A statewide effort in Rhode Island is showing signs of improvement, according to��.油The state Department of Education launched the “” initiative during the 2023-24 school year, a robust public messaging campaign, and professional training and guidance for teachers.

The Cumberland School Department, with more than 4,700 students, saw a 4% improvement in chronic absenteeism rates in the past year, The Valley Breeze��reports.

Meanwhile, Rhode Island’s Lincoln Public Schools is using student attendance data to develop targeted action plans, Assistant Superintendent Sara Monaco told the news outlet.

“Every school in Lincoln has established a dedicated attendance team that actively monitors attendance data and develops targeted action plans to support students,” Monaco said. “These strategies range from school-wide initiatives designed to foster engagement and excitement about learning to individualized support plans that help students attend school consistently and arrive ready to succeed.”

Across the state, research suggests districts are making strong gains since the launch of Attendance Matters. Still, results remain uneven.

Approximately 22.1% of students were chronically absent during the 2024-25 school year, a 12% improvement from 2021-22. However, rates have yet to reach pre-pandemic levels, which hovered around 19%, according to the .

In New York, Dunkirk City School District Superintendent Brian Swatland touted the district’s improvement in attendance in a recent interview with��.油Swatland noted there’s been an 18% decrease in chronic absenteeism in the past two years.

Thanks to an app called Edia, which allows the district to share messages with parents about their child’s attendance, one in five students is now chronically absent, down from nearly 40%. The district also relies on dedicated attendance committees in each school.

“We were paying more attention to [absenteeism] and made it a priority,” Swatland told��Observer Today.油“It’s also leading to an increase in student achievement data.”

Improvement trends apply elsewhere. Since 2023-24, attendance rates have improved slightly from 92.87% to 93.63% in 146 districts examined by SchoolStatus, a K12 software provider. During the first half of the current school year, chronic absenteeism dropped to 18.98%, which is well below the national average at 23%.

Here’s what stands out about the districts sampled in the research:

• Analyzing attendance and tardy patterns within the first 60 instructional days, allowing leaders to intervene before patterns solidify.
• In 2024-25, attendance improved by 34.2% after one mailed intervention, reinforcing the impact of early outreach.
• ��Families who engage in the first weeks of school are more than twice as likely to remain engaged throughout the year.

Read the full report .

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As of 2024, roughly one in three public schools recovered to pre-pandemic levels in either math or reading, while only one in seven recovered in both, according to a new NWEA .

The severity of learning declines varies by subject. In math, even schools that recovered witnessed significant learning loss during the pandemic, but saw large gains afterward.

Reading saw steeper losses. “Recovered schools” (those that have returned to pre-pandemic achievement levels) had minimal initial declines followed by moderate gains. Schools that couldn’t recover experienced moderate and continued losses post-pandemic.

Meanwhile, schools serving higher-poverty and historically marginalized students were less likely to fully recover by 2024, but saw the largest academic gains.

“These patterns indicate that recent progress has been concentrated in the schools that experienced the deepest pandemic-era declines,” the research reads.

Personalized support for students is an important way to help all learners catch up, researchers say.

Leaders should also share their recovery initiatives to help other districts rebound. For more recommendations on working with state and local leaders, read the full report .

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Last school year, nearly 20% of K12 students were chronically absent, according to research from the . While contributing factors vary by district, the data suggest that a quarter of youths (aged 12 to 21) don’t think being chronically absent is a problem.

Meanwhile, administrators are relying on creative solutions to re-engage students. In west Alabama, Eastwood Middle School cut its absenteeism rate in half by implementing a “house system,” according to . Students are divided into groups and earn points for attendance, academics and participation in��dodgeball and other monthly competitions.

“We wanted to do something that focused more on the positive behavior and we wanted to be proactive instead of reactive,” Principal Evelyn Peoples told the news outlet.

Students immediately felt more connected to their school, Peoples added.

Texas’ Boyd Elementary is taking a similar approach. The school has increased overall attendance from 94.4% to 96% in one year through engaging activities that foster a culture of belonging and connection, the school’s leaders said in a hosted by the National Association of Elementary School Principals.

Social media is a great way to connect with students, said Principal Jana Clark.

“I have the rule of three. If I [see something on TikTok] three times, I have to do it, or I have to at least attempt to do it,” she said during the presentation.

Inspired by TikTok, students and their teachers have played “the floor is lava,” where kids and teachers will hop on their desks to avoid touching the floor.

