BONUS: School Attendance Reform That Works!

Learn about a school attendance reform that actually works! Discover strategies to combat chronic absenteeism and increase student engagement.

In this bonus episode, I discuss my conversation with Naomi Tolentino Miranda from Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools, about transforming student attendance through compassion, not punishment.

What You'll Learn: 
✅ Why punitive attendance policies are failing our students 
✅ The "We Missed You Today" strategy that works better than detention 
✅ 5 practical interventions you can implement immediately 
✅ Data-driven approaches to identify attendance patterns 
✅ How sleep schedules impact high school attendance 
✅ Building family partnerships that actually work

💫Episode Mentions:

• Attendance Works Infographic (Attendance in the Early Grades)
• Stay in the Game! Attendance Network 
• The Disengaged Teen: Helping Kids Learn Better, Feel Better, and Live Better by Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop
• Attendance Works 
• AAP's Earlier Bedtime and Its Effect on Adolescent Sleep Duration
• The Education Trust
• American Enterprise Institute (AEI)

💫Six Questions for Reflection:

1. How does your school or district currently approach chronic absenteeism? Is it primarily punitive or preventative?
2. What data are you collecting about attendance, and how are you using it to identify patterns and develop targeted interventions?
3. How are you building and maintaining relationships with chronically absent students and their families?
4. What barriers to attendance exist in your specific community, and how might you address them?
5. How are you celebrating and recognizing improvements in attendance, even small ones?
6. Most importantly, is your school a place worth showing up to for every student?

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction: Shifting from Punitive to Preventive 
01:00 - Meet Naomi Lenina Miranda & Her Transformative Work 
02:00 - The Power of Preventative vs Punitive Approaches 
03:00 - Success Stories: Stay in the Game Network Results 
04:00 - 6 Key Barriers to Student Attendance 
05:00 - Sleep & Attendance: The Biological Mismatch 
06:00 - 5 Practical Strategies for Schools 
07:00 - The Power of Data: Attendance Dashboards 
08:00 - School Climate & Culture Impact 09:00 - Family Partnerships That Work 
10:00 - The "We Missed You Today" Strategy 
11:00 - Trauma-Informed Attendance Approaches 
12:00 - Parent Voice in Systemic Change 
13:00 - Making School Worth Showing Up To 
14:00 - Reflection Questions for Your Context 
15:00 - Closing & Call to Action

#ChronicAbsenteeism #StudentAttendance #EducationStrategy #SchoolLeadership #TraumaInformed #StudentSupport #AttendanceMatters #EducationPodcast

Make sure to listen to my full interview with Naomi (Season 4, Episode 37) before diving into this bonus content! (https://pod.fo/e/2d747f).

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.