Let's Solve the Attendance Problem Together
We're on a mission to convene, engage, and educate on school attendance in the United States. Let's do it together.
About Us
Attendance USA is the first national initiative in the United States dedicated exclusively to addressing student attendance and absenteeism. By uniting leading scholars, practitioners, and organizations, Attendance USA offers a centralized platform for evidence-based solutions, shared standards, and actionable strategies to combat chronic absenteeism and promote student engagement.
To convene, engage, and educate on school attendance in the United States.
To aggregate US voices on school attendance ensuring clarity in defining what, who, why, when, and how for attendance action for all students by all partners.
Our values are to compile, disseminate, certify, and sets standards information systemic decision making on school attendance.
Building Tomorrow Together
Work with us to shape policies, engage communities, and foster positive change for a brighter future to solve the attendance problem.
Dr. Carolyn Gentle-Genitty
Founder
The journey to establishing Attendance USA was never certain. It began a few months after the launch of the International Network for School Attendance (INSA) in 2018. As a co-founder and one of the visionaries behind INSA, I was frequently asked, “What is the U.S. doing?” U.S. partners attending our conferences around the world, in countries like Norway, Australia, and the Netherlands inquired about forming a U.S. chapter.
Now, with nearly 20 country chapters established globally in places like France, Ireland, and Denmark, I felt it was time. The urgency grew after INSA held its first international conference in New Orleans in October 2024, where U.S. based stakeholders strongly advocated for a national chapter.
Later that same year, encouraged by my colleagues such as James Taylor, Sharon Bradley, Patricia Graczyk, and Shelneka Adams Marsalone, and inspired by conversations with Hedy Chang, I embarked on the journey to officially establish Attendance USA.
Our Journey
Explore our transformative journey and milestones to reach our vision and mission.
Start of Attendance USA
Our journey began with a vision from Dr. Carolyn Gentle-Genitty.
Date: 2024
Founding
Our story continues
This was in February when we agreed rather than publishing a website we needed to formalize and invite conversations. I extended conversations nationally. The result was an official launch May 20-21 in Indianapolis with the MSD Warren Township and their Education and Arts Foundation. The goal was to invite 25 leading scholars, stakeholders, practitioners to craft a manifesto and engage with stakeholders of all kinds to inform the work ahead. The manifesto grounded current and future work will inform our values, standards, and training vision. A key partner in the training is Inclusive Attendance and the CPD certified training.
Date: 2024
Conversations
Empowering tomorrow
We envision a future of progressive, and innovative policies, and empowerment in schools to solve the attendance problem. We ask all partners in the attendance and absenteeism work to help us carry out the US Attendance Manifesto and join us to lending our voices to systematically address this crisis with emerging practices and interventions. No person is too small or an organization too big to collaborate with us. We are breaking down silos for children and education for all.
Date: Present
We're just getting started
Our Partners
Our work would be incomplete without our partners. They make a world of difference.
Contact Us
Reach out and let us help you solve the attendance problem to effect positive change. Be part of our journey.