Summer Learning Institute 2025

This presentation will provide a general overview of legal requirements and best practices for responding to chronic absenteeism and student truancy issues, including how to address compulsory education laws with a parent/guardian and understanding the role of child find obligations and mental health supports.  The presentation will also provide an update on new laws affecting how schools handle student truancy, including changes to truancy notification letters.

More than ever, we need to be able and willing to engage in difficult conversations. Not to win, but to find common ground in support of our students and families . This means normalizing conflict by changing our mindset about its value and purpose. This session will provide a framework for having difficult conversations that build bridges, strengthen relationships and set clear boundaries. Participants will get a step-by-step guide that shows how to lean into discomfort self regulated in order to to create a solid foundation for change and progress.

This presentation explores the successful implementation of an exemplary Middle College program, focusing on best practices that foster academic achievement, student engagement, and college readiness. Key highlights include effective partnerships with local colleges, course pathway, support systems for diverse learners, and data-driven decision-making. Attendees will gain insights into the challenges faced, solutions developed, and lessons learned, providing valuable takeaways to improve or implement their own Middle College initiatives.

A quick morning break to make sure you have your blood flowing!

Learning Objectives: Define and understand bioecological factors that marginalized youth encounter and its effect on their educational experience. Understand how teachers' pedagogical philosophies may enhance or reduce student disengagement. Understand the significance of developing positive relationships with at-promise youth, and how these interactions can increase student engagement and connectedness. Factors that may impact and disengage marginalized students Developing relationships with Street Socialized Youth Impact of caring relationships on the educational trajectory Intervention Strategies THIS SESSION WILL PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO STREET SOCIALIZED YOUTH AND WHY RELATIONSHIPS CAN DEFLECT THEIR TRAJECTORY INTO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. THROUGH HIS EXPERIENCE WORKING IN COURT AND ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS, ALONG WITH EXTENSIVE RESEARCH AND INTERVIEWS OF THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF INCARCERATED MALES ABOUT THEIR EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE, HE WILL SHARE WHY INCREASED AWARENESS INTO THE LIVES OF STREET SOCIALIZED STUDENTS FROM MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES CAN IMPROVE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND RELATIONSHIPS, REDUCE THE DROPOUT RATE, AND IMPEDE FUTURE INCARCERATION. ATTENDEES WILL UNDERSTAND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DEVELOPING POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH AT-PROMISE YOUTH, AND HOW THESE INTERACTIONS CAN BENEFIT THEM THROUGHOUT THEIR EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE.

Join David Koppurd for an in-depth presentation on the Model School Attendance Review Board (SARB) process that earned recognition for excellence at the state level. Drawing from over a decade of work with students and families, David will share a practical and replicable framework that blends accountability with empathy to re-engage students in their educational journey.
This session will explore how a proactive SARB can serve as a bridge between schools, families, and community resources—focusing on solutions that address the root causes of chronic absenteeism. David will walk participants through key components of the model, including:

• Early identification and intervention strategies
• Culturally responsive outreach to families
• Collaboration with mental health, juvenile justice, and community-based partners
• Data systems that support consistent monitoring and follow-through
• Legal steps as a last resort—not the first

Attendees will leave with tools and strategies to transform their own SARB process into one that’s student-centered, trauma-informed, and effective. Whether you're new to SARB or seeking to refine your current model, this session offers powerful insights into creating sustainable systems of support for our most at-risk students.
Target Audience: Administrators, Student Services Staff, SARB Members, Counselors, District Leaders