Supporting Improved Attendance in New York

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Chronic absenteeism remains a significant challenge across New York, and state leaders are seeking a deeper understanding of the school practices associated with stronger-than-expected attendance outcomes. 

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) is working to establish a sustainable, data-driven process for identifying and learning from successful schools over time.

The Northeast Comprehensive Center is partnering with NYSED to:

• Develop a replicable analytic methodology and supporting code to identify attendance "Bright Spot" schools using publicly available statewide data.
   
• Identify schools with consistently lower-than-expected rates of chronic absenteeism and conduct listening sessions with school and district leaders to uncover practices linked to improved attendance outcomes.
   
• Synthesize insights from those listening sessions into three implementation briefs focused on family engagement, student connectedness, and school climate. Each brief highlights practical strategies and real-world examples from elementary, middle, and high schools that educators can adapt to their local context.

Through this partnership, NYSED will gain a sustainable approach for identifying attendance Bright Spots and actionable resources to help schools implement effective, evidence-informed attendance strategies across New York State.