Improving Student Attendance (Paperback)

Student attendance isn’t just a paperwork problem—it’s a connection problem. This guide helps schools move beyond compliance and build a culture where students want to show up. Authors Carla Braun, JR Entsminger, and Jack Baldermann offer field-tested strategies and real-world methods to help schools manage the ever-growing attendance crisis, reengage students, and create the conditions that turn attendance into a consistent, daily habit.

• Address the root causes of absenteeism with effective strategies
• Foster a positive school culture that values every student’s presence
• Implement data collection and analysis tools to inform proactive interventions
• Collaborate with families and community partners to create a supportive environment
• Enhance academic outcomes through improved attendance and student engagement

Contents:
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Impact of Student Attendance
Chapter 2: Attendance Terminology Defined
Chapter 3: The Power of Building an Attendance Culture
Chapter 4: Attendance Structures, Systems, Strategies, and Supports
Chapter 5: Data Collection and Analysis
Epilogue
References and Resources
Index

Carla Braun is the assistant superintendent of teaching and learning in Community Unit School District 201 in Westmont, Illinois. She leads districtwide systems for continuous improvement and supports the district’s work as a professional learning community (PLC) across grades preK–12 by collaborating with leaders at all levels to strengthen instructional practice and improve student outcomes. Braun brings experience as an elementary principal, assistant principal, and classroom teacher with a professional focus on instructional leadership, curriculum development, educational change, and building collective efficacy through collaborative systems.
Braun has been an Illinois School Leader Institute (ISLI) leader through the Illinois Principals Association, where she supported some of Illinois's lowest-performing schools with curriculum development and PLC implementation. She also served as a professional development leader with the Metro Chicago Math Initiative (MCMI) at the University of Illinois Chicago, supporting schools in strengthening mathematical practices through research-based professional learning.
As an elementary principal, Braun led a Blue Ribbon-recognized and ISBE Exemplary school. Her leadership experience includes implementing successful PLC structures and using data to drive instructional improvement. She has designed and facilitated professional learning on topics such as PLCs, mathematics instruction, teacher collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Braun earned a doctorate in education (curriculum and inquiry), with a specialization in curriculum leadership, from Northern Illinois University. She also holds a master’s in educational administration and a bachelor’s in elementary education from the University of St. Francis.

JR Entsminger, EdD, is an esteemed school leader in Illinois. He is the former cofounder and co-principal of a STEM-focused magnet academy, where he developed curricular programming that included engineering courses, dual-credit high school classes in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics, computer coding, and foreign languages. He went on to lead an elementary school where his focus on strong instructional practice, responsive school culture, and collective efficacy contributed to the school earning an Exemplary summative designation. He is also the author of Responsive Circles: A Guide to Resolving Student Conflict and Building School Community and continues to write on leadership, school culture, and effective instructional practice.
He has been an educator since 2008, with experience as a teacher, a co-principal, a principal, and now a district-level administrator, gaining all his experience in low-income school districts that primarily serve students from minority backgrounds. He has also instructed graduate-level courses on best practices in the ELA classroom and on designing and implementing literature circles in junior high ELA.
Entsminger is an active member of several professional organizations, including the Illinois Principal Association, the Illinois Association of School Administrators, and ASCD. In 2024, he was honored with the Administrator Award for Meritorious Service by the Illinois State Board of Education.
His leadership and learning philosophy are grounded in the belief that relationships are the foundational pillars for all learning. He advocates for using the responsive circle process to help students manage and resolve conflicts, which he believes cultivates a culture of prevention. Entsminger also establishes cultures of high expectations that have helped his schools make impressive gains in student achievement. He has presented throughout the United States on topics ranging from responsive circles and conflict management to integrated project-based learning.
Entsminger holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Illinois State University, a bachelor’s degree in English secondary education from Governors State University, a master’s degree in school leadership from Concordia University, and a doctorate in curriculum and inquiry from Northern Illinois University.

Jack Baldermann is superintendent of Community Unit School District 201 (preK–12) in Westmont, Illinois. He is a passionate educational leader. His experience includes leading several high-poverty urban schools to significant success. He has also worked as a consultant to support five priority or high-poverty schools from across the United States to become Model PLC at Work® schools.
During Baldermann’s time as principal, Westmont High School won the DuFour Award in 2020 and the National Blue Ribbon Award in 2021. Westmont is the most diverse traditional high school in Illinois to have won the award since the early 2000s. In 2012, before he started at Westmont, the school was on academic warning year two with an 84 percent graduation rate (76 percent for African American students and 53 percent for Hispanic students). During the eleven years he served as principal, he and his team achieved a 98.5 percent graduation rate with not one African American or Hispanic student dropping out.
In 2024, Baldermann was named the Innovative Superintendent of the Year in Illinois. In 2022, he won the Golden Apple Award for Leadership in Illinois (one of the top leadership awards in the state). In 2017, he was named the Illinois Principal of the Year. In 2018, he was the runner-up for National Principal of the Year.
Baldermann has made over 1,000 presentations in 49 states and Canada while remaining a full-time practitioner. He has published chapters on RTI/MTSS, strategic leadership, and SMART goals.