4. What do you like/not like about school right now?

5. How difficult or easy has it been for you to follow the COVID-related safety measures and protocols at your school? (Grades 6-12 only)

6. How sure are you that you can do well in school right now?

7. Are you getting all the help you need with your schoolwork right now?

8. When you have online schoolwork, how often do you have the technology (laptop, tablet, computer, etc.) you need?

9. How much effort are you putting into your classes right now?

11. How connected do you feel to the adults at your school right now? What about other students?

12. If you are participating in distance learning, how often do you hear from your teachers individually?

13. If you are participating in distance learning, how often are you talking with your friends from school?

14. How often do teachers encourage you to learn about people from different races, ethnicities, or cultures? (Grades 6-12 only)

15. At your school, how often are you encouraged to think more deeply about race-related topics? (Grades 6-12 only)

16. How well does your school help students speak out against racism? (Grades 6-12 only)

For Families and Caregivers:

18. How satisfied are you with the way learning is structured at your child's school right now?

19. How confident are you in your ability to support your child's education during distance learning?

20. Do you think your child should spend less or more time learning in person at school right now?

21. What is working well with your child's education that you would like to see continued?

22. What is challenging with your child's education that you would like to see improved?

23. How would you describe the level of COVID-related safety measures and protocols in your child's school to keep students healthy?

24. How concerned are you about your child's academic growth right now?

25. How concerned are you about your child's social-emotional well-being right now?

26. How concerned are you about your child's peer relationships right now?

27. How helpful has the communication from your child's school been this school year?

28. How clear has communication from the school been about COVID-related safety measures and protocols?

27. How concerned are you about managing your daily schedule with your child's current school schedule?

30. How comfortable do you feel communicating with your child's school?

31. How much do you feel the school values your opinions?

For Teachers and Staff:

35. How satisfied are you with the current learning model at your school?

36. What kind of effect is the current learning model having on your social-emotional well-being?

37. How difficult or easy is it to support other people in your life (family, friends, loved ones, etc.) with the current learning model?

38. How confident are you that you can provide effective instruction in the current learning model? (Instructional staff only)

39. How difficult or easy has it been for you to implement the COVID-related safety measures and protocols in your building?

40. How concerned are you about students' academic growth right now?

41. How concerned are you about students' social-emotional well-being right now?

42. In the past week, how many of your students regularly participated in your virtual classes? (Instructional staff only)

43. In the past week, how engaged have students been in your virtual classes? What about your in-person classes? (Instructional staff only)

44. Compared to past years, how much harder or easier is it to form relationships with your students right now?

45. How valuable has professional development been so far this year?

46. How helpful has leadership at your school been in resolving challenges so far this year?

47. How satisfied are you with the frequency of communication from school leadership? What about from district leadership?

48. How clear has communication from school leadership been on COVID-related safety measures and protocols?

49. How clear has communication from school leadership been about the school's learning model?

50. How comfortable are you discussing race-related topics with students?

51. How well does your school help staff speak out against racism?

52. How often do professional development opportunities help you explore new ideas about how to promote equity in your practice?

53. What is the most important thing your school can keep doing to support students of different races, ethnicities, and cultures?

Elevate Student, Family, and Staff Voices This Year With Panorama

Schools and districts can use Panorama's leading survey administration and analytics platform to quickly gather and take action on information from students, families, teachers, and staff. Panorama's survey content is applicable to all types of K-12 school settings and grade levels, as well as to communities serving students from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds. In the Panorama platform, educators can view and disaggregate results by topic, question, demographic group, grade level, school, and more to inform priority areas and action plans.

Get in touch with our team to learn about partnering with Panorama.

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53 Questions to Ask Students, Families, and Staff During the Pandemic

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Your school community has been through a lot over the last year. The COVID-19 pandemic has meant "a year of crisis and uncertainty" -with students, families, and staff members experiencing high levels of stress, trauma, and anxiety driven by the pandemic.

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Responsive Classroom- Suggestions for closing out the year

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Responsive Classroom- Suggestions for closing out the year

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Educators spend the school year establishing and then nurturing classroom environments in which students feel a genuine sense of belonging. The exceptional challenges of this particular year introduced greater opportunities to create learning environments in which students felt comfortable expressing their thoughts, feelings, and opinions in nonconventional spaces and circumstances. The important ways you cultivated belonging, significance, and fun in the face of these unique obstacles, along with the results of those efforts, deserve to be celebrated. As this year comes to a close, keep the momentum going by ending the year in a way that continues to allow students to feel heard and seen in a meaningful way.

Here are a few ways to achieve this:

Maintain traditions and routines that nurture the community. End-of-the-year assessments and testing can disrupt a classroom's schedule, so familiar structures that promote community and provide a safe space for students to share their thoughts are essential. Continue using practices such as Morning Meetings, closing circles, or Responsive Advisory Meetings to provide a consistent structure and time for students to connect with one another and be seen and heard.

Celebrate successes and growth. Without a doubt, this year has created many challenges that teachers and students have learned to navigate and overcome. Take time to point out all these successes. Consider creating portfolios of successes with students or set aside time for students to share their successes daily using open-ended questions and prompts such as:

What is something you can do now, that you were not able to do at the start of the school year?

What is a new skill or new learning that you have gained?

What is a new talent or skill you are proud of?

Name an area of learning in which you have grown this year.

What is one thing you feel you do well?

Name some of your accomplishments this year.

What is a challenge you had this year and how did you overcome it?

Name some things you learned to do this year.

Make time for reflection Creating opportunities for reflection is another powerful way to allow students to share their thoughts, opinions, feelings, and ideas. Provide students with multiple topics and ways to reflect. Consider using well-established interactive learning structures like Turn and Talk or spicing up familiar structures like Taking Sides to give students multiple ways to reflect.

Keep things joyful. This year, the normal challenges of ending a school year have been exacerbated by obstacles such as teaching and learning with masks on and the technical difficulties that come with virtual learning. At this point, students are likely feeling fatigue, stress, weariness, and exhaustion. Remember the importance of joy and laughter in a learning community. Continue to incorporate brain breaks and energizers throughout the day to offer chances for everyone to laugh, play, and have fun with one another.

The closing of the school year, when energy is running low, can feel rushed and stressful. With the added layer of complications brought on by a virtual or socially distanced environment, closing this year likely feels overwhelming and exhausting. It can be difficult to continue to put in the work it takes to maintain the positive learning community that was established at the start of the school year. But, as the year comes to an end, it is important to continue to reinforce the sense of community and belonging so that students can leave this school year feeling significant, proud of their accomplishments, and hopeful about the school year to come.

Written by Jane Cofie

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Meaningful Closings | Responsive Classroom

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Educators spend the school year establishing and then nurturing classroom environments in which students feel a genuine sense of belonging. The exceptional challenges of this particular year introduced greater opportunities to create learning environments in which students felt comfortable expressing their thoughts, feelings, and opinions in nonconventional spaces and circumstances.