November 2026: School Administrator
Motivation and Attendance
What school districts have discovered about getting students back to class.
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Additional Articles
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Five Moves That Reduced Our Chronic AbsenteeismImproving student attendance in Pflugerville, Texas
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When the Calendar Shapes AttendanceFor superintendents looking for practical, scalable solutions, calendar design deserves a closer look.
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From Compliance to InvitationHow school systems in Oregon are gaining ground on the attendance battle by focusing on individual student relationships
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Students Show Up Where They MatterPractical measures for uncovering an overlooked and often hidden driver of declining student engagement and attendance
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Changes in Effectiveness: State of the SuperintendencyHow the pressures experienced by district leaders has increased over the last 25 years.
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Innocent Icon or Savage Symbol?Can a district prohibit a student from wearing a necklace with a potentially problematic emblem?
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Building as We Learn: AI Agent is Changing My WorkThe measure of success should not be how many tasks AI performs. It should be what we do with the capacity it gives back.
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Analyzing Dynamic Behaviors of Board MembersShadow administrators require careful leadership from a superintendent in order to function as positive board members.
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Public Record Requests from Frequent FlyersPublic records laws provide important transparency, but these frequent automated requests can quickly become a burden for public schools.
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Entitlement vs. EarningLeadership is not about securing outcomes. It is about becoming someone capable of navigating whatever comes next.
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A Contract May End, But Purpose Does NotThat calling is not attached to a contract. It is carried within the leader.
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Too Many Hats on Teachers of Multilingual LearnersWe must redesign systems so ESL teachers can ensure instructional time is protected in practice, not just policy.
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To Be Counted...Or Counted OnWhen students have a sense of belonging, they show up differently
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A Reason to ReturnWhen young people know their ideas have a place, they begin to see school differently.
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When Listening Leads in AllentownAASA Member Profile: Carol Birks, Superintendent, Allentown School District (Pa.)
Staff
Editor's Note
Attention to Outside Thinking
As part of our editorial planning, I find it refreshing from time to time to look outside the usual parameters for worthy ideas that show promise for improving what happens inside school walls. We’re sharing a couple examples of that in this month’s coverage of how schools are reversing the stubborn scourge of chronic absenteeism since the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of our featured pieces comes from Zach Mercurio, a researcher and facilitator whom I discovered by way of Harvard Business Review about a year ago. He hosted a webinar titled “Why Mattering Matters: How Valuing Students Fuels Engagement” that I attended, sparking my interest in securing him as a contributor.
The other non-educator whose ideas on this topic appealed to me is Nat Malkus of the American Enterprise Institute. He has completed research about the value of connecting students to their school-based activities, teachers and peers as a means of promoting regular attendance in school.
Malkus’ research with a colleague examined the link between participation in high school varsity athletics and school attendance. His study focused on sports involvement and attendance data across Indiana, where he found athletes’ chronic absenteeism ran a third lower than nonathletes. Notably, the improvements showed up for athletes in season and out of season.
The editorial contributions from Mercurio and Malkus complement nicely the other major articles on the subject by superintendent Quintin Shepherd, retired superintendent Shelley Berman and Hedy Chang of Attendance Works who co-authored with Robert Balfanz of Johns Hopkins University. I hope you find their ideas stimulating and helpful.
Jay P. Goldman
Editor, School Administrator
703-875-0745
[email protected]
@JPGoldman
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