Field Trips is a series of stories that highlight schools and districts that have implemented new strategies to improve student outcomes, developed exemplary practices and validated their results through data and other verifiable demonstrations of student performance.

For more information, email CDE Communications.

CDE Field Trips - 5/6/25: Mesa 51 focuses on engagement practices as a way to combat absenteeism

Posted 05/06/2025 - 9:43am

Commissioner Susana Córdova talks with Superintendent Brian Hill about how D51 is strengthening student engagement and improving attendance.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Welcome & Introduction
00:42 – Why Focus on Engagement
01:04 – What Engagement Looks Like in Classrooms
03:06 – Culture Shifts & Cell Phone Policy
04:10 – Supporting Teachers with Coaching
05:46 – Measuring Progress with Data & Walkthroughs
06:52 – Expanding Career & College Pathways
08:18 – College Credit, Trades, and Student Readiness
09:25 – Student Success Story from R-5
11:11 – Closing Remarks & Appreciation

Engaging students is one of the most important strategies for improving school attendance, especially among middle and high school students. In Mesa County Valley School District 51 in Grand Junction, a strong focus on student engagement has led to steady improvements in attendance and reductions in chronic absenteeism.

In 2023-24, the district’s daily attendance rate rose to 90.2%, up from 89.8% the previous year. Chronic absenteeism also dropped from 36.6% to 35.2%.

In a recent Commissioner’s Chat, Mesa 51 Superintendent Brian Hill spoke with Colorado Education Commissioner Susana Córdova about what’s working. The foundation, he said, is helping students feel welcome and that they belong. In Mesa 51, students are greeted at the door, classrooms are designed to be inviting, and a new policy banning cell phone use during school hours helps limit distractions.

Mesa 51 was also one of the first large districts in Colorado to return to in-person learning during the pandemic and remain open. “One of the positives is we were able to keep kiddos in person longer, and I think that helped us rebound quicker,” Hill said. “We also focused on making sure teachers had high-quality professional learning on what effective student engagement looks like, especially after something as disruptive as the pandemic.”

Each school sets goals not only for academics but also for student engagement and social-emotional learning. Teachers receive job-embedded training on engagement strategies and work closely with instructional coaches to apply them in the classroom. They learn to spot when students aren’t engaged and develop ways to help every student participate.

< Return to the Field Trips page