Reports & Publications Archives

California Attendance Guide: Taking a Comprehensive Approach to Attendance and Engagement in California

We are excited to share the California Attendance Guide: Taking a Comprehensive Approach to Attendance and Engagement in California, Developed in partnership with the California Department of Education (CDE) and Attendance Works. This guidance was highlighted during a press conference hosted by CDE at Williamson Elementary School in Folsom Cordova Unified.

The guide provides a comprehensive framework to help schools, districts, and county offices of education reduce chronic absenteeism, strengthen family engagement, and ensure students are connected to supportive learning environments. With chronic absence rates still well above pre-pandemic levels, this resource outlines California’s bold goal of reducing chronic absence to 12.5 percent by 2030.

By focusing on student health and safety, family partnerships, and student connectedness, the guidance supports local leaders in building sustainable, data-driven strategies to improve attendance and advance equitable outcomes.

Explore the Guidance

California Attendance Guide

Chronic Absenteeism Statewide Resources

Frontline Voices Blog

Event Highlight: California Attendance Guidance Press Conference

Tackling Chronic Absenteeism—Lessons from California’s Bright Spot Districts

DESCRIPTION

As California continues to grapple with high rates of chronic absenteeism, which disproportionately impacts learning outcomes for our youngest learners, several local educational agencies (LEAs) are showing what’s possible through innovative, community-centered approaches. Cypress School District, Kings Canyon Unified School District, and Livingston Union School District have emerged as examples of bright spots in Kindergarten chronic absenteeism, modeling replicable strategies rooted in care, collaboration, and clear communication that result in measurable outcomes.Through the Chronic AbsenteeismBright Spots initiative, CCEE has spotlighted each of these districts via in-depth articles and companion Open Door webinars, providing a window into their systems-level thinking, strategic interventions, and on-the-ground practices that are making a real difference for students and families.

🌟 Meet the Chronic Absenteeism Bright Spots Districts

Cypress School District
📖 Read the Spotlight
🎥 Watch the Open Door Webinar

Cypress School District stands out as a positive outlier, with chronic absence rates far below the state average. Their success stems from a strong foundation of trust and consistency. Through proactive outreach, systematic data practices, and meaningful relationships with families, the district creates a culture where students and parents feel seen, supported, and valued.

Kings Canyon Unified School District
📖 Read the Spotlight
🎥 Watch the Open Door Webinar

Kings Canyon USD emphasizes the power of social-emotional learning and relational trust in building school communities where students want to show up. Their districtwide focus on belonging, inclusion, and family engagement has helped foster authentic partnerships and improved student attendance, especially in underserved communities.

Livingston Union School District
📖 Read the Spotlight
🎥 Watch the Open Door Webinar

Livingston USD approaches chronic absenteeism through the lens of health and wellness. With integrated supports ranging from mental health check-ins to accessible medical guidance, the district supports families in making informed decisions and helps students stay engaged—physically and emotionally—throughout the school year.

💡 Bright Spots, Shared Insights

These three LEAs offer powerful examples of what’s possible when chronic absenteeism is addressed not just as an attendance issue, but as a call to action to better support the whole child and their family. Common themes across the Spotlights include:

Systemic Leadership & Collaboration
Use of Real-Time Data to Guide Action
Prioritizing Student Belonging and Mental Health
Strengthening Family Trust and Communication
Clear Health and Attendance Guidance

To explore these takeaways in greater depth, check out the Chronic Absenteeism Bright Spots Factsheet, which distills key conditions and strategies that helped each LEA reduce chronic absenteeism and improve student engagement.

By elevating these stories and making their tools and strategies accessible statewide, the Bright Spots project supports California’s broader commitment to equitable learning opportunities—ensuring that every student is seen, supported, and present.

CA Statewide Evaluation Coherence and Communication Project

Data Research Learning Network: Phase 1 Summary

DESCRIPTION

In January 2023, the I3 Center launched the Data Research Learning Network (DRLN) to support districts and counties in innovating their data and assessment practices. In Phase 1 (Planning), seven select districts and county offices of education conducted deep data dives to identify challenge areas; generate problems of practice that are measurable, achievable, and relevant; and develop innovative action plans. This brief provides an overview of the lessons learned that emerged from the collaborative work of the DRLN throughout the six-month Planning Phase.

PHASE 1 BRIEF

LAUNCH BRIEF

African-American Student Success Network

DESCRIPTION

With the launch of CCEE’s Research Practice Partnership (RPP) initiative, five of the original CAAASA Professional Learning Network (PLN) partners have rejoined the network to continue their work to support Black student achievement through their LEA-specific problem of practice, focusing on progress monitoring activities to support the measurement of student outcomes in the coming year.

Resources

CAAASA-CCEE RPP Handout

RESOURCE TYPE

Reports & Publications

TYPE OF AUDIENCE

Board, Site Administrator / Instructional Coach, Systems Leadership

TOPIC AREA

Systems Leadership

California’s Statewide System of Support 2022 Community Engagement Initiative Year 2 Report

DESCRIPTION

Senior Advisor David Toston, Assistant Director Steven Sterling Mitchell, and Deputy Executive Director Chris Hartley partnered with Joel Rabin from Inform to Inspire to present on California’s Statewide System of Support 2022 Community Engagement Initiative Year 2 Report.

