Written by Attendance Works
This September marks the 13th annual Attendance Awareness Month, a time for schools, families, and communities to come together around the message that regular school attendance matters for student success.
This year’s campaign theme, Here Today, Ready for Tomorrow!, underscores the essential connection between regular attendance and future opportunities. When students miss too many days, they don’t just fall behind academically; they also miss out on building friendships, developing problem-solving skills, and gaining the confidence that comes from being part of a school community.
Although chronic absence rates are slowly declining after spiking during the pandemic, nearly one in four students nationwide continue to miss 10% or more of the school year. Barriers such as health challenges, transportation issues, and rising student anxiety make consistent attendance a challenge, especially for students living in poverty.
That’s why we are proud to welcome TalkingPoints as a sponsor of this year’s Attendance Awareness Campaign. TalkingPoints is a nonprofit dedicated to improving outcomes for all students. Their mission is to unlock the power of family-school partnerships to improve student outcomes, especially in communities facing the greatest barriers. By investing in free and fee-based tools that help schools and families collaborate in any language and build trusting relationships, TalkingPoints helps ensure that every student can be “here today” and “ready for tomorrow.”
TalkingPoints is also a sponsor of the free webinar, “Family Engagement is the Foundation for Attendance and Learning,” on September 24, 2025. The session will highlight how family-school partnerships strengthen attendance, featuring Wicomico County Public Schools’ journey to boost student engagement and reduce chronic absence, and how TalkingPoints supports these activities in the district.
Across the nation, schools, districts, and states are lifting up this urgent issue with creative campaigns — from San Francisco’s Be Here! social media drive to statewide initiatives like Connecticut’s School Is Better With You! and Ohio’s Stay in the Game!. Together, these efforts show what’s possible when communities unite around the goal of helping every student show up every day.
We invite educators, families and community leaders to join the movement. Explore resources, download tools, and learn how you can launch your own campaign at www.attendanceworks.org
