1. Executive Director, Mission: Graduate
Presented September 8, 2017, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the Every Day Matters: Building School-Based Plans to Reduce Chronic Absenteeism Conference
Context Setting
Angelo Gonzales, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Mission: Graduate

2. Conference Objectives
Welcome!
Conference Objectives
By the end of today’s conference, each participating school/district team will:
Learn how to use data to developed targeted strategies for improving attendance;
Begin work on an attendance success plan and leave the conference with an outline and suggested strategies for moving the work forward; and
Connect with resource providers to begin forming resource lists for their school communities.

3. Overview of Day Context Setting Presentation
About Mission: Graduate
Why attendance?
What’s working?
Getting Into It Presentation
Process Mapping
Data Review
Factor Analysis
Workshops
Session 1: Three tiered approach
Session 2: Deeper dives
American Graduate Champions Luncheon
Lots of Team Time

4. About Mission: Graduate
Mission: Graduate is a cradle-to-career education partnership serving Central New Mexico.

5. Our Big Goal 60,000 New Central NM Graduates with
College Degrees and Certificates by 2020

6. Our Work M:G Strategies Ready for College, Career, and Life
Career Development in Higher Ed.
Attendance & Engagement
Teacher Support
College & Career Readiness
Adult Transitions to College
M:G Strategies
High School Graduation
College Enrollment
College Completion
Ready for College, Career, and Life
Learn more at

8. Our Theory of Change Mission: Graduate works by:
Identifying effective educational practices;

9. Our Theory of Change Mission: Graduate works by:
Identifying effective educational practices;
Leveraging and aligning existing resources to replicate and spread impactful practices; and

10. Our Theory of Change Mission: Graduate works by:
Identifying effective educational practices;
Leveraging and aligning existing resources to replicate and spread impactful practices; and
Collaborating across organizational boundaries to help every student succeed.

11. Attendance: <85-90% school attendance
Why Attendance?
Attendance is one of three key predictors of falling off track to graduation.
Attendance: <85-90% school attendance
Behavior: “unsatisfactory” behavior mark in at least one class
Course Performance: A final grade of “F” in Math and/or English or Credit-Bearing HS Course
Source: Robert Balfanz, “Building a Grad Nation: The Role of Learning Beyond the Classroom,” Presentation to the C.S. Mott Foundation, September 2011.

12. Truancy and Chronic Absence
Habitual truancy: 10 or more unexcused absences in a given school year
Chronic absence: missing 10% or more of school days for any reason

13. Chronic Absence is Research-Based
Less likely to:
Build good attendance habits
Read by third grade
Stay in school
Graduate from high school
Excused Absences
Chronic Absence +
Unexcused
Absences +
Suspensions

14. Read more at http://www.attendanceworks.org
What’s Working?
Use data to identify root causes and create targeted solutions.
Adopt a three-tiered intervention approach.
Universal prevention
Early intervention
Specialized support
Engage students, families, school teachers & staff, and community partners to jointly determine causes and implement solutions.
Read more at

15. Portrait of Change: Grand Rapids

16. How To Get the Most Out of Your Day

17. Make Good Use of Your Team Time

18. Thank You to Our Conference Planning Team!
Elizabeth Exil
Teri Wimborne
Laurel Wyckoff
Kelly Callahan
Patsy Nelson
Jeffrey Beg
Evelyn Bonilla
Angelo Gonzales
Ralph Gonzales
Deborah Good
Maria Molina
Marvin Johnson
Ron Lucero
Kris Meurer
Emily Padilla
Patrick Scott
Daphne Strader
Anne Tafoya
Teri Wimborne
Renata Witte

19. #EveryDayMatters17 MissionGraduateNM @MissionGraduate
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