We wanted to take a moment to recognize a set of clients we have worked with for the past few years on one of the nation’s most challenging post-pandemic issues: chronic absenteeism. Read the full press release here.
The Stay in the Game! (SITG!) Attendance Network started as a glimmer in 2018 at the Cleveland Browns Foundation, after they realized their work supporting Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) could have a greater impact if the Foundation adopted attendance as its main focus. Education First was honored to work with the Foundation on their strategic plan and the initial conception of SITG!.
In 2019, the Foundation – like-minded and complementary partners – Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW) and Harvard’s Proving Ground – started the SITG! with a small group of districts. Each partner brought their best skill set forward to create a collaborative and nimble network and began building an attendance movement in the State of Ohio.
Fast forward to the 2023-24 school year – with 57 districts, 3 professional sports teams, and the engagement of healthcare organizations, the Ohio Supreme Court, the Governor’s Office, and the Ohio Attendance Taskforce active in SITG!, the Network got the data it was hoping to see: SITG! districts were significantly outperforming the state on attendance measures. This fall, we expect more than 100 Ohio districts representing well over 300,000 students will be involved in the work, prioritizing prevention and early intervention for attendance challenges, and implementing interventions for the students who need them most.
Now, Battelle—the nation’s largest scientific organization headquartered in Ohio—joins the SITG! team as the network’s new operational home. Already a successful host for four STEM-focused networks in Ohio and across the country, this move helps set SITG! up for even greater scale and impact.
Education First has been a strategic support partner with the SITG! Team over the last few years and couldn’t be prouder of the work SITG! and its district partners have done. We wanted to thank the leadership partners, in particular – Cleveland Browns Foundation, Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, Harvard’s Proving Ground and now, Battelle – for their unwavering commitment to student attendance and helping create a solid foundation for student success. Your efforts are a testament to the power of collaboration and collective action, and we cannot wait to see the continued impact you will make in the years to come!
As our role as strategic support partner sunsets, and we turn the work over to new full-time staff—as was always the plan—we will enthusiastically cheer Stay In The Game! on from the sidelines.
Best wishes for continued success,
Education First
Read the full press release here.
