Use 5Essentials survey data to identify where to improve students' school experiences and teachers' relationships with parents to support attendance¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The brief recommends that schools use their 5Essentials survey data to understand where they could better support students' experiences in school and teachers' relationships with parents, working in collaboration with students and parents. It names strategies including "clear communication about the importance of attendance, a welcoming environment promoted by all school staff, rigorous and engaging classroom environments, and specialized supports for students facing particularly difficult barriers." Because school environment, unlike transportation or health barriers, is something practitioners can actively improve, climate data offers an actionable lever for attendance.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Schools need 5Essentials survey data identifying areas where they could better support student experiences and teacher-parent relationships

Constraints¶

• The study does not address the barriers schools face implementing strong practices, the resources they need, or the specific practices that are most effective
• Improving school climate takes time and sustained effort; it is about real, felt changes, not just higher survey numbers

Target Learners¶

• Students in middle and high school grades (6-11) in urban public school districts

Target Learning Goals¶

• Improving student attendance and engagement in learning

Related Strategies¶

• Use a targeted universalist approach to identify student groups with less positive survey reports and respond with empathy, curiosity, and support
• Use diagnostic survey results to craft an evidence-based school narrative and action plan
• Use annual 5Essentials Survey data to identify school-environment strengths and areas to improve for bullying prevention
• Use Cultivate data as a framework for action to identify strengths and improvement areas in learning environments

Examples¶

-

Key Sources¶

• Allensworth, E.M., Antony, M., Delgado, W., & de la Torre, M. (2026). Connection, trust, and learning: Student attendance in the middle and high school grades following the COVID-19 pandemic. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/connection-trust-and-learning