Chronic absenteeism affects far more than attendance rates. It can limit academic progress, weaken student connection to school, and make it harder for students to benefit from the opportunities schools provide. CharacterStrong’s has an On-Demand webinar that can support schools who struggle with chronic absenteeism and help them solve one of the biggest barriers to student success and emphasize that addressing it requires more than reminders and attendance calls.
That is where MTSS can help.
A Multi-Tiered System of Supports gives schools a stronger way to respond to attendance challenges because it helps teams identify concerns early, understand root causes, match support to need, and monitor whether the plan is working. CharacterStrong’s attendance and MTSS supports are built into our Tier 1 and Tier 2 Solutions to explicitly connects MTSS to improving attendance through tailored supports, family engagement, and coordinated problem-solving.
Many schools have traditional attendance processes in place, but those processes are often too reactive on their own. CharacterStrong’s Attendance Webinar highlights proactive absenteeism strategies that go beyond reminders and attendance phone calls. We know there are proactive strategies that CharacterStrong support that increase belonging, positive school culture, and systemic changes that help students feel connected and engaged.
When schools rely only on compliance-based responses, they can miss the reasons students are absent in the first place. CharacterStrong’s Chronic Absenteeism Blueprint emphasizes root-cause problem-solving, noting that absenteeism is the observable symptom and that schools need to identify the underlying causes in order to choose more precise and effective solutions.
MTSS helps schools improve attendance because it gives teams a structure for responding at different levels of need. There are different strategies at each level of the MTSS Triangle that can support attendance initiatives (read more here).
At Tier 1, schools focus on the universal conditions that support attendance for all students. CharacterStrong’s Tier 1 curriculum is one way schools focus on relationship-centered practices, belonging, school culture, and system-wide supports that keep students engaged and present. When students feel a sense of belonging at schools, they're more likely to attend. When bullying prevention is in place, students are more likely to attend. All of this should be a part of a school's Tier 1 practices. You can check out CharacterStrong's Tier 1 Solution here.
At Tier 2, schools provide targeted support for students who are beginning to show attendance concerns. Students in need of Tier 2 Supports, might need different strategies to help them feel engaged, able to cope with social and behavioral struggles, and if school's have these supports in place, it can support attendance initiatives. Check out CharacterStrong's Tier 2 Solution here.
At Tier 3, schools use more individualized and intensive supports for students with the greatest attendance needs. CharacterStrong’s absenteeism blueprint lays out a problem-solving cycle that helps educators identify the problem clearly, analyze root causes, develop a plan, and evaluate whether the plan is improving attendance outcomes over time. You can review CharacterStrong's Tier 3 Solution here.
Schools often make more progress when they stop asking only, “How do we get students to school?” and start asking, “Why is attendance difficult for this student or group of students?” Identifying the root-cause and then initiating coordinated problem-solving rather than getting stuck at the level of the symptom is a good first step. The problem solving blueprint helps schools at this stage.
There are several common factors schools may need to examine, including family dynamics, transportation difficulties, whether families feel welcomed and included by the school, bullying, health and medical conditions, mental health concerns, and broader issues affecting student connection to school.
When school leaders make time and have a focus on building a sense of belonging, fostering a positive school culture, and creating an environment where students feel connected and engaged is key in improving school-wide attendance. We know there is no "easy button" to make this happen. It takes vision, protecting time, and intentionality by the staff to create this type of school culture. We have Staff PD, Tier 1 Solutions, and more that can support. Check out one principal's journey to make this happen at his middle school. That makes attendance improvement a school-culture issue as much as an operations issue.
Effective solutions depend on understanding why absenteeism is happening. The Chronic Absenteeism Blueprint explains that schools need to identify the root cause, not just the symptom, so they can choose supports that are more likely to be effective.
Family engagement should be a part of the MTSS approach to chronic absenteeism. Learn more in the Chronic Absenteeism webinar about family dynamics and whether families feel included as important contributors to attendance outcomes and how to improve that important link to help get students to school.
MTSS is not just about selecting an intervention. It is about reviewing whether the plan is being implemented and whether attendance is improving. CharacterStrong’s Absenteeism Blueprint highlights how plan evaluation is a core step, including gathering data to determine whether the plan was implemented as intended and whether attendance improved over time.
MTSS helps improve attendance by giving schools a structured way to identify attendance concerns, analyze root causes, match interventions to need, and evaluate whether support plans are working.
Schools should look at root causes first. CharacterStrong’s Absenteeism Blueprint can support in identifying symptoms that educators need to analyze first thus explaining why the problem exists before selecting solutions.
Schools should gather data to determine whether the plan was implemented as intended and whether attendance improved over time. In an MTSS process, that means progress monitoring and plan evaluation are essential, not optional.
Want a deeper look at practical attendance strategies?
Watch CharacterStrong’s webinar, 5 Proactive Ways to Address Chronic Absenteeism and Improve Attendance. You could also pair it with Tackling the Attendance Crisis: Creating a Culture Where Students Want to Be.