School Partnerships

In late 2017, the Alliance issued a Call for Interest to Colorado K-12 public schools or districts interested in increasing student health and school performance through decreasing school absences. We are pleased to announce we have selected Lake County School District and Boulder Valley School District as our two school partners, and will be engaged in a planning process with these partners throughout 2018. The outcomes of the planning process will be identification of potential demonstration projects for collaborating across systems, as well as development of a policy and advocacy platform to drive sustainable systems change.

The Alliance is focusing on the issue of student attendance because attendance can be tracked as an “other indicator” of quality and student success More specifically, we know that:

• Individual children, particularly those identified as at higher risk for negative health outcomes, are at the center of our work

• Health issues are a leading cause of chronic absenteeism

• Improving student attendance increases the likelihood of student success and greater accountability

• Schools and health partners working together to address attendance is an effective model, as shown by New York City, Washington, DC and others

• There is a financial case to be made for increasing student attendance rates