WAKEFIELD — Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) Executive Director Margie Daniels announces that MPY will host its Annual School Attendance Summit, “All Present and Ready to Learn,” on Tuesday, Sept. 30.
The hybrid conference will take place at Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School, 565 Maple St., Danvers, from 8:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and via Zoom for those who wish to participate remotely. Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided to in-person attendees.
This year’s summit will address the urgent issue of chronic absenteeism, which impacts nearly half of today’s students and threatens both academic achievement and educational equity. The program will highlight proven strategies that help students feel a sense of belonging in school — a crucial factor in improving attendance and overall academic success.
Speakers will share insights on school-based practices, policies to close engagement gaps, and strategies to strengthen family and community partnerships. Presenters will also discuss innovative approaches to attendance tracking, accountability, and sustainable solutions to boost student engagement.
Featured speakers include:
- Regina Robinson, Ed.D., Special Assistant to the Commissioner for Stakeholder Engagement, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)
- Lauren Campion, Ph.D., Director of Student Resources, Lowell Public Schools
- Stephanie Day, District Attendance Monitor, Lowell Public Schools
- Chad d’Entremont, Ph.D., Executive Director, Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy
- Heather Ganley, Supervisor of Attendance, Lowell Public Schools
- Felicia Pasley, M.Ed., Director of Student Operations, Compliance, and Engagement, Chelsea Public Schools
- Ron Schmidt, M.Ed., Officer of Student Success Planning, Chelsea Public Schools
- Maite “Carolina” Vejar-Mason, District Attendance Monitor, Lowell Public Schools
- Paul Zinni, M.Ed., Director of Education, Training and Development, John Guilfoil Public Relations, and former Massachusetts school superintendent
“MPY always offers a School Attendance Summit at the beginning of each school year,” said Executive Director Daniels. “Addressing attendance issues early and proactively leads to students being present and ready to learn. Two school districts — Chelsea and Lowell — will be presenting their comprehensive, strategic and well-formulated plans to support attendance. Approximately 470 registrants, both in-person and virtually, will be participating in this timely and relevant hybrid conference.”
About the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc.
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that provides training, fosters collaboration and develops programming to increase the health and safety of students. MPY is committed to bringing cutting-edge information and high-quality trainings to constituents and endeavors to provide solution-oriented, community-based, multi-disciplinary approaches to reducing and ideally eliminating risky behaviors for youth. MPY programming reaches nearly 6,000 educators per year in Massachusetts, spread across approximately 300 districts, with more than 190 webinars and over a dozen conferences and seminars.
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth is governed by a Board of Directors made up of school superintendents, police and fire chiefs, and other community leaders who work closely with MPY staff to deliver this mission. To learn more, visit: massachusettspartnershipsforyouth.com.
###
Discover more from John Guilfoil Public Relations
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.