Learning Cohorts: Chronic Absenteeism Leadership

Working Together to Lower Chronic Absenteeism in Colorado

What will it take to significantly reduce absenteeism in your district or school? Are you ready to lead meaningful change that improves student engagement in the 2025-2026 school year?

Whether you're new to the cohort or returning from previous years, this learning cohort offers a network of leaders committed to tackling the complex, systemic challenges behind absenteeism. Returning participants will have the opportunity to revisit root causes with a fresh lens, grounded in new data and student experiences. Together, we’ll deepen our understanding, share evolving strategies, and implement sustainable solutions that reconnect students to their learning.

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Our Approach | Lead with Connection. Build with Consistency.

Through short-cycle goal setting, expert presentations, collaborative problem-solving, and site visits to districts seeing positive results, participants will build capacity to lead attendance-focused systems that improve student engagement and success.

Learning Cohort Facilitators

The District Improvement Strategy Office Team and cross-office partners from the Colorado Department of Education. For this learning cohort, we work closely with the Dropout Prevention and Student Re-engagement Office to align strategies and resources.

Participants

We invite district and school-based leaders who oversee, support, or directly manage chronic absenteeism interventions. This cohort is most impactful when both school and district perspectives are present. We strongly encourage participation from paired teams that include both district and school leaders.

Returning teams from previous years are welcome and will build on their past work. Smaller districts and BOCES are also encouraged to join and will find opportunities for collaboration and support tailored to your context.

Roles of past district participants include Superintendents and Assistant Superintendents, Executive Directors and Directors, Coordinators, BOCES staff, Liaisons, and other district staff. Roles of past school participants include Principals, Assistant Principals, Deans, Liaisons, and other school leadership staff.

Common Roles Include:

District: Superintendents, Assistant Superintendents, Executive Directors, Directors, Coordinators, BOCES staff, and District Liaisons
School: Principals, Assistant Principals, Deans, Attendance Teams, and School-Based Liaisons

District, School, and BOCES Administrators & Teams

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Session Information

Session 1 - 9-3-25 | 8:30-2:30 | In-person
Session 2 - 10-1-25 | 9:00-12:00 | Virtual
Session 3 - 11-5-25 | 8:30-2:30 | In-Person
Session 4 - 1-7-26 | 8:30-2:30 | In-person
Session 5 - 2-4-26 | 9:00-12:00 | Virtual
Session 6 - 3-4-26 | 8:30-2:30 | In-person

Session FAQs

CDE licensure credit is available
Participants register for individual sessions
In-person events include light breakfast & lunch
Locations shared in August, tied to enrollment
Limited travel reimbursement for participants traveling 100+ miles
We ask that participants notify supervisors to ensure support and system alignment