From: list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Sarah Eagan, Child Advocate
Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2016 3:51 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Sharing: SUPERINTENDENT'S CALL TO ACTION - Attendance Awareness Month

Shared, from Commissioner Wentzell at Connecticut's State Department of Education:

As you may know, September is nationally recognized as Attendance Awareness Month, a national awareness campaign addressing chronic absenteeism by states and school districts across the nation. See http://awareness.attendanceworks.org

In Connecticut, nearly 56,000 students were chronically absent during the 2014-15 school year. This is over 10 percent of all students in Connecticut public schools and the rates are significantly higher in many communities. Chronic absence is defined as missing 10 percent, or more, of days of school for any reason, including all absences, excused, unexcused, and disciplinary. Being chronically absent has a significant impact on a student's ability to read at grade level, perform academically, and graduate on time.

Attendance Awareness Month provides an opportunity for districts to promote awareness of the importance of attending school every day. I am pleased to share with you an invitation, challenge and call to action from Attendance Works and its national partners. See http://www.attendanceworks.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Call-to-Action-8.7.16-CTALETTERFINAL.pdf

The Superintendent's Call to Actionasks that you play a leadership role in bringing attention to the issue of chronic absence. See http://www.attendanceworks.org/superintendents-call-to-action

We encourage you to sign-on and join this growing national movement. See http://www.attendanceworks.org/join-our-call-to-action

All participating superintendents will be acknowledged on the Attendance Awareness Month website. Visit Attendance Works to see a current listing of participating superintendents: http://www.attendanceworks.org/superintendents-call-to-action/participating-superintendents

The Connecticut State Department of Education commends the efforts of many districts to implement prevention and intervention strategies to reduce chronic absenteeism. We are interested in learning what your district is doing to improve attendance or to celebrate Attendance Awareness Month. Please e-mail Kari Sullivan ([log in to unmask]), our chronic absence lead, to let us know what is working in your district.

Attendance Awareness Month Resources:

* Superintendents Call to Action: Missing School Matters. See http://www.attendanceworks.org/superintendents-call-to-action

* Attendance Awareness Month. See: http://awareness.attendanceworks.org

* "Count Us In" toolkit for tips on how to launch Attendance Awareness Month in your community. See http://awareness.attendanceworks.org/resources/count-us-toolkit-2016

Connecticut Resources:

* Connecticut State Board of Education's Five Year Comprehensive Plan: Ensuring Equity and Excellence in Education. See: http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/board/five_year_comprehensive_plan_for_education.pdf

* Commissioner's Back-to-School 2016 informational document on chronic absence. See: http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/deps/chronicabsenteeism/chronic_absenteeism_final.pdf

* EdSight, an on-line portal for finding district and school-level data, including chronic absence. See: http://edsight.ct.gov

* CSDE Chronic Absenteeism Webpage. See: http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2678&Q=334924

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