Located in the rural southwest Maine town of West Newfield, Line Elementary School once struggled to improve attendance. Like many rural Maine communities, families face challenging economic conditions as well as harsh winter weather. When Principal Tim Stinson began tackling the school’s over 10 percent chronic absence rate with the support of Count ME In, a Maine attendance effort, he questioned the value. “Our past efforts to improve attendance didn’t yield much,” recalls Stinson, whose school is part of Regional School Unit 57 District, which includes seven schools in six rural towns.

But, soon after Line Elementary – which serves 284 students, over half from low-income families – began working with Count ME In to implement its district’s attendance plan in Fall 2015, Stinson began to see the positive impact of work that included establishing an intervention team, a system to track absences and an accountability process. By the end of the second school year, Line Elementary’s chronic absentee rate decreased by 44 percent. Stinson and his staff were excited to begin a new school year with a plan they knew could make a difference.

Over the past five years, Count ME In has learned that implementing a comprehensive model to address chronic absenteeism requires supporting implementation of effective practice with fidelity at the school site. This approach involves raising awareness; engaging all staff including teachers and reaching out to absent students; intervention teams monitoring data and strategies; and school and community agency staff partnering with families to develop effective solutions. Count ME In’s mission is to increase student attendance through data-driven strategies so every child is an engaged, successful learner. It partners with several districts, helping schools adopt a prevention-oriented approach to reducing chronic absence and nurture a school culture that promotes learning.