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archived information

Every Day Counts

Date: September 18, 2014
Location: Salt Lake City, UT

Policy Forum

Developing Utah Solutions to Increase Attendance and Improve Student Outcomes

Sponsored by the Utah State Office of Education and REL West at WestEd, this forum for education decision-makers and policymakers explored ways to decrease student chronic absence from school to improve their outcomes. Learning from research and practice, participants worked together to develop and recommend effective and supportive attendance policies at the state and local levels.

Event Highlights:

  • Research on how K-12 attendance is related to academic and graduation outcomes for Utah's students
  • Remarks from Utah Interim Superindendent of Public Instruction Joel Coleman
  • Remarks from Utah Lt. Governor Spencer J. Cox
  • Keynote address by Hedy Chang, Director of Attendance Works
  • Lunchtime address by Ralph Smith, Managing Director of The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading
  • Panelists representing national, state, and local efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism
  • Opportunities to shape state and local policy

See videos of these speakers and the panel, as well as transcripts of these sessions below.

Planning partners also included Voices for Utah Children, the United Way of Salt Lake, and the Utah Education Policy Center at the University of Utah.

This event built on Every Day Counts, a September 2013 event, and a statewide awareness campaign to reduce school absences.

A selection of research on student attendance in Utah and the nation that was shared at the event includes:

For more information, please contact Kenwyn Derby, kderby@wested.org.

Videos
Introductory Remarks

Ann White

Context-Setting and Superintendent Introduction

Sydnee Dickson

Remarks and Introduction of Utah's Lieutenant Governor

Joel Coleman

Remarks and Reading the Governor's Declaration

Spencer Cox

Reducing Chronic Absence: Why Does It Matter? What Can We Do?

Hedy Chang

Luncheon Remarks

Ralph Smith

Panel Discussion