To help meet the district goal of decreasing chronic absenteeism by 7% by 2022, the Student Engagement Specialist (SES) team works with district and school attendance teams to ensure that attendance policies and procedures are followed. On a more personal level, they also collaborate with office staff to transition late students – who are also more likely to be absent — and families upon arrival. The SES approach also involves identifying root causes for chronic absenteeism to address underlying issues with specific interventions. A student might not come to school because of suspensions and behavioral issues rooted in their overall social-emotional well-being. In that case, the student might be paired with an adult mentor –- a volunteer or community partner — who can meet with the student daily and talk about setting both behavioral and academic goals
Find your student’s Student Engagement Specialist below:
| School | Student Engagement Specialist (SES) | Family Support Provider (FCSSP) | |
| Betances Learning Lab | Marelina Molina | ||
| Betances STEM Magnet School | TBD | ||
| Breakthrough Magnet School – North | Tomoye Bryan-Pinnock | ||
| Breakthrough Magnet School – South | Madeline Gomez | ||
| Bulkeley High School | Eileen Garcia Jacob Cornish Miles Thomas Jacob Collins |
eileen.garcia@hartfordschools.org jacob.cornish@hartfordschools.org miles.thomas@hartfordschools.org jacob.collins@hartfordschools.org |
Myrna Metayer- Rivera Chelsea Flores |
| Burns Latino Studies Academy | Janette Hernandez | janette.hernandez@hartfordschools.org | Jackie Aviles |
| Burr Middle School | Nosakshare Omoragbon | OmorN001@hartfordschools.org | Karine Monge |
| Capital Preparatory Magnet School | Marietta Williams | willm002@hartfordschools.org | Shania Meyers |
| Classical Magnet School | Tiffany Ortiz | ||
| Dwight Bellizzi Dual Langugae Academy | Yesenia Aponte | yesenia.aponte@hartfordschools.org | Icha Pagan |
| Environmental Studies Magnet School | Andres Rodriguez | ||
| Expeditionary Learning Academy | Brittany Willis | brittney.willis@hartfordschools.org | Maria Rivera |
| Global Communicaitons Academy | Robin Gomes | gomer001@hartfordschools.org | Nyla Williams |
| Great Path Academy | Janice Mickle | ||
| Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy | Saida Martin Cooke | saida.martin-cooke@hartfordschools.org | Holly Heller Shontrice Starks |
| Hartford PreK Magnet School | Eboni Allen | ||
| Hartford Public High School | Iris Ramos Kassandra Burgos Aldo Kela Khalil Patterson |
ramoi001@hartfordschools.org kasandra.burgos@hartfordschools.org kelaa001@hartfordschools.org pattk001@hartfordschools.org |
Lissette Prospere Diane Drakes |
| Kennelly School | Tim Cheever Lianmarie Rodriguez | ||
| Kinsella Magnet School Lower School and Upper School | Vanessa Rodriguez Tahara Holmes | ||
| Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School | Ewurabena Aniagyei-Cobbold | aniae001@hartfordschools.org | Joyce Bennett |
| McDonough Middle School | Cristel Rios | cristel.rios@hartfordschools.org | Michelle Martinez |
| MD Fox School | Genesis Gulley | genesis.gulley@hartfordschools.org | Yamil Ramos |
| Milner Middle School | Gladys Sanchez Derival | SancG001@hartfordschools.org | Doris Smith |
| Montessori Magnet @Batchelder | Nancy Hicks | ||
| Montessori Magnet at Annie Fisher | Selene Roberts | ||
| Naylor School | Solange Cardenas-Perez | ||
| Parkville Community School | Brittany Libman | libmb001@hartfordschools.org | Kiara Medina |
| Pathways Academy of Design & Technology | Taylor Payne | Taylor.Payne@hartfordschools.org | Zoraida Maldonado |
| Rawson School | Sherika Dunkley | dunks001@hartfordschools.org | Moneish James-Baronette |
| Renzulli Gifted & Talented Academy | Doreen Clapis | ||
| Sanchez School | Janelle Edwards | lyncj001@hartfordschools.org | Aimara Perez |
| SAND School | Jessica Darden | dardj001@hartfordschools.org | Rebecca Scheuer |
| Sport & Medical Sciences Academy | Natasha Goode Joshua Jones |
goodn001@hartfordschools.org Joshua.Jones@hartfordschools.org |
Joshua Duenas |
| STEM Manget School at Annie Fisher | Sophia Parchmont | ||
| University High School of Science & Engineering | Ariana Cruz | ||
| Noah Webster Microsociety Magnet School | Shantall Teran | ||
| West Middle School | Colleen Grimes | ||
| Wish Museum School | Ashley Williams | Ashley.Williams@hartfordschools.org | Jennifer Torres-Rodriguez |
| Weaver High School | Laresse Cooper Jessica Jackson Emris Warner Chandra Cherry |
coopl002@hartfordschools.org Jessica.Jackson@hartfordschools.org emris.warner@hartfordschools.org chaunda.cherry@hartfordschools.org |
Sheree Matchen NiKole Watkins |
Promoting Positive Culture
Beyond what they do in schools during the day to address absences, the SES staff also organize positive student engagement activities. Recent examples include pancake breakfasts or ice cream socials to celebrate students who have perfect attendance. “What we want to do also is encourage more activities where we bring parents in for an attendance celebration — activities to support building community, a culture of attendance within schools,” she said.
To dig deeper into the sources of student disengagement, the SES team plans to conduct focus groups with students, staff, and parents. A particularly innovative idea they are looking ahead to is organizing “Culture Walks” – or tours of schools to develop ideas to make campuses more welcoming.