“We started playing songs over the announcements and they [students] had to call in,” said Clark. “They had to be caller No. 5 and know the song and the artist.”

Strategies can be as simple as greeting kids at drop-off. Boyd Elementary students have at least three points of contact before they get to the classroom, often with music, according to Assistant Principal Cortnie Bryan.

“Our speakers are always jamming in the morning,” she told attendees. “If you don’t have a little speaker, grab one because we find it quite useful. Those kids will be out there dancing on the porch in the morning.”

Meanwhile, there’s still work to be done on a national scale. Leaders still have to reinforce the importance of regular attendance, engage with families and be transparent about the consequences of unnecessary absences, writes Nat Malkus, senior fellow and deputy director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.

In a recent op-ed, Malkus outlines solutions for leaders experiencing chronic absenteeism. Read it .

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Among the 25 largest school districts, several have lost more than 15% of their students since the 2019-20 school year, according to a new analysis from , a school data tracking firm. This includes the Los Angeles Unified School District (-15.6%), Houston Independent School District (-15.9%), Albuquerque Public Schools (-15.3%) and Fort Worth ISD (-15.1%).

All but three districts on this list gained students since 2019. These districts include IDEA Public Schools (+60.5%), a nonprofit charter school operator serving primarily impoverished students, Conroe ISD (12.5%) and Greenville County Schools (+0.6%).

However, things seem to be turning around. In the last year, 13 of the top 25 school districts reported enrollment gains, although many were modest.

Here’s a look at how enrollment has shifted in the top 25 districts over the past year:

1. New York City Public Schools (NY): -0.9%
2. Los Angeles Unified School District (CA): -2.8%
3. Chicago Public Schools District 299 (IL): +0.4%
4. Clark County School District (NV): -0.9%
5. Houston ISD (TX): -4%
6. Wake County Schools(NC): +1.1%
7. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (NC): +2.2%
8. Dallas ISD (TX): +0.4%
9. Duval County Public Schools (FL): +1.6%
10. Philadelphia City School District (PA): +1.8%
11. Memphis-Shelby County Schools (TN): +1%
12. Northside ISD (TX): -0.9%
13. Jefferson County Public Schools (KY): +0.4%
14. San Diego Unified School District (CA): -0.3%
15. Denver Public Schools (CO): +2.5%
16. Pinelass County Schools (FL): -3.5%
17. Davidson County School District (TN): +0.7%
18. IDEA Public Schools (TX): +3.4%
19. Greenville County Schools (SC): -0.8%
20. Baltimore City Public Schools (MD): +1.3%
21. Albuquerque Public Schools (NM): -2.6%
22. Conroe ISD (TX): +0.8%
23. Austin ISD (TX): -0.8%
24. Fort Worth ISD (TX): -0.9%
25. Fresno Unified School District (CA): -0.6%

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Stakeholder vision

For the first time, the district’s newly finalized strategic plan, which extends through 2030, places a strong focus on CTE to achieve this goal, says Amy MacCrindle, assistant superintendent for learning and innovation. The plan was developed in large part thanks to internal dialogue involving parents, staff, administration and students.

“We’ve never had a goal centered around future readiness in our strategic plan, and I feel like that’s a strong example of how we’re preparing our students for what’s to come next,” she says.

Additionally, the strategic planning committee developed three key frameworks, known as “portraits”: a portrait of a learner, a portrait of a learning environment, and a portrait of a working environment.

The portrait of a learner is designed with a core focus on future readiness. Its attributes include being an empowered learner, a critical thinker, an engaged and responsible citizen, a skilled communicator and a future-ready individual.

“One of our key performance indicators is to design our multi-year framework connected to the portrait of a learner,” she says. “That will ensure that all of our students are being exposed to careers early on and they have those meaningful learning experiences.”

Promoting high-demand skills

Students aren’t lacking in CTE course offerings, says CTE Department Chair Nick Wedoff. With more than 60 courses to choose from, students have access to high-demand programs ranging from technology, business, computer science, engineering, family and consumer science and nursing.

The high school also provides specialized pathways, including a fine arts, medical, engineering and global academy. One popular example is the Geometry and Construction course, according to Huntley High School Principal Marcus Belin, who described it as a “double block class where we’ve merged math and the concepts of math with the physical development of structures and buildings.”

He also said students test their learning directly on campus, building outdoor classrooms, ticket booths and storage facilities, among other projects.

Community partnerships

An integral component of the district’s future-ready strategy is leveraging ties with local industry. Mentors regularly visit schools to evaluate students enrolled in the business computer and capstone engineering classes to evaluate their projects, according to Wedoff.

