Secretary of Education Stephen Zrike Jr., left, posed with Regina Robinson, special assistant for stakeholder engagement and outreach at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, at the summit. (Photo Courtesy Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth)
WAKEFIELD — Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) hosted its Annual School Attendance Summit on Tuesday, Oct. 6, focused on student anxiety and ways educators can help students attend and succeed in school.
Presenters examined the relationship between anxiety and school attendance and shared strategies to help educators create welcoming schools where students feel valued and connected. Participants also learned how to develop and implement re-entry plans for students returning to school after gaps in their education.
Essex North Shore Assistant Superintendent/Principal Shannon Donnelly and MPY Executive Director Margie Daniels welcomed participants before Massachusetts Secretary of Education Stephen Zrike Jr., Ed.D., delivered an opening address, “Attend to Achieve.”
Regina Robinson, Ed.D., special assistant for stakeholder engagement and outreach at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, followed with “Everyday Makers: Why Timely Words Matter in the Lives of Young People.”
Ben Lovett, Ph.D., professor of psychology and education at Teachers College, Columbia University, presented “Addressing Student Anxiety.”
After lunch, Alex Hirshberg, Psy.D., founder and executive director of Hirshberg Behavioral Health Services in Hadley, presented “Collaborating to Develop Effective Student Re-entry Plans.”
Paul Zinni, CAGS, a retired Massachusetts school superintendent and the director of education, training and development at John Guilfoil Public Relations, concluded the day with “What Does This All Really Mean? Creating a Climate Where Everyone Feels Welcome.”
“This conference provided valuable research-backed practices to address root causes of school avoidance and anxiety, offering actionable frameworks to improve student engagement, foster belonging, and implement effective re-entry strategies,” said Amanda Jylkaa, supervisor of students at Rockport Elementary School. “A sincere thank you to the organizers and presenters for providing insightful and meaningful tools to support students.”
MPY will host a second hybrid conference, “School Attendance: Teaching Skills to Reduce Challenging Behavior,” on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School.
For more information about the upcoming conference or other professional development opportunities, contact MPY Executive Director Daniels.
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: massachusettspartnershipsforyo
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Ben Lovett, professor of psychology and education at Teachers College, Columbia University, presented “Addressing Student Anxiety” during the summit. (Photo Courtesy Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth)
Audience members discussed a presentation during Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth’s summit. (Photo Courtesy Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth)
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