The Student Engagement and Attendance Center (SEAC) supports state education agencies (SEAs) and local education agencies (LEAs) in their efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism and increase student engagement.
The SEAC seeks to identify and disseminate evidence-based promising practices and research, and to establish peer learning communities, guided by subject matter experts, that allow for stakeholders to learn effective strategies from one another. The SEAC also develops tools, products, and resources on chronic absence interventions and improving student engagement in learning. Finally, the Center offers supports to SEAs and LEAs in developing their learning response to the national COVID-19 pandemic, identifying strategies to reengage with students and families to facilitate learning recovery.
The SEAC is operated by Westat and the American Institutes for Research. This technical assistance initiative is authorized under section 4103(a) of Title IV, Part A, Subpart 3, of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended.
This work continues the previous efforts of the previous National Student Attendance, Engagement, and Success Center, in operation from 2016 to 2018.
Types of Technical Assistance
The SEAC’s technical assistance activities include virtual learning series that convene states around a particular problem of practice, peer-to-peer virtual events in which States learn from one another, tools and resources, including informational webinars, collaboration activities with other technical assistance centers, and blogs written by SEAC subject matter experts.
The SEAC also provides virtual one-on-one, just-in-time services at State request, to offer additional supports around student attendance and engagement.
Additionally, the SEAC identifies, creates, and disseminates related tools and resources, including publications, promising-practice briefs, and other tools, that address chronic absenteeism and support student engagement.
Find more information and explore the resources available from the SEAC at the links on the side of this page.
Contact Information
For more information about the SEAC, please contact via email at: SEACenter@westat.com.
ED resources can support schools, districts, and states to promote regular school attendance and enhance family and student engagement.
The SEAC created virtual Learning Series to provide topical, intensive technical assistance through. multi-session series for practitioners
Intended for a small group of participants, Peer-to-Peers (P2Ps) sessions bring together States and district partners around a particular challenge.
Includes tools and resources for SEAs and LEAs to use and adapt in their student attendance and engagement efforts.