“They’re popping into classrooms and giving students feedback on the project, marketing strategies or manufacturing processes, hoping to help the students better understand local industry,” Wedoff explains.

These organic connections inevitably translate into advantageous post-secondary networks for students. Students working with local engineering firms in high school often end up in collegiate internships their freshmen year, compared to others who typically don’t land such opportunities until their senior year, Wedoff adds.

Transition services for special education

Meanwhile, the district ensures that students who are receiving special education services have access to transition planning and individualized support as they prepare for life after high school. The district offers a specialized transition program, known as the LIGHT Program, which provides additional services for eligible students ages 18 to 22.

Established in 2013, the LIGHT Program builds on the same community partnerships and workforce resources used in the district���s career and technical education pathways, while also incorporating additional, specialized supports to meet the individualized transition needs of students. According to MacCrindle, the district is also preparing to open its first student-run storefront, further expanding authentic employment experiences for students in the LIGHT program.

A call for leaders: ‘Listen to your students’

District leaders told District 91心頭istration��that replicating the work Huntley 158 is doing surrounding CTE requires intentional planning rooted in student voice.

MacCrindle argues it’s OK to start small. Focus on one or two high-demand pathways, then begin to incorporate grant dollars to help educators earn their certifications. Wedoff reiterates that leaders must engage with local business leaders to maximize the student experience.

Belin invites district administrators to embrace the new norm of preparing kids for life after school.

“We’ve got to listen to our kids,” Belin says. “Our kids are looking at alternative ways of education,” he says. He adds that such alternative options are growing in popularity because college isn’t always financially feasible.

More from 91心頭: This principal has 3 tips for creating student leaders

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Nearly 64% of principals say students from immigrant families missed school because of the crackdown and related rhetoric, according to a from the UCLA Institute for Democracy, Education and Access, also known as UCLA IDEA. One principal surveyed by the researchers stated, “Fear is everywhere.”

“Given the harsh, even hateful rhetoric and aggressive immigration actions of the Trump administration, the effect on students and schools should not be surprising to anyone,” said John Rogers, UCLA IDEA director and lead researcher of the project.

Some families are leaving their communities, a development reported by more than 57% of principals.

Bullying has also intensified. More than one-third (35.6%) of leaders reported that students from immigrant families were bullied with phrases like, “Can I see your papers?” Or, “Go back home.”

How leaders plan to respond

Principals are drafting school plans to respond to visits from federal agents, according to more than three-quarters of leaders. Furthermore, more than 47% of principals are prepared to meet the needs of students whose parents or guardians are deported.

Nearly half of principals also offered professional development to staff on how to support students from immigrant families in one of the most tumultuous years for public education.

Uncertainty is growing in school districts nationwide, according to media reports. At a recent school board meeting in Minnesota, an unusually large number of community members expressed frustration over the Eden Prairie School District’s response to recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the Twin Cities, according to

The district is home to a large Somali community, the news outlet reports, and parents said that leaders have not communicated how they plan to keep students safe in light of by ICE against the Somali population.

Last week, hundreds of Hillsboro High School students walked out of class to protest ICE in their communities, according to .油The walk-out drew close to 1,600 students from neighboring middle and high schools.

“This means a lot to all of us, those who were impacted by ICE, the terrorism that ICE has been inflicting on our country,” one Hillsboro High School student told��Oregon Live. “My parents work so hard, and now they’re living in fear because of what’s going on.”

Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security asserts that ICE does not target or raid schools. A press release issued by the department near the start of the current school year argued that the media is “attempting to create a climate of fear and smear law enforcement.”

“ICE is not conducting enforcement operations at, or ‘raiding,’ schools,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. “ICE is not going to schools to make arrests of children. Criminals are no longer able to hide in America’s schools to avoid arrest.”

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Just over 60% of those students earned a college credential within six years, a minimal decrease compared to the last cohort, “Yearly Progress and Completion Report” released by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

The decline was mostly driven by students who remain enrolled rather than stopping out.

More on college access: What���s launching FAFSA toward historic completion rates this year?

“This stability is built on the day���to���day efforts of students and institutions to maintain progress toward credentials in a changing environment,��� Doug Shapiro, executive director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, said in a press release.

The report found that students with prior experience in dual enrollment were more likely to remain enrolled and earn a degree.

