The Seat Series · free downloads
Free tools for every adult who helps a child show up.
The Seat Series turns the research behind Attendance Science™ and the book Schools Spared, Children Punished into short, practical modules. Each one answers a real question we hear from teachers, practitioners, McKinney-Vento liaisons, administrators, data teams, attendance teams, health professionals, families and colleges. Every module has 10 slides and 2 one-page handouts, and every one is free to download, use and share with attribution.
Pick your seat below. Start with the first module in your section, then follow the path.
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Questions about any module: info@attendanceusa.org
TeachersFor classroom teachers, K-12
1 of 8 modules available
Seat 01: Classify Before You Consequence
What should I do in the first ten minutes after a student starts missing school?
Seat 02: Early Absence Is a Logistics Signal
Why do my youngest students miss, and what can a K-2 teacher do about it?
Releases November 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 03: Building the Habit of Showing Up
How do I help upper-elementary students want to be here every day?
Releases November 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 04: The Hallway Test
How can I tell whether my middle school feels worth showing up for?
Releases November 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 05: When Showing Up Has to Lead Somewhere
How do I keep high school students coming when school feels disconnected from their future?
Releases November 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 06: The Hand That Stopped Going Up
Why do some students quietly disengage, and how do I win them back?
Releases November 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 07: Re-entry Done Right
How do I welcome a student back after a long absence?
Releases November 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 08: Present but Absent
How can I spot disengagement before it shows up in the attendance data?
Releases November 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
PractitionersFor social workers, counselors, attendance officers and community practitioners
1 of 6 modules available
Seat 09: The Four Reasons
How do I classify an absence accurately enough to choose the right response?
Seat 10: SALT: A Strengths-First Response
Once I know the reason, how do I build a response that actually fits?
Releases November 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 11: The Family Stability Conversation
How do I see the home conditions behind an absence without judging the family?
Releases November 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 12: Refusal and Avoidance: Matching Care to Cause
How do I respond when anxiety or the school environment is keeping a student home?
Releases November 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 13: Truancy as the Last Resort
When is a court or formal referral appropriate, and what must come first?
Releases November 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 14: Owning the Seams
How do I keep a student from falling between vendors, agencies and departments?
Releases November 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
McKinney-Vento LiaisonsFor homeless education liaisons and student services
1 of 5 modules available
Seat 15: McKinney-Vento Basics
Which rights keep a student experiencing homelessness in school, and how do they connect to attendance?
Seat 16: Getting There: Transportation and School Stability
How do we solve the ride so a student can stay in the school of origin?
Releases November 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 17: Hidden Homelessness and Mid-Year Moves
How do we see students who are doubled up or moving often before their attendance falls apart?
Releases November 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 18: Unaccompanied and Working Youth
How do we support older students who are on their own, working, or carrying adult responsibilities?
Releases November 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 19: From Liaison to Network
How can a liaison braid housing, food, health and school supports around one family?
Releases November 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
AdministratorsFor principals, district leaders and school boards
1 of 6 modules available
Seat 20: No Empty Seats: Four Commitments for Leaders
What standard should our district hold itself to on attendance?
Seat 21: Policy That Classifies
How should our attendance policy and first letter change?
Releases December 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 22: Climate Is an Attendance Strategy
Which leadership choices make a school worth showing up for?
Releases December 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 23: Discipline That Keeps Students Present
How do we stop discipline from creating more absence?
Releases December 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 24: The Board-Ready PRESENCE Case
How do I turn attendance data into a defensible, fundable case for my board?
Releases December 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 25: Funding the Work
What can we do at no cost, at low cost, and with partner funding?
Releases December 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Technology and Data TeamsFor data analysts, SIS managers and IT partners
1 of 5 modules available
Seat 26: Codes That Tell the Truth
How do we build the four reasons into our student information system?
Seat 27: Beyond the Login
Does our technology tell a present-and-engaged student from a present-and-disengaged one?
