Moderated by Hedy Chang of Attendance Works, this session featured an inspiring conversation about how schools and housing agencies should and could be working together to address the skyrocketing rates of chronic absence. The panelists, discussing collaborations in Arizona, California and Maine, emphasized how housing agencies are key partners with schools and community organizations in addressing and reducing growing educational inequities, particularly by leveraging their capacity to connect economically challenged children and families with needed support and resources. Each one shared strategies used by housing agencies to partner with families to keep students excited about learning and attending school, and approaches to ensure equitable access to online learning opportunities. They highlighted the key role of data shared with families, communities, educators and local agencies to both identify where resources are needed and to highlight how interventions are working with Maria Casey of Attendance Works remarking:

Schools that have teams ought to be inviting representatives from housing developments to be a part of those teams and to look with them at the chronic absence data and figure out what strategies to use that would be most effective for families who find themselves [with students] in tier two or tier three, and certainly those strategies that work across the board universally.

The speakers discussed the importance of leadership in bringing schools and housing agencies together. They noted that families living in housing developments face numerous challenges to being in school, from lack of access to the internet or computers, to unreliable transportation and basic needs, such as food and clothing. They agreed that solutions for students living in low-income communities require a cross-sector approach, with Emily Mancini-Fitch of Portland Housing Authority saying:

Portland ConnectED was brought on by a mayor who is super invested in bringing cross-sector collaboration to improve educational outcomes for Portland. The city established the organization with the support of our local United Way. The work is all happening across sectors with workforce development, the Portland city public schools, city leadership, etc. No one owns it, but everybody’s invested in it.