LAUNCH SLIDES

RESOURCES

California Engage Website

RESOURCE TYPE

Media, Professional Learning

TYPE OF AUDIENCE

Board, Site Administrator / Instructional Coach, Systems Leadership, Teacher

TOPIC AREA

Community Engagement

KEYWORDS

Lessons Learned: Resources for Championing Equity

DESCRIPTION

The California Association of African-American Superintendents & Administrators (CAAASA)’s statewide Professional Learning Network (PLN) began in the Fall of 2017, with the generous support of the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE). The goal of the CAAASA PLN is to identify the inequities experienced by African American students in California K-12 schools and to address them through a systems-change approach. The CAAASA PLN has worked over the past five years to surface and share best evidence-based practices that improve the educational outcomes of African American students. It aims to uncover the policy, practice, and performance that most effectively address systemic problems and lead to improved student outcomes.

During the onset of the pandemic, CAAASA worked closely with CCEE to respond to the crisis conditions in the field of education with professional development resources and forums and venues for information sharing and support. PLN members, including the three county offices, were active in this response, co-developing resources with CAAASA. In late 2021, CAAASA had the opportunity to reconvene the original seven local educational agencies (LEAs), including their superintendent leadership, for an in-depth discussion of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our schools, our students, their families, and teaching staff and school site, district, and county leadership. Led by Dr. Alicia Montgomery, Executive Director of the Center for Powerful Public Schools, we continued these important discussions throughout the spring of 2022, recording conversations and interviews on video for CCEE highlight reels and future resource development. In this brief, each of the LEAs provides highlights of their individual trajectories, reflecting on the enormous impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

LAUNCH BRIEF

CAAASA PLN MEMBERS

Napa County Office of Education
Los Angeles County Office of Education
San Diego County Office of Education
Pittsburg Unified School District
Fresno Unified School District
Lynwood Unified School District
Compton Unified School District

RESOURCES

CAAASA’s Professional Learning Network Impact Report

RESOURCE TYPE

Reports & Publications

TYPE OF AUDIENCE

Governance (Research & Policy), LEA Leadership and Staff, Site Admin & Coach

TOPIC AREA

Equity

KEYWORDS

CAAASA

CCEE 2021-2022 Annual Report

Description

To demonstrate the alignment of CCEE’s work with statewide agency priorities and its effectiveness in meeting statutory obligations, CCEE redesigned its Annual Report. This end-of-year report features select initiatives from each Center to highlight how the goals and initiatives, approved by the CCEE board, were achieved.

REPORT LINKS

Governing Board Presentation Slides

Digital Magazine

Digital Magazine (PDF Version)

Successes and Challenges in Reducing Chronic Absenteeism

Chronic absenteeism has affected a significant percentage of California’s K-12 student population and is likely to continue to do so over the coming years due to the lasting impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. School absences negatively affect academic and socioemotional outcomes for all students – especially youth of color and other vulnerable student groups – making improving attendance a top priority for school systems.

This attendance brief aims to better understand how the issue of chronic absenteeism has been addressed by districts and what improvements could yield better student outcomes. It highlights insights and best practices collected from districts that were able to decrease their chronic absenteeism rate in the past five years and offers recommendations on how local educational agencies (LEAs) could help increase student attendance.

Launch Brief

Launch Slides

CCEE Connection (July 2022)

News & Announcements

Community Engagement Initiative

As the Community Engagement Initiative enters its 4th year, we are excited to announce that our community of participating districts is growing from 17 to 46; representing the entire geography of the state, as well as county offices of education, charter schools, and rural single-school districts. Follow the CEI on Twitter for upcoming introductions to these new partners in our work.

In Case You Missed It

System of Support Updates (June & July 2022)

Friday 5 – Parent Resources to Promote Summer Learning at Home (7/8/22)

July Resources

Microlearning Modules

CCEE is partnering with content experts and experienced educators to develop “microlearning modules” — short videos sharing and explaining concepts, tools, and resources to support substitute teachers, paraeducators, and other instructional staff in the classroom.

Universal Design for Learning for School and District Leaders

Developed in partnership with the San Joaquin County Office of Education, this learning path provides a 30,000 ft. view of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) – the why, the what, and the how to begin planning for and implementing UDL — with guidance for beginning your UDL journey as a school or district.

Assessment for Learning to Support Student Achievement

Developed in partnership with Validity Partners, this learning path introduces the “Formative Assessment (FA) Moves” framework to help teachers and students recognize, evaluate, and use “soft data” that emerges during and across a set of lessons.

It offers practical tips and tools, including video-based examples, worksheets, and templates to help users make progress — minute by minute, day by day — with assessment for learning practices rooted in research.

About the I3 Center

The Innovation, Instruction, and Impact (I3) Center implements a statewide approach to improving LEA capacity by collaboratively developing, delivering, sharing, and spotlighting practices that have demonstrated the power to improve outcomes for students.

