Listening, Trust, and Belonging

North Monterey’s Approach to Reducing Chronic Absence

Overview

North Monterey County USD serves approximately 4,483 K–12 students across eight schools in the communities of Aromas, Castroville, Elkhorn, Prunedale, Royal Oaks, Moss Landing, and portions of Salinas. The student population is 92% Hispanic/Latino, 88% socioeconomically disadvantaged, and 49% Multilingual Learners. With a chronic absence rate of 43.4% in 2021–22—nearly 60% among students with disabilities in grades 1–3—the district faced urgent attendance challenges. Rather than default to punitive responses, North Monterey joined a cross-district Research Practice Partnership facilitated by Monterey COE and adopted a listening-first strategy grounded in equity and community voice. Over two years, they achieved a nearly 22-point drop in chronic absence by building trust with families, fostering inclusive leadership, and transforming outreach into an opportunity for connection and care.

North Monterey County USD enrollment (2023/24) and chronic absenteeism data from 2021/22 to 2023/24

Building a Cross-Functional Team That Could Withstand Change

North Monterey County USD entered the Research Practice Partnership (RPP) with a 42.3% chronic absence rate and a shared commitment to address this challenge systemically. They formed a diverse, cross-functional team that included the Director of Special Projects, the Administrator of Adult Education and Parent Engagement, the Child Welfare Homeless & Foster Youth Coordinator, a Licensed Social Worker, the Multimedia Communications Coordinator, and Community Liaisons. This intentional diversity created space for people across departments to share perspectives and generate plans that were not dependent on any single leader, and focused the work on those who were closest in the district office to family and community connections

“Everyone had a voice in the room—our liaisons, our social worker, people who don’t usually get asked to lead this kind of work. It built ownership.”

Cross-Functional Team & Resilience: A team member shares how having people from different roles and departments built strength and continuity, especially through leadership transitions.

Overview / Introduction to the Challenge: A district leader provides an overview of the communities served by the districts and the challenges faced with attendance and chronic absenteeism

Over the course of the RPP, two key leaders left the district, which initially raised concerns about the ability to continue the work without the leadership who had been central to organizing the efforts. However, because they had organized the work to be owned collectively, the team was able to stay focused and continue moving forward without losing momentum.

Regular meetings between the cross-district convenings were central to this. These “in-between” meetings gave the team time to reflect on what they were learning, adapt ideas to their context, and apply new strategies. Their MCOE coach often joined these sessions, helping the team stay grounded in both quantitative data (chronic absence rates by group and school) and qualitative data (what they were hearing from families and staff).

“The coach helped us stay focused—not just on numbers, but on what the numbers meant. It was never just about compliance.”

The team’s coherence and collaboration turned out to be one of their greatest assets. The district didn’t just weather the leadership transitions—they learned to lead together across roles.

Empathy Interviews Reveal the Root Causes of Absence

Early in the RPP process, the district identified a pressing equity challenge: students with disabilities in grades 1–3 were chronically absent at alarmingly high rates—59.4%, to be exact. This meant that the students who most needed additional instructional and socioemotional supports were missing the most access to these resources.However, rather than jumping immediately to interventions, district leaders took the advice of RPP coaches and stepped back to better understand the “why.”

They proposed a plan for Community Liaisons to conduct empathy interviews with families of chronically absent students with IEPs to get at the perceptions and needs of families whose children were missing the most school. These interviews surfaced consistent themes: many families were confused about district expectations, unclear about when to keep their child home, and still navigating the lingering effects of COVID-related disruptions.

“We heard over and over again, ‘We don’t know what the rules are anymore.’ Families weren’t being defiant—they were overwhelmed.”

Empathy Interviews: A powerful reflection on the family interviews, including the moment the district realized that parents were not being defiant but overwhelmed.

These insights reframed the problem. Rather than assume families were disengaged, the district realized there was a communication breakdown. In response, they worked with their communications team to develop materials that were simple, clear, and grounded in empathy. These included guidance on when to keep children home, why attendance matters, and how to access support.

But information alone wasn’t enough. The district team recognized that deeper connection was needed. They began conducting home visits to families of young students with IEPs—not as a compliance check, but as a way to build trust and foster a sense of belonging.

“We didn’t use a script. We asked about hopes and dreams, about what’s getting in the way. We wanted to understand, not just inform.”

Community liaisons were central to this strategy. They returned from home visits with valuable feedback that helped the district continuously refine their approach. As one district leader noted, the key insights weren’t complicated:

“What we learned wasn’t complex. Families need to feel like they belong, and they need to understand how the system works.”

This clarity led to action—and real change.

Human-Centered Outreach Drives Systemic Change

What began as interviews soon evolved into a broader shift in how the district approached families. Home visits became a key strategy—not to enforce attendance policies, but to build relationships.

“We told our liaisons: this isn’t about checking boxes. It’s about listening. Ask parents about their dreams for their kids. Ask what’s hard. And just listen.”

These visits were unstructured by design, enabling authentic connection. The shift was palpable—families no longer felt like subjects of scrutiny, but partners in a shared effort.

“Families were so relieved. They told us, ‘You’re the first person from the school who’s come to our home just to talk.’ That made a difference.”

Home Visits & Belonging: District leader describes the intent and emotional impact of home visits, including family reactions and the choice not to use a script.

Guided by what they learned, the communications team created clear, compassionate materials that explained attendance policies and reinforced the value of presence—not in punitive terms, but in relational ones.

“We needed to stop scaring families and start inviting them in. That’s when the culture began to change.”

The impact was undeniable:

Districtwide chronic absence fell from 43.4% to 21.8% over two years.
TK–3 chronic absences dropped over 14 points.
At two focal schools, rates dropped 21.6 and 15.7 points respectively.

“It wasn’t fancy. It was trust, consistency, and relationships. And it worked.”

Lessons Learned

North Monterey County USD now sees attendance as more than a metric—it’s a mirror reflecting how families experience the system. Their next steps include expanding home visits, training new team members in their listening-based model, and applying these lessons to other domains, like school climate and academic engagement.

“If families feel seen, they show up. It’s that simple—and that powerful.”

Lessons Learned: Reflective summary on what really made the difference

Meet the Team

Matt Turkie

Superintendent

Adriana Dominguez

Community Liaison

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