Be At School conference program
Join us at McNamara Alumni Center on July 31! Be At School will focus on addressing barriers to school attendance for K-12 students and their families through collaborative, family-focused early interventions.
Schedule of events
A full schedule of events is available. Note: All speakers and times are subject to change.
Program details
8 - 9 a.m.
9 - 9:15 a.m.
9:15 - 10:15 a.m.
Registration and networking breakfast | Minnesota Room area
Welcome and introduction to keynote | Memorial Hall
Keynote | Memorial Hall
Title: Rethinking Chronic Absenteeism: Collective Solutions for a Complex Problem.
Sarah Winchell Lenhoff, PhD, is an associate professor of educational leadership and policy studies and the Leonard Kaplan Endowed Professor in Wayne State University’s College of Education. Lenhoff began her career as a New York City public school teacher, and she led the research and policy division of the non-profit The Education Trust-Midwest for four years. Her research focuses on education policy implementation and access to equitable educational opportunities, with a focus on how collaborative research with practitioners and community members can facilitate systemic improvement. Her recent research has examined district and school infrastructure to support school improvement; the effects of school choice policy on equitable opportunities for students; and the causes of and practices to reduce student absenteeism. She currently co-leads a study on the educational impact of neighborhood transformation through Detroit's Choice Neighborhoods Initiative in Corktown. She is the faculty director of the Detroit Partnership for Education Equity & Research (Detroit PEER), a research-practice partnership with Detroit schools and community-based organizations working to equitably improve student attendance and engagement in Detroit. She is the author of the new book Rethinking Chronic Absenteeism: Why Schools Can’t Solve It Alone, now available.
10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Morning breakout sessions
Location: Johnson Great Room
Description: This presentation explores a collaborative approach to reducing school absenteeism through strong partnerships between counties, school districts, and community providers. Emphasizing early intervention, we highlight the critical role of supporting and reconnecting students and families to their schools and helping increase access to needed services for families at the earliest point possible.
Presenters:
- Samantha Goldman | Intake and Prevention Supervisor, Scott County
- Madeline Hill | Attendance Engagement Specialist, Shakopee Public Schools
- Paula Frisk | Vice President of Parent Child Services, St. David’s Center for Child and Family Development
- Lisa Welter | CEO/Founder, The Katallasso Group
- Deb Bodensteiner | Executive Director for TreeHouse of Scott County, TreeHouse/The Well Ministries
Location: Thomas Swain Room
Description: Building leaders will share their experiences that reveal the interconnections between literacy improvements, school culture focused on belonging, teacher attendance, student attendance, and student outcomes. Panelists will share reflections, accomplishments, struggles, and areas for continued thinking.
Presenters:
- Rep. Mary Frances Clardy | Legislator, MN House of Representatives
- Abbey Payeur | Literacy Specialist & Interventionist, Anoka-Hennepin School District
- Amy Oliver | Principal, Monroe Elementary
- Mary Jane Adams | Principal, Sonnesyn Elementary School
Location: Ski-U-Mah
Description: Explore how our district addressed the lack of a clear attendance system by standardizing codes, aligning practices across sites, creating a districtwide attendance handbook, and partnering with county agencies to strengthen current practices.
Presenters:
- Angi McAndrews | Director of Positive Behavioral Supports, Rochester Public Schools
- Katlyn Morrow | Attendance and Truancy Coordinator, Rochester Public Schools
Location: Heritage Gallery
Description: This session presents findings from a Minneapolis-based focus group study on chronic absenteeism, highlighting families' perspectives on attendance barriers: misaligned information, sick policies, and sense of belonging. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how BIPOC and low-income families in Minneapolis perceive absenteeism.
Presenters:
- La Lee Lo | Senior Manager of Data and Community Tools, Great MN Schools
- Javaris Bradford | Senior Manager of Community Engagement, Great MN Schools
11:45 - 1 p.m.
1:15 - 2:15 p.m.
Lunch | Memorial Hall
Panel | Memorial Hall
Samantha Goldman | Intake and Prevention Supervisor, Scott County
Samantha Goldman is the current Intake and Prevention Supervisor with Scott County Health and Human Services. Samantha has been in the Child Welfare field for 15 years, with experience ranging from front-line child protection work to supervision of child protection workers.
