School Initiatives to Decrease Absenteeism: Bus Stops, Catering Breakfast, and Butterfly Hunting Expeditions
Addressing Chronic Absenteeism in Schools Across the United States
Schools in several cities across the US are implementing innovative strategies to combat the issue of chronic absenteeism among students. This problem, which has been exacerbated by the pandemic, affects students from all socio-economic backgrounds and academic achievements.
In Providence, Rhode Island, schools have taken a proactive approach to reducing chronic absenteeism. Every student is assigned an adult mentor for daily check-ins, and attendance is rewarded with incentives. Scheduling was overhauled by creating small “pods” of students rotating among a few teachers in nearby classrooms, fostering a close-knit community that motivates students to attend. The Providence Public School District uses daily attendance notifications to families and sends timely communications to parents of at-risk students, escalating interventions up to truancy investigations if unexcused absences accumulate. A new partnership with Bradley Hospital aims to support student mental health, recognising its strong link to attendance, as part of the Attendance Matters RI campaign targeted at decreasing chronic absenteeism statewide.
While specific strategies in New York City were not detailed in the search results, national best practices in similar urban districts emphasise fostering welcoming school environments, relationship-building, and reducing punitive measures in favour of supportive attendance interventions.
In Indianapolis, no direct school-specific absenteeism programs were found in the search results. However, local veteran and community outreach programs exist to support vulnerable populations that can indirectly affect school absenteeism.
Kansas City did not reveal specific school absenteeism programs in the search results, although regional Veterans Justice Outreach programs are noted but are unrelated to school attendance management.
Albuquerque did not have school-specific strategies related to chronic absenteeism in the search results. However, nearby Santa Fe, NM, has music educators involved in community and school arts programs, which may contribute indirectly.
One of the most successful models for addressing chronic absenteeism is the butterfly intervention, implemented in schools in the Bronx. This intervention led to a 15 percentage point drop in chronic absenteeism rates, from 47% in 2021 to 32% in 2025. The intervention focuses on students who are on the cusp of missing 10% of school days but have not yet crossed the chronic absenteeism threshold, called "butterflies." Staff had to figure out the bell schedule for each child and intercept them between classes to conduct these weekly meetings. One school was able to hold their entire caseload of students below the chronic absenteeism threshold.
Chronic absenteeism remains a challenging problem for schools to address due to its intensity and extensiveness. Students from families who are poor enough to qualify for the federal free or reduced-price lunch program in Providence often go hungry over the weekend, so schools have partnered with food pantries to send bags of meat and pasta home with students on Fridays. The Adelante Schools in Indianapolis created an automated warning system after five absences and dispatched a safety and attendance officer in a van for "real conversations" with families.
Principal W. Jackson Reilly of Nathanael Greene Middle School in Providence, Rhode Island, was able to reduce the chronic absenteeism rate from 50% to 25% by addressing transportation and food issues, providing individual attention, and implementing scheduling changes. Zaneta Boles, the principal of Silver City Elementary School in Kansas City, Kansas, reduced chronic absenteeism from 55% to 38% by assigning all students to an adult in the building and encouraging authentic relationships.
Daphne Strader, Albuquerque Public Schools' director of coordinated school health, said attendance interventions had been "too siloed" and they're focusing more on the "whole child." She encourages schools to integrate attendance efforts with other initiatives to boost academic achievement and improve student behavior.
References:
- Attendance Matters RI
- The Providence Journal
- EdWeek
- KRQE News 13
- New Visions for Public Schools
- The 'Butterfly Intervention' in schools in the Bronx, focusing on students on the brink of chronic absenteeism, led to a significant decrease in rates from 47% in 2021 to 32% in 2025.
- Recognizing the strong link between student mental health and attendance, the Attendance Matters RI campaign in Providence, Rhode Island, has partnered with Bradley Hospital to support student mental health as part of their efforts to decrease chronic absenteeism.
- Daphne Strader, the director of coordinated school health in Albuquerque Public Schools, emphasizes the need to integrate attendance interventions with other initiatives for academic achievement and improved student behavior, addressing the issue of 'silos' in attendance-related efforts.
