School-Family Partnerships to Support Attendance: Advancing an Equity-Centered Theoretical Framework

Since returning to in-person instruction after the emergence of COVID-19 schools have seen a dramatic increase in the number of students chronically absent, with data indicating a greater increase for low-income, Black, and Hispanic students. Given the role of school attendance in both promoting positive educational outcomes as well as providing students with physical and mental health supports, it is critical to identify ways to re-engage families in a manner that is culturally responsive and equitable.

Current attendance interventions focus primarily on school-based academic and behavioral supports for students while excluding the family. Additionally, traditional family engagement models do not address the sociocultural realities of low-income and/or minoritized families. We present a strengths-based model of family engagement to support attendance.

Along with our model, we provide concrete supports that schools can provide, including example measurement items. In this way, schools and districts can self-assess as well as identify action steps to promote positive school-family partnerships for equitable family engagement.

Without consistent attendance, schools cannot support positive educational outcomes nor provide important safety net services for students. Attendance is a family engagement challenge, which addressing holistically can reduce racial and socioeconomic educational and health disparities.