Rep. Ben Bakeberg | Jordan Middle School Principal & Member, Minnesota House of Representatives
Representative Ben Bakeberg is a current middle school principal and state legislator, bringing a frontline educator’s perspective to Minnesota’s policy discussions. In the classroom and at the Capitol, he focuses on common-sense solutions to the challenges facing schools—often asking, “What does this look like on Tuesday morning in a real school?”
As Vice Chair of the Education Finance Committee and a member of the Labor and Workforce Development Committee, he works to ensure legislation is grounded in the day-to-day realities of students, teachers, and families. Working in a bipartisan manner, he works to improving school attendance and reduce truancy, based on the simple but vital truth: students can’t learn if they’re not in school.
By combining hands-on leadership in education with a deep commitment to service in the legislature, Rep. Bakeberg is helping shape policies that support student success from the classroom to the workforce.
Bondo Nyembwe | Assistant Superintendent, Columbia Heights Public Schools
Bondo Nyembwe is the Assistant Superintendent in Columbia Heights Public Schools. He is a passionate educator who has worked as a Principal and Executive Director in urban charter schools in Minneapolis and St. Paul. He is dedicated to school transformation and focuses on creating common practices that build a positive school climate for teaching and learning. He believes that improving scholars’ achievement for all is a moral imperative. Bondo enjoys reading and translating research into practice in schools. He has authored an article, “Teachers of Color Face Shortage: What does it mean to our growing numbers of minority students?” He consults and presents on various education topics. He serves on the board of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and enjoys listening to his children play the violin.
Moderated by Katie Pekel | Executive Director of Educational Leadership, University of Minnesota
As the Executive Director of Educational Leadership, Dr. Pekel serves as the department’s direct connection between the fields of research and practice in PK-12 education. She leads the Minnesota Principals Academy, the University’s executive development program for school leaders that leads toward doctoral work Dr. Pekel also teaches courses for aspiring school principals and co-coordinates the Executive Ph.D. cohort for educational leaders within the department of Organizational Leadership, and co-directs the U of M’s Urban Leadership Academy.
2:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Afternoon breakout sessions
Location: Johnson Great Room
Description: Why don’t students attend school? Columbia Heights Public Schools embarked on a journey searching for answers to this question. They intentionally committed to learning from students, staff, and families by focusing on three words: Communicate, Educate, and Humanize. In this session, you will learn about the power of communication and understand families' experiences to reduce chronic absenteeism in school.
Presenters:
- Bondo Nyembwe | Assistant Superintendent, Columbia Heights Public Schools
- Nicole Herje | Social Worker, Columbia Heights Public Schools
- Kailin Jolstad | Promise Fellow, Columbia Heights Public Schools
Location: Thomas Swain Room
Description: This session will introduce participants to two new COMPASS resources: The State of Student Attendance Report and the MnMTSS Attendance Guidebook. This session will cover key topics including Minnesota-specific attendance data, an overview of the COMPASS MnMTSS Attendance Improvement Guidebook, and strategies for improving attendance outcomes utilizing the MnMTSS framework.
Presenter:
- Raymond Blackledge | Attendance Lead, COMPASS
- Leah Gagne | Attendance Lead, COMPASS
- Jewell Reichenberger | Attendance Lead, COMPASS
- Amy Stites | Attendance Lead, COMPASS
Location: Ski-U-Mah
Description: Please join us for a panel discussion featuring Minnesota: County Attorneys, county community corrections, and county human services educational neglect and truancy personnel. Discussions focus on balancing attendance laws and challenges with families, reforms and recommended changes at the state level, alternatives to child protection and truancy court, and improvements between school and counties.
Presenters:
- Mary Moriarty | Attorney, Hennepin County
- John Choi | Attorney, Ramsey County
- Jon Audette | Attorney, Anoka County
- Alison Jonell | Truancy Social Work Case Manager, Scott County
- Ashley Kempf | Case Manager, Carver County
Location: Heritage Gallery
Description: Skyview Middle School and Search Institute will share insights and practical applications following a two-year research-to-practice partnership aimed at improving teacher-student relationships as a strategy to address student attendance.
Presenters:
- Jeffrey Cavett | Principal, Skyview Middle School
- Nanyamka Redmond | Research Scientist, Search Institute
3:45 - 5:45 p.m.
Reception | The Commons, Thomas Swain, University Hall, and cafe/patio