Companies like Google and Microsoft have used their money, their might and their massive reach to influence nearly every step of the education supply chain.
Date & Time: Tuesday, September 29, 2026 at 2 p.m. <br><br> In this first installment of Mission: Attendance, you'll learn how to create a consistent approach to improving attendance. Dr. Marcy Burroughs, the Superintendent at the Sumter County Public School District in Alabama, will join to share how her district has reduced chronic absenteeism through a shared Attendance Manual, a codified approach to family engagement, and uniform reporting across school sites. You'll leave with a blueprint you can start using in your own district tomorrow.
Date & Time: Tuesday, October 13, 2026 at 2 p.m. <br><br> In this second installment of Mission: Attendance, you'll learn how to uncover meaningful trends in your attendance data, including grade-level spikes, day-of-week dips, and seasonal patterns. We'll also explore how to use early warning signs to address absenteeism before it becomes entrenched. Katina Keener, the Associate Director of Student Services & Title IX Coordinator at Gloucester County Public Schools in Virginia, will join to share how her district analyzes attendance data to target their response to absenteeism.
When Superintendent Aaron Fleming arrived at the growing Alamance-Burlington School System, he faced $3 million in debt, "dismal" test scores, leaky roofs and a district out of sync with the local economy.
Date & Time: Tuesday, November 03, 2026 at 2 p.m. <br><br> In this third and final installment of Mission: Attendance, you'll learn how to engage families in a way that helps uncover the real barriers to attendance. We'll explore how to audit official letters and notifications for tone, frame outreach in ways that demonstrate support, and reach every family early, warmly, and in their home language. Chris Henson, the Acting Superintendent of Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD in West Texas, will join to share how his district builds the kind of family trust that encourages families to share what's getting in the way of regular attendance and partner with campuses to fix it.
By next fall, the Alpine School District—the state’s largest district—will split into three: the newly named Lake Mountain, Aspen Peaks and Timpanogos school districts.
Democrats say the flip in Sarasota County indicates voters want education to move on from political fights over social issues, while conservatives point to their wins.