• Over 71% of dual enrollees earned a credential by year six, which is nearly 14% higher than their counterparts.
• Over half of the cohort with dual enrollment��earned a credential within four years, just four points shy of non-dual enrollees’ six-year completion rate.
• One in three students who didn’t dual enroll eventually stopped out, compared to just one in five dual enrollees.

“Stopout rates suggest that most non-completers without prior dual enrollment are not taking longer to earn their credential, but are stopping out of postsecondary education entirely,” the report contends.

The Research Center’s latest report undergirds dual enrollment’s pivotal role in learners’ postsecondary success, especially among Black, low-income and Hispanic students.

Lower neighborhood income levels, and whether students have transferred schools or enroll part-time, are also critical factors in determining whether a college learner will earn a credential.

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Staffing, project-based learning and AI

Leaders such as Gladys Cruz, superintendent for Questar III Board of Cooperative Educational Services, are still concerned about staffing vacancies.

“School districts will continue to feel financial pressures and face staff recruitment and retention challenges as the labor pool narrows,” says Cruz, former board president of The School Superintendents Association. “There will also be more superintendent vacancies and fewer candidate applicants.”

Project-based learning and career and technical education will become essential to boosting student outcomes. Project-based learning��opens the door for work-based learning experiences, says Cheryl Jordan, superintendent of the Milpitas Unified School District.

“The evidence is in the entrepreneurial efforts that students demonstrate both in and outside of the classroom: From giant 3-D printed Minecraft robots to leading summer camps in AI for kids to advocating for city council support of low-income housing, ” Jordan says.

The coming year will also mark the end of “factory-model” schooling and instead be driven by student-driven learning as students get more say in how they want to learn, Jordan adds. Career and technical education programs will expand to meet the needs of an AI-altered job market, says Deer Valley Unified School District Superintendent Curtis Finch. Schools will also rely heavily on AI.

“AI will allow staff to use technology to help create more interactive learning environments for students, push for a deeper demonstration of learning from students through application and allow the student to become more interactive in their learning throughout the whole process,” Finch says.

K12 education is entering a transformative era in which collaboration between teachers and families will drive meaningful change, says David K. Moore, superintendent of the School District of Indian River County.

“As technology, data and innovative practices shape the classroom of tomorrow, districts that prioritize choice and operational stability will empower students to thrive in college, careers and life,” Moore says.

Principals targeting student support

Principals are worried about enhancing learning opportunities while resources remain stagnant, says National Association of Secondary School Principals CEO Ronn Nozoe.

In September, the House Appropriations Committee approved its education spending plan for fiscal year 2026. Included in the plans are major cuts to Title I and Title II federal funding.

Schools could lose critical support for the highest-needs students and teacher retention.

We have to keep reminding policymakers that these funds are investments in both equity and opportunity,” he says. “Schools can’t build the future on shaky ground.”

Leaders can’t plan for 2026 without discussing mental health and safety, which shouldn’t be considered partisan issues.

“Beyond the consistent mental health crisis and epidemic of school shootings, new challenges are emerging,” he says. “To focus on one example, students and even educators are turning to AI chatbots for mental health advice, advice that can be misleading or even harmful when they’re desperate for support.”

Leaders can celebrate the Department of Education’s in mental health grants but money alone won’t solve the problem, Nozoe adds.

“Principals will need flexibility and staffing pipelines to make sure those funds translate into real, on-the-ground help for students and the adults who serve them,” he says.

Emerging tech

Regardless of what’s in store for 2026, innovation tends to lead to educational opportunities for students, argues Ed Kim, vice president of education and training at edtech company Code Ninjas. AI is already impacting students’ experience with coding and robotics.

The latter is seeing advancements that lead to better robotics technology, allowing students to do more with it. For instance, drone technology has come a long way in a short amount of time, Kim says.

Meanwhile, the AI divide won’t be between schools that use it and those that don’t, says Nhon Ma, CEO of edtech company Numerade. It will be between those who teach students how to think with AI versus those who let AI think for them.

“The leaders will be the districts that build AI literacy into the learning process itself: understanding bias, asking better questions and treating these tools as partners, not shortcuts,” Ma says.

Some schools are rushing to adopt AI without asking the deeper pedagogical question about AI best helps struggling students. If AI is implemented strategically, it could end the digital access divide.

“Wealthier schools and families have access to better schools, better bandwidth and better-trained teachers,” Ma says. “Without thoughtful intervention, AI could become the next chapter in the digital divide.”

