Strategic Data Project Convening 2019

Attendance is one of the most common data points captured in a local education agency (LEA)’s student information system. Besides the compliance-driven reporting of ADA and chronic absenteeism rates, what are the different shades/facets of attendance data that can provide more insightful data stories? This session intends to draw from three case studies at two LEAs to provide a fresh perspective on the effective use of attendance data in policy-related discussions. How can a comparison of costs-per-attended-hour help an LEA determine the academic return on investment for summer programs? How can class-period attendance data help reveal an attendance pattern for student preference for Physical Education over other courses? How is attendance related to student athletes’ school engagement and overall academic achievement? Our findings will highlight the opportunities and challenges of using administrative attendance data to address questions such as how student engagement can be improved by capitalizing on the attraction of physical activity, and how stakeholders can have a data-driven discussion over resource allocations for summer learning, physical activities and beyond when budget constraints and accountability pressures loom.