About the CCEE

The California Collaborative for Educational Excellence is a statewide leader delivering on California’s promise of a quality, equitable education for every student.

VIEW PAST EDITIONS OF THE CCEE CONNECTION

Executive Director’s Corner

By Matt J. Navo, Executive Director, CCEE

We all have something in common as educators — we want our schools to improve and innovate. Sometimes we differ on what schools should improve and innovate about. But at the end of the day, if we are not focused on improving and innovating on behalf of improved learning outcomes for all students, we might be missing the boat.

The Innovation, Instruction, and Impact (I3) Center is designed to do just that. Its focus is to support improvement and innovation for LEAs to accomplish the goals they set in the Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAP). The I3 Center also provides innovative ways to help support LEAs with challenging problems.

Below you will read about the Research-Practice Partnerships (RPPs) that are available for LEAs to support innovation and improvement, as well as the “microlearning modules” initiative, which is an innovative way to help bridge the gap between necessary knowledge for teaching and learning.

Sincerely,

Matt J. Navo
Executive Director, CCEE

Collaborative Learning From LEA Innovations Through Research-Practice Partnerships

By Italo Ciccarelli, Program Specialist, CCEE

The focus of CCEE’s Innovation, Instruction, and Impact (I3) Center is in using a statewide approach to collaboratively developing, delivering, sharing, and spotlighting practices that have demonstrated the power to improve outcomes for students.

Applying lessons learned and best practices from our previous learning network initiatives, CCEE’s Research-Practice Partnership (RPP) establishes collaborative agreements between local educational agencies (LEAs) and CCEE to support the initial implementation of an early-stage project, program, or initiative that aims to improve student outcomes. Areas of focus for proposed programs or projects can include any of the State priorities as outlined in the LEA’s Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs) as long as they have the explicit goal of improving student academic performance, engagement, or social-emotional well-being. This initiative will focus on the application of continuous improvement and research processes to examine formative outcomes and support informed decision-making in the early stages of systems change.

Interested LEAs can download the RPP application on CCEE’s website. Questions can be directed to Italo Ciccarelli at [email protected].

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there an application period or a deadline to apply for the Partnership?

Currently, there is no application cycle or an established deadline to apply for the RPP. Applications will be reviewed in the order they are received. CCEE will work directly with applicants LEAs to communicate on application decisions and next steps.

How long will it take for the application to be reviewed and for funds to be awarded?

The review process and the award of the funding will depend on the details specified in the application. There are many factors that will determine the timing of the approval and awarding decision. CCEE will review each application in the order in which it was received and will work in a manner to communicate with applicants on the status of the application.

How much funding is available through the RPP?

We anticipate that a typical short-cycle project may receive funding ranging from $20,000 to $50,000. CCEE reserves the right to consider and accept proposed projects for varying timeframes and amounts based on its review of the LEA’s application pursuant to the criteria specified.

How many LEAs will be identified for a Partnership?

At this time, CCEE has not set a specific number of LEAs that will be identified for a Partnership. Applications will be reviewed in the order they are received. CCEE will communicate any changes to the procedure and updates on the RPP webpage.

Is there a limit to the number of applications an LEA can submit?

Currently, there is no limit to the number of applications an LEA can submit. However, it is recommended to follow the application guidelines to ensure the projects follow the specified parameters in order to be approved and receive available funding. CCEE reserves the right to consider and accept proposed projects for varying timeframes and amounts based on its review of the LEA’s application pursuant to the criteria specified.

Tips and Tools at Your Fingertips: Microlearning Resources by Educators for Educators

By Sujie Shin, Deputy Executive Director, CCEE

The Innovation, Instruction, and Impact (I3) Center is excited to announce the launch of our microlearning modules, brief 5-8 minute video learning tools designed to support substitute teachers, paraeducators, and other instructional staff who may not have access to more robust professional learning opportunities. These modules showcase master teachers from across the state, sharing immediately applicable tips, strategies, and tools in a brief video with downloadable handouts, instructions, and other supplemental materials and resources.

CCEE has partnered with the California Subject Matter Projects (CSMP) and master teachers from each of the nine projects in the CSMP network to develop microlearning modules that provide quick tips, tools, and guidance in the key areas of classroom management, instruction, assessment, and social-emotional well-being. Learn more about our partnership and access the resources developed with the subject matter teams on our CSMP microlearning modules collection page.

Partner Spotlight

Accelerating Student Learning with Formative Assessment Practices

CCEE is also proud to continue partnering with innovative, equity-minded leaders in the assessment and accountability space, like the Center for Assessment.

The Center for Assessment, in conjunction with CCEE, has developed microlearning courses aimed at introducing formative assessment processes. These microlearning courses provide new and aspiring educators with the knowledge and skills necessary for gathering information about what students know and can do so that instructional decisions support and accelerate student learning. These micro-courses can also provide experienced educators, instructional coaches, and administrators an opportunity to reflect on formative assessment practices used throughout all classrooms.

Learn more about our partnership with the Center for Assessment and access all the modules on this webpage.