Re-Engaging Students During COVID-19 

Over the past year, the pandemic has significantly disrupted learning and family life. Challenges brought about by COVID-19—including increased mobility, family economic hardship, and drastic changes to learning environments—have caused more young people than usual to leave or disengage from school. As a result, many educators and youth-supporting practitioners are thinking about attendance and engagement differently and are trying to shift and adapt their strategies based on what students need at this unique moment in time. One critical strategy right now is re-engagement: identifying young people who have left school or have not been engaged due to the pandemic and supporting them to re-enroll or re-engage in courses so that they can graduate with a high school diploma.

Join America’s Promise, National League of Cities, and Attendance Works on March 25 from 3:00-4:30 PM ET in a conversation with young people and community leaders from around the country to explore promising strategies for re-engaging students who have left school during COVID-19.

In this conversation, panelists will discuss:

• the scale of the issue, including tracking, measuring, and understanding absenteeism and engagement data during this complex time;
• new practices for what re-engagement has looked like in specific communities; and
• ideas for prioritizing re-engagement in this and the next school year.

Panelists include staff and youth representatives from:

• Attendance Works
• City of Orlando – Parramore Kidz Zone and partner schools in Orlando, FL
• Colorado Youth for a Change and partner schools in Denver, CO
• National League of Cities – Institute for Youth, Education, and Families