How East Central ISD Reduced Chronic Absenteeism by 12%

By Dr. Kara Stern • 2 min

Absenteeism,Attendance,Data,District Success,Engagement

TL; DR:

East Central ISD reduced chronic absenteeism by 12 percent by aligning attendance, behavior, and academic data into one coordinated system. Watch the full on-demand webinar to see exactly how they did it and how you can apply the same strategy in your district.

How East Central ISD Reduced Chronic Absenteeism by 12%

Attendance improves when districts see the full picture.

In our recent webinar with District Administration, East Central ISD shared how they built a whole child attendance strategy that led to measurable results

12 percent decrease in chronic absenteeism
51 percent SaveRate after a first intervention
Stronger family engagement when outreach happened early

If you are looking for a sustainable, data-driven approach to chronic absenteeism, this session is worth your time.

👉 Watch the full webinar on demand here.

What You Will Learn in the Webinar

1. How to Connect Attendance to the Whole Child

During the session, Dr. Kara Stern, SchoolStatus Director of Education, shared a core belief guiding this work:

Students aren’t absent randomly. There are almost always academic, behavioral, or emotional factors at play.

Attendance becomes more powerful when districts connect it with:

Academic performance
Behavioral patterns
Student perception and belonging data

This broader lens helps teams understand why students are missing school and how to respond in ways that support long-term success.

2. How to Move from Silos to a Shared System

Meredith Powell, AWARE Project Manager at East Central ISD, describes how the district shifted from isolated efforts to a Comprehensive Case Management model.

Instead of disconnected interventions, they built:

A unified dashboard combining attendance, behavior, and academics
Weekly case review meetings
Tiered supports aligned to MTSS

This alignment created consistency across campuses and clarity for staff.

👉 In the webinar, Meredith walks through their exact structure and cadence.

3. How Data Turns Outreach into Impact

The session also highlights powerful engagement insights drawn from millions of messages and attendance records

Families who engage in August and September remain engaged at twice the rate
Average response time to school messages is 11 minutes
Early intervention drives measurable attendance improvement

You will hear how East Central uses these insights to plan outreach timing, design interventions, and track outcomes.

Four Takeaways You Can Apply Immediately

The webinar closes with clear action steps

Focus on students missing 5 to 9 percent of days
Review attendance alongside behavior and academics
Build cross-team workflows
Track outcomes, not just contacts

👉 Watch the full webinar on demand now

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a whole child approach to chronic absenteeism?

A whole child approach connects attendance data with academic, behavioral, and emotional indicators. This broader view helps districts identify root causes and implement coordinated supports.

How can districts quickly reduce chronic absenteeism?

Districts see stronger results when they focus on early intervention, especially with students missing 5 to 9 percent of days, and when they track outcomes weekly through a unified dashboard.

What role does family engagement play in attendance?

Data shows that families who engage early in the school year remain more connected throughout the year. Timely, relationship-centered communication supports consistent attendance.

How do you know if attendance interventions are working?

Track attendance improvement after each intervention. Review data consistently and adjust supports as needed.

Dr. Kara Stern
Director, Education and Engagement

Dr. Kara Stern has seen school from just about every angle: high school English teacher, middle school principal, fellowship director for math and science teachers across New York City, and head of school at a rural N-12 school. That breadth is what she brings to her work at SchoolStatus, where she writes, speaks, and challenges educators to build the kinds of school communities where every student thrives. She holds a Master’s in Education Leadership from Teachers College and a Ph.D. in Teaching and Learning from NYU.