More from 91心頭: Your state���s AI laws might be irrelevant, feds say

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���We had hundreds of subs in classrooms where we had not been able to find teachers,��� Howard said. ���Coming back into the district, 37% of our teachers had five years or less experience.���

It wasn���t Howard���s first time leading in . Years earlier, she served as principal of Robert E. Lee High School (now Midland Legacy High School). She later moved into district administration and served as superintendent in the Plains and Crane ISDs. Her perspective and experience as deputy superintendent in Ector County shaped her approach to teacher retention.

In a smaller district, she said, reduced class sizes had not delivered results. ���Half of our kids weren���t reading on grade level,��� Howard said. That ���aha moment��� showed her teacher quality mattered more than class size.

Resetting opportunity culture

To tackle retention and student achievement, Howard focused on Midland���s partially implemented ���Opportunity Culture��� model. The approach extends the reach of highly effective teachers and embeds coaching within small, empowered teams.

At the time, Midland had 16 campuses rated D or F and only seven rated A or B, based on the Texas Education Agency Rating System. Howard called the ratings a “red flag” and said the model wasn���t being used effectively. “If we���re using opportunity culture right,” she said, “those types of metrics should not be showing up.���

Howard led a districtwide reset. Instead of a single instructional coach for dozens of teachers, the model creates grade-level teams led by multi-classroom leaders. These individuals split their time between teaching and coaching, building retention by giving new teachers daily mentorship.

Retention, results and measurable gains

The strategy strengthened teacher retention, which led to greater achievements for the district. Midland reduced the number of teachers with five years or less experience from 37% to 35%, which Howard said reflected the value of coaching and new compensation structures���a modest but meaningful reduction.

More than 64 now earn over $100,000, thanks to stackable pay tied to leadership roles and performance, she said. Sustainability, she stressed, was also non-negotiable: ���If it is not budget neutral, it can���t be maintained.���

The district has also seen significant academic progress. Since 2023, Midland has increased A- and B-rated campuses from seven to 14 and reduced D- and F-rated campuses from 16 to nine.

Of those 16 low-rated campuses, nine were failing at the time. Now only one remains. According to Howard, the connection between retention and student outcomes is evident: stronger teacher support leads to higher achievement.

Looking ahead: Retention as a mindset

Howard sees retention not as a program but as a staffing mindset. ���Strategic staffing is a way of doing business,��� she said, noting that districts must be creative to meet today���s workforce and funding challenges.

���There���s not an abundance of teachers coming out of the pipeline,��� she said. Opportunity culture teams offer one solution.

For other districts aiming to boost teacher retention, Howard recommends they learn from those already succeeding. ���I would recommend that they visit a campus or a district that does this,��� Howard said. ���There���s a lot to be learned from people who have already pulled it in���and they can help you accelerate it in your own district.���

And for Howard, seeing those gains unfold in the very district where she once served as a high school principal makes the progress even more meaningful. Coming full circle in Midland, she said, is about more than leadership���it’s about ensuring every student has a teacher who makes them want to stay, learn and succeed.

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The new version emphasizes:

• Multiple literacies: Including media, information, digital, news, financial, health and AI.
• Responsible use of artificial intelligence: Guiding educators and students to use AI ethically and creatively.
• Ethical use of research, data and media: Preparing students to be responsible digital citizens.
• Collaborative, flexible spaces: Fostering well-being, inquiry, and innovation across the school community.
• Leadership beyond the library: aligning library goals with district priorities to drive equity and innovation.

Supported by Follett Content, the Future Ready Librarians is a project of that has empowered nearly 6,000 librarians nationwide with professional learning, community and leadership opportunities.

���School librarians are uniquely positioned at the intersection of curriculum, technology, and student engagement,��� said Amy Loyd, CEO of All4Ed. ���Framework 3.0 ensures they have the vision and tools to lead in this moment ��� supporting multiple literacies, advancing equity, and helping schools integrate AI responsibly and ethically.���

Learn more about Framework 3.0 at FETC 2026, which features the on Jan. 11. FETC 2026 takes place from Jan. 11-14 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.油

Brandi Grant, a librarian at Pearson Middle School in Texas���s Frisco Independent School District, is one of the featured speakers on FETC’s Library Leaders track. Grant believes the school library is a place where every student should feel seen, heard and empowered.

Librarians can also offer students guidance as technology changes ���every minute,��� Grant adds.

���The reason why I became a librarian is to create a space of collaboration, creativity and a love of reading, and help students navigate this ever-evolving world of information and technology,��� Grant says. ���I want to inspire librarians to tell their story. A lot of times, our stories are told for us, and they���re wrong.���

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