CT Launches $10.7M Program To Address Student Absenteeism

CONNECTICUT — Fifteen school districts will benefit from a new state program aimed at engaging with K-12 students who struggled with absenteeism and disengagement during the 2020-21 school year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The initiative will be funded with $10.7 million of Connecticut’s federal COVID-19 recovery funding provided through the Governor’s Education Emergency Relief Fund.

The initiative, known as the Learner Engagement and Attendance Program, will include a partnership between the Connecticut State Department of Education and the six state Regional Education Service Centers that will target the 15 school districts.

The funding will pay for support personnel to be deployed to homes to directly engage with families and students. The RESCs will coordinate this work with school district officials and local community organizations. The home visits will also enable officials to address behavioral and mental health services, housing stability, access to childcare, technology and internet connectivity, transportation, and additional educational support services needed.

"Connecticut's RESCs are uniquely organized to assist with this critical work," Jeffrey Kitching, executive director at RESC Alliance, said. "We are connected within the schools and communities involved, and have the professional capacity to quickly and effectively provide kids and families the necessary supports."

The 15 participating districts will include: Bridgeport, The Capitol Region Education Council (CREC), Danbury, East Hartford, Hartford, Manchester, Meriden, New Britain, New Haven, New London, Norwich, Stamford, Torrington, Waterbury and Windham.

"An additional surge of federal funding – $1.1 billion to be distributed within weeks – is also coming to Connecticut right now to help school districts with learning loss, adding to this important down payment by the governor today," Sen. Richard Blumenthal said. "But the achievement gap existed before the pandemic and will exist after. The federal government needs to step up on a permanent basis with a reliable flow of funding to truly guarantee equal education opportunity for all students.”

GEERF was created and supplied with nearly $3 billion by the federal CARES Act, of which Connecticut received $27.8 million for the purpose of ensuring continuing educational opportunities for students affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Connecticut has the most dedicated teachers in the country and many programs to help students and families in our schools systems, but they can’t work effectively unless we connect people with services and get students in seats," Congressman Jim Himes said. "These funds will help get students back to school this year, ease the transition back to normal in the fall, and identify services from which families can benefit."

Governor Ned Lamont’s office and CSDE used absenteeism data and other district and student data gathered from the outset of the pandemic to allocate LEAP dollars to support the districts with the greatest need. CSDE will also partner with Attendance Works, a national organization that promotes better policy and practice around student attendance, to support the initiative.

Acting Commissioner of Education Charlene Russell-Tucker said: “Improving attendance and reaching each and every one of our students require forming strategic partnerships that involve the entire community, establishing systems of support, and focusing resources on the areas of greatest need. LEAP embraces this approach and builds on our ongoing work with educators, families, and community partners to ensure that all of our children are connected with their teachers and their schools."

LEAP builds upon the ongoing work by CSDE and school districts in addressing challenges related to consistent student attendance and engagement, especially during the pandemic. Last fall, the state distributed 141,000 laptops and 44,000 at-home internet connections for students, making Connecticut the first state to provide access to learning devices to all preK-12 students in need.