Education leaders, families and national experts will gather in Indianapolis next week for the country’s first conference dedicated to tackling chronic student absenteeism, a growing nationwide concern.
Attendance USA organized the two-day event, which takes place May 20–21 at the Marriott East Hotel, located at 7202 E. 21st Street. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.
The conference marks the official launch of Attendance USA, a new national initiative aiming to unite researchers, practitioners and community members around solutions to improve school attendance.
Dr. Carolyn Gentle-Genitty, founder of Attendance USA and inaugural dean of Founder’s College at Butler University, believes the conference addresses absenteeism as a broader community issue rather than a problem limited to schools.
“Attendance and chronic absenteeism aren’t just a school issue — it’s a community issue, shaped by health, housing, trauma and family dynamics, including family stability,” Gentle-Genitty said. “We are quick to jump on a definition of absenteeism or a framing where we think we must solve it by legislation, not recognizing the care and support that’s needed to understand the student and what they’re going through.”
Among the featured speakers is Brandon P. Fleming, a former at-risk youth and college dropout who became an award-winning educator, author and former Harvard debate coach.
Fleming, founder and CEO of The Veritas Schools, will speak on the impact of resilience, representation and mentorship in keeping students connected to education.
Jamie Merisotis, president and CEO of Lumina Foundation and a longtime advocate for education reform, will also speak. Merisotis will focus on innovative, data-informed approaches to increasing attendance and supporting equitable access to education.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, during the 2021-22 school year, approximately 31% of students were chronically absent, which is defined as missing 10% or more instructional days. That number declined slightly to 28% the following year but remains significantly higher than pre-pandemic rates.
The 2018–19 school year, the national chronic absenteeism rate was around 16%.
“These statistics underscore the ongoing challenges schools face in addressing student attendance and the importance of implementing strategies to improve engagement and reduce absenteeism,” Gentle-Genitty said. “We’re excited to learn from others, share our work and collaborate on scalable solutions that keep students connected to learning and in the classroom.”
Conference programming includes keynote addresses, training sessions, presentations on multi-tiered support systems and a family panel highlighting lived experiences. Discussions will explore the root causes of absenteeism, including trauma, poverty and family instability. They will aim to build best practices and collaborative interventions.
Director of student and social services for MSD of Warren Township and co-host of the conference, James Taylor, emphasized the importance of both research and real-world experience.
“It’s important to consider data-driven insights, emerging strategies and lived experiences aimed at shaping actionable solutions around keeping students in class learning,” Taylor said.
Visit tinyurl.com/bd3akzbh for registration information.
Contact Multi-Media & Senior Sports Reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846. Follow him on X @3noral. For more education news, click here.
Noral Parham is the multi-media & senior sports reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Parham has worked with various leagues to provide a diverse perspective in sports, including the Big Ten, Big East, IHSAA, IndyCar, MLB, NHRA, NFL, NBA, WNBA, WWE and the Olympics. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver.
