Alex Meis, MPA, Sr. Director of Product and Chronic Absenteeism Expert, ParentSquare
At a Glance:
- MTSS provides a framework for delivering proactive, tiered attendance support. It begins with schoolwide strategies in Tier 1 and continues with more targeted interventions in Tier 2.
- Effective attendance interventions start with strong communication and family partnerships.
- ParentSquare helps districts make outreach more consistent, inclusive, and timely.
- Schools can use proactive messaging and early data to connect with families before attendance becomes a bigger concern.
Many districts already rely on a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) to address attendance and other student needs. MTSS provides a crucial and structured framework that guides schools in delivering support at increasing levels of intensity. Within the framework, Tier 1 and Tier 2 interventions play a critical role in identifying attendance concerns early and engaging families in solutions.
ParentSquare supports these efforts by giving educators tools to strengthen school-home communication, encourage daily attendance, and act quickly when students begin to miss school. By embedding family engagement into MTSS Tier 1 and Tier 2 practices, schools can create more consistent and proactive systems to help reduce chronic absenteeism in the upcoming school year.
What is MTSS, and how does it help reduce chronic absenteeism?
MTSS helps schools deliver the right level of support to every student. This framework shifts from a reactive “wait-to-fail” model to a proactive, data-informed, and preventative framework. When it comes to attendance, Tier 1 strategies reach all students and focus on prevention, while Tier 2 strategies provide additional support for students who show early signs of disengagement or absenteeism.
In both tiers, effective communication with families is essential. Schools need ways to share information, listen to concerns, and build deep trust with families. Strong partnerships between school and home allow staff to identify problems early and offer support that matches each student’s needs.
ParentSquare helps districts put this kind of communication into practice, giving educators a single platform to engage families at scale while personalizing support when needed.
Tier 1: Universal family engagement that promotes daily attendance
Tier 1 interventions include schoolwide efforts that promote a culture of attendance and build trust with families. The goal is to prevent chronic absenteeism before it begins by making school communication inclusive, clear, and relationship driven. ParentSquare helps schools strengthen Tier 1 interventions by enabling:
Accessible, equitable communication for all families
Schools can reach every family in their preferred language and communication method, including text, app, phone, and email. Real-time translation into 190+ languages ensures that non-English speaking families stay informed and can be fully engaged. This level of accessibility helps reduce missed messages and builds a foundation of trust.
Proactive messaging that sets expectations early
A back-to-school attendance plan might include a welcome message that highlights why attendance matters, a family attendance pledge, or reminders before common attendance drop-off periods like holidays or testing weeks. With ParentSquare, these messages can be scheduled in advance and automatically delivered across multiple channels.
Plan reminders around these common attendance drop-off periods:
- After long weekends or holiday breaks
- Mondays and Fridays
- Half days
- State testing windows
- Report card or grading periods
- Days with weather concerns or special events
- The final weeks of the school year
Consistent, positive communication that builds relationships
Families are more likely to engage when they feel valued. Instead of sending messages only when there’s a problem, schools can use ParentSquare to celebrate attendance wins, highlight classroom moments, and keep families connected to the learning community. These small moments of recognition strengthen school-home relationships and make future problem-solving conversations easier to navigate.
Try this: District and school leaders can reinforce proactive, low-lift routines with Monday morning messages that set the tone for the week ahead. Here’s a sample message you can send via ParentSquare:
Every student matters, every day. We’re ready for a new week of connection and learning, and we’re so glad your student is part of our school community. Let’s make it a great one!
Tier 2: Targeted outreach for students who are at risk
Tier 2 interventions support students who miss 10-19% of the school year. This framework can also be applied to students who start to show a sign of concern. To intervene early and effectively, schools need to respond with timely, targeted communication that feels supportive rather than punitive. ParentSquare enables districts to deliver Tier 2 support through:
Automated attendance notices that prompt early action
Schools can configure automated notices that alert families when their student begins to accumulate absences. These messages can include student-specific details, school resources, and actionable next steps. When sent early and framed with empathy, these notices help shift conversations from compliance to connection. Notifications can go out via text, email, app, and voice to increase the likelihood that families will see and respond to the message.
Personalized, two-way communication for deeper engagement
Some families may need more than a single notice. Staff can follow up with personalized messages that invite dialogue, offer resources, or encourage a phone call or meeting. Even a simple message that says “We miss you!” when noticing the student has been absent several days can yield a high return. ParentSquare makes it quick and easy to send direct messages, and automatic translation helps include all families in the conversation.
Visibility into family response and support history
ParentSquare allows staff to see whether families have received and opened messages, which helps identify where communication is landing (and where it isn’t). But visibility goes deeper than messages getting delivered.
This kind of insight supports better coordination to prevent students from falling through the cracks. Staff can spot trends, identify families who aren’t being reached due to missing or outdated contact information, and evaluate which outreach methods are most effective. When staff have access to actionable data, they can intervene earlier, offer more strategic support, and build a fuller picture of each student’s attendance journey.
A foundation for better attendance in the year ahead
Reducing chronic absenteeism requires more than just tracking attendance; it takes proactive communication, strong partnerships between school and home, and data-informed interventions that begin early in the school year.
MTSS gives schools a clear path to support student attendance, and ParentSquare helps bring that path to life through strong, consistent communication with families. When districts align Tier 1 and Tier 2 attendance strategies with inclusive outreach and early intervention, they build a strong attendance culture where families feel connected, students feel seen, and educators gain the insight they need to support every student, every day.
Plan ahead for a stronger school year. Schedule a demo to see how ParentSquare supports Tier 1 and Tier 2 attendance strategies through clear, inclusive communication. Start the year ready to reduce chronic absenteeism and build strong partnerships with every family.
