A thought on attendance and student connection

Published about 2 months ago • 2 min read

June 18, 2026

Hi Reader

I’d like to share something with you through the BE Podcast Network that’s been coming up often in my conversations with school and district leaders.

One question keeps circling back. How can schools reduce chronic absenteeism in a way that helps students feel connected, supported, and eager to come to school?

I’ve been paying close attention to the work Playworks is doing in this area, especially as more schools look for practical ways to improve attendance. Their approach focuses on something simple but often overlooked: how students experience the school day.

In a recent UC Berkeley study of Title I schools, Playworks programming was associated with significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates compared to similar schools without it.

If this is something your team is working on, you can take a closer look here:

Book a Call

In schools with Playworks programming, schools experience:

Lower chronic absenteeism rates compared to similar schools
Stronger relationships between students and adults
Fewer behavior issues during and after recess
Smoother transitions back to learning, reclaiming instructional time

I saw these outcomes firsthand in my Title I school. My hope in sharing this is that it gives you a clearer sense of what is possible when schools focus on how students experience their day.

Because when students feel they belong, school becomes a place they want to be.

Best,
Jethro

Jethro Jones

Founder, BE Podcast Network

Education and leadership nerd, and founder of Transformative Principal. You might know me from my latest books, How to be a Transformative Principal and SchoolX, and the longest running ed leadership podcast, Transformative Principal.

PO Box 30161, Spokane, WA 99223
Unsubscribe · Preferences

ISTE Orlando Visit

June 18, 2026 Hi Reader With ISTE 2026 just around the corner, the BE Podcast Network is gearing up for a massive week of conversations in Orlando from June 28 to July 1. We'll be recording live on the ground, diving deep into the things that matter right now: the cutting edge of AI, leadership insights from Transformative Principal, and navigating digital safety with Cybertraps. If you’re going to be in Orlando and want to jump behind the mic for a quick podcast episode, I’d love to have...

about 10 hours ago • 2 min read

Have you ever wanted to host a podcast?

June 18, 2026 Hi ReaderWe are faced with a real problem at the BE Podcast Network! We have so many great shows, it's sometimes hard to choose what to listen to. And we are ready to grow! Want to be a host? The BPN Mega Feed! First, we are announcing the BE Podcast Network MEGAFEED! This has every single episode that is published in our network. It's a firehose! So, I suggest a digest to get an email each week with the title of each show. To join that list, you can just click this link. It...

14 days ago • 2 min read

Have you ever felt like a bad parent?

June 18, 2026 Have you ever felt like a bad parent, even when you were doing everything you could? I know that feeling. In the fall of 2018, a doctor told me, “I would have operated on your daughter six months ago.” Hearing that was devastating. My oldest daughter had been complaining about knee pain for several months. We took her to a specialist in Fairbanks and he said there was nothing wrong. But I knew there was. Eventually, we found a specialist in Anchorage, and he saw her, but he said...