This fall, Chicago voters will elect a fully representative school board for the first time in the city’s history — a long-awaited step toward greater community voice and, hopefully, accountability.
The challenges they face are steep. Academic recovery from the pandemic is still uneven, and chronic absenteeism — students missing 10% or more of school days — remains stubbornly high in Chicago Public Schools at roughly 40% of students, well above state and national averages. So the question isn’t just who will lead, but whether they will prioritize proven strategies to get students back in school every day.
Education outcomes — especially whether students show up to school — are strengthened when families have strong connections to their child’s school. One effective approach is integrating families as part of schools’ core approach to teaching and learning.
There has long been recognition — and a strong body of research — that families play an essential role in student success. What’s changed is not the strength of the evidence, but what we know about what works in practice yet is lacking in too many schools: bold leadership, strong one-on-one relationships between educators and families and consistent, transparent information, all of which can lead to improved outcomes for students.
A recent Illinois-based study “The Engagement Advantage,” conducted by education nonprofits Learning Heroes and The New Teacher Project, builds on that foundation. Using data from the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research’s 5Essentials Survey — which includes a validated measure of “family involvement” based on parent influence, participation and teacher-family trust — the study found that schools that engaged families effectively before the pandemic had significantly better outcomes afterward, including higher attendance and stronger academic performance. Most striking, a high family involvement score was more strongly associated with differences in chronic absenteeism than poverty.
These findings are a call to action for Chicago leaders. When students and families feel disconnected from the school community, attendance suffers — and so do the outcomes that depend on students being in school consistently. And it isn’t just students who are struggling to show up. In Chicago, roughly 40% of teachers were chronically absent last year — another signal that connection and belonging matter for adults, as well.
The Engagement Advantage highlights Illinois schools with strong outcomes and strong family engagement practice. In these schools, teachers don’t wait for problems to arise. They build relationships early and often — meeting families one on one, sometimes going to their homes or workplaces, and even riding the bus with students to connect with parents.
As one Illinois principal interviewed for the report described it, “The ‘why’ is pretty simple: We don’t achieve our mission without our families. It’s as simple as that.”
“Bright spot” schools go beyond outreach to parents — they focus on informed decision-making, with homes and schools working together throughout a child’s learning journey. That’s critically important because Learning Heroes’ research shows that many families don’t have a clear picture of their child’s academic progress.
In fact, nearly 9 in 10 parents in Chicago and nationally believe their child is at or above grade level, even though closer to only 3 in 10 Chicago students are on grade level in reading and only 2 in 10 in math. When families believe their child is doing fine, they may be less likely to see attendance as urgent. But when schools share a more complete picture of student achievement, families can make informed decisions — prioritizing consistent attendance and supporting learning in and out of the classroom.
This is not theoretical — it’s already happening. Making this the norm rather than the exception starts with seeing families as important drivers in their student’s education and creating clear expectations and real accountability for how schools communicate and partner with families around grade level progress.
Chicago’s new school board has an opportunity — and a responsibility — to make this the norm.
As voters consider their choices, they should look for leaders who understand that improving schools isn’t just about policies and programs. It’s about the strength of the relationships and systems that support student learning — and commitment to engaging families in ways that shape both policies and practice.
That means giving educators the training, time and support they need to build strong relationships with families — and holding systems accountable for how well they do it. Engaging families can be a critical strategy for improving attendance for both students and teachers.
If Chicago is serious about reducing chronic absenteeism, the path forward is clear: Ensure families have accurate, timely information about their child’s progress, and build the kind of trust that makes showing up feel essential. From attendance, to tutoring, to high school pathways, better outcomes happen when families and schools are on the same team and when students and teachers are in the classroom every day because they feel connected and supported.
Following these steps is a triumph of common sense. Let’s get to work.
Arne Duncan is a former Chicago Public Schools CEO and U.S. secretary of education. Bibb Hubbard is founder and CEO of Learning Heroes.
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