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Decreasing Absenteeism and Its Effects with Meaningful Strategies

Wednesday, November 15, 2023 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EST

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Presented by Brian Marques, Sr. Director of Opportunity Youth, Boston Public Schools (MA); Aspen Florence, Educational Consultant, Utah State Board of Education; Cecelia Leong, Vice President of Programs, Attendance Works; and Nicole DellaRocco, Senior Account Director, Panorama Education

Sponsored by Panorama Education

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Absenteeism is more than just not being present in school. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Long-term effects include the major declines in math and reading scores we’ve been hearing about post-COVID. In fact, the White House released figures showing the link between absenteeism and test scores is “large enough to account for 16-27 percent of the overall test score declines in math, and 36-45 percent of the declines in reading.”

So how do schools turn the tide and ensure students are in school, consistently, where they can learn? Join us to hear how Boston Public Schools and the Utah Board of Education are leveraging MTSS to understand and address attendance barriers. Plus, learn attendance-specific strategies from our Playbook partner, Attendance Works. You learn how to decrease absenteeism with these strategies:

  • Make school a place where students want to be by acting on student voice data
  • Use up-to-date data to identify chronic absenteeism and intervene early
  • Establish supports, including family connections, to stave future absenteeism
  • Implement learning recovery measures to reverse the effects of absenteeism

This recorded edLeader Panel is of interest to K-12 teachers, school and district leaders, and education technology leaders.

Brian Marques

About the Presenters

Prior to joining Boston Public Schools as the Sr. Director of Opportunity Youth, Brian Marques served as Executive Director of Community Lifeline Center in McKinney, TX where he guided the implementation of a new dental assistance program, a no-cost farmers market, and enhanced client services. While serving as Director of Network Initiatives for SER-Jobs for Progress National in Irving, TX he helped spearhead a new dual-language early head start program, an accredited online high school and accompanying post-secondary career certifications, and various job training and work readiness programs. Brian received his Master of Arts in Industrial/Organizational Psychology at Fairfield University in Connecticut and his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from James Madison University in Virginia. He completed Executive Education in Leadership and Management at Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business. In 2015 Brian was among the inaugural class to complete the New Strategies Program for nonprofit executives at Georgetown University.

Aspen Florence

Aspen Florence has been in education for the past 22 years. She has worked in almost every position from a special education paraeducator to a director of student advocacy. She is passionate about the production and sustainability of quality education through building efficacy and maintaining dignity for all stakeholders. She currently works as an Attendance Specialist for the Utah State Board of Education as well as consults throughout Utah on MTSS for behavior and social-emotional learning with Solutions Through Consulting. She holds a B.A. in psychology, a special education teaching license, an M.Ed. in curriculum design and instruction, an M.Ed. in organizational leadership, and is an Ed.D. candidate for leadership and policy. She is also a mom of four kids whom she is beyond proud of.

Cecelia Leong

Cecelia Leong is the Vice President of Programs at Attendance Works. Since joining Attendance Works in 2011, she has helped expand the technical assistance resources available to communities across the country. In addition to providing high-quality professional development through webinars and online learning, Cecelia works closely with the Attendance Works team to identify emerging technical assistance needs in reducing chronic absence and creating innovative tools to address those needs. Prior to joining Attendance Works, Cecelia worked for a variety of organizations that focus on district and school reform initiatives such as Pivot Learning Partners and Berkeley Policy Associates. Cecelia has an AB from Harvard University and a master’s degree in public policy from the University of California, Berkeley.

Nicole DellaRocco

Nicole DellaRocco is a Senior Account Director at Panorama Education. She currently supports districts in Utah, Iowa, and Virginia. Before joining Panorama, she worked at Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) designing and implementing statewide data systems to support and improve educator effectiveness. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Boston College and Brown University.

Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.

Join the School Health & Safety community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.


Panorama EducationPanorama Education partners with K-12 schools and districts across the country to collect and analyze data about social-emotional learning, school climate, family engagement, and more. With research-backed surveys and a leading technology platform, Panorama helps educators act on data and improve student outcomes. Panorama supports 15 million students in 21,000 schools and 1,500 districts across 50 states.


Panorama Education | Supporting Every Student: 18 Research-Based Interventions for Your MTSS. Strategies Across Literacy, Math, SEL and Behavior

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