EduSkills OECD 12d ago

School attendance problems are rising across many education systems, raising important questions about why students are missing school and what can be done to help them stay in school and engaged in learning. A new OECD report, Every Day Counts: Understanding, Preventing and Responding to School Attendance Problems, challenges the idea that attendance is simply about compliance. Instead, it shows that attendance is closely linked to students’ well-being, sense of belonging, health and mental health, family circumstances and other factors. The webinar presented key findings from the report before an expert panel discussed how education systems can reduce absenteeism through monitoring efforts, early intervention, family engagement and more positive school climates. Speakers included: Lucie Cerna, Senior Analyst, OECD Department for Education and Skills Alex Turner, Assistant Director – School Attendance, Department of Education, England (United Kingdom) Claude Sevenig, Education Counsellor at the Luxembourg Permanent Representation to the OECD and UNESCO Hedy Chang, CEO, President and Founder, Attendance Works It was moderated by Duncan Crawford, Senior Content Manager, OECD Directorate for Education and Skills Resources You can access the full report here https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/every-day-counts_7c6f6c3e-en.html You can check out the slides here if you have access to slideshare 👉 https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/17-june-2026-lucie-cerna_-every-day-counts_understanding-preventing-and-responding-to-school-attendance-problems-pptx/288111860 Resources from Hedy Chang, CEO and President, Attendance Works: -Their website www.attendanceworks.org -3 Tiers of Intervention - https://www.attendanceworks.org/chronic-absence/addressing-chronic-absence/3-tiers-of-intervention/ -Work on Identifying the root causes of absence (US) - https://www.attendanceworks.org/chronic-absence/addressing-chronic-absence/3-tiers-of-intervention/root-causes/ Resources from Alex Turner, Assistant Director, School Attendance, Department of Education, England (United Kingdom): -On data: https://heywoodquarterly.com/how-attendance-data-can-transform-pupil-lives/ -On communications: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/communicating-with-parents-about-school-attendance/a-guide-for-schools-on-communicating-with-parents-about-attendance-accessible-version