Releases December 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 28: Predictive Models That Trigger Care
How do we use machine learning to catch risk early without turning it into enforcement?
Releases December 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 29: Linking the Data You Already Hold
Which simple data joins reveal the causes behind absence?
Releases December 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 30: Privacy, Consent and Responsible Use
How do we share attendance-related data across systems while protecting families?
Releases December 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Attendance TeamsFor school and district attendance teams
1 of 6 modules available
Seat 31: An Attendance Team That Owns the Next Step
How should our attendance team be built so every case has an owner and a clock?
Seat 32: The Ten-Day Review Cycle
How often should we look at the data, and what should we look for?
Releases December 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 33: Tiered Supports: Who Needs What
How do we decide which students need universal, targeted or intensive support?
Releases December 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 34: Relationship Mapping
How do we make sure every student has a named adult who would notice if they disappeared?
Releases December 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 35: The 3- and 6-Month Roadmap
What should our team do first, and what should we be able to prove in six months?
Releases December 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 36: Terrain Matters
How do we adapt attendance work for rural, tribal, urban and suburban communities?
Releases December 2026. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Health ProfessionalsFor school nurses, clinicians and health-system partners
1 of 5 modules available
Seat 37: Attendance Is a Health Indicator
Why should health professionals treat school attendance as a vital sign?
Seat 38: Chronic Medical Absence
How do we protect learning for students whose conditions cause legitimate, accumulating absences?
Releases January 2027. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 39: Anxiety, Refusal and Mental Health Pathways
How do health and school partners respond when anxiety keeps a student home?
Releases January 2027. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 40: Hidden Health Barriers
Which overlooked health and hygiene needs keep students home, and what helps?
Releases January 2027. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 41: Health Systems as Attendance Partners
How can hospitals, clinics and health plans partner with schools on attendance?
Releases January 2027. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Parents and GuardiansFor families and caregivers
1 of 7 modules available
Seat 42: Every Day Counts
How many absences are too many, and why does it matter?
Seat 43: Little Learners, Big Habits
How can families build strong school habits in the earliest grades?
Releases January 2027. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 44: Mornings, Friends and Feeling Ready
How can families help upper-elementary children want to go to school?
Releases January 2027. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 45: When Your Child Wants to Stay Home
What should families do when a middle schooler resists going to school?
Releases January 2027. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 46: Work, Responsibilities and the Road Ahead
How can families help teens balance jobs, family duties and school?
Releases January 2027. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 47: Help You Can Ask For
What supports are available for families facing housing, health or transportation barriers?
Releases January 2027. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 48: Partnering With Your School
How can families and schools work as true partners on attendance?
Releases January 2027. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Colleges and UniversitiesFor advisors, registrars, enrollment and academic leaders
1 of 5 modules available
Seat 49: The Number We're Not Counting
Why should colleges measure an absenteeism-adjusted participation rate?
Seat 50: Calculating the Adjusted Rate
How do we calculate an absenteeism-adjusted participation rate, step by step?
Releases January 2027. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 51: Week Three, Not Week Twelve
What should outreach look like when a college student's attendance starts slipping?
Releases January 2027. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 52: Four Headwinds and the Proof We Need
How does attendance help colleges answer the pressures of confidence, employer trust and the enrollment cliff?
Releases January 2027. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Seat 53: The Learning Mobility Arc
How does K-12 absence shape college access, credit and workforce mobility?
Releases January 2027. Join 1,000 Seats to hear when it is live.
Want more support?
From a free module to a plan for your whole system.
If your school, district, college or organization wants more, including the Attendance USA Strategy Sprint consultancy, Certified Attendance Professional™ certification trainings, curriculum development, or on-site workshops built from these modules, contact Shelneka Adams Marsalone, Executive Director, at shelneka@attendanceusa.org.
Use and share
Every module is free to download, use and share with attribution to Attendance USA™ and Dr. Carolyn Gentle-Genitty. Slides open on any phone or computer; the PowerPoint version is editable for staff who want to present.