Agenda Item
a. Renewal: EveryDay Labs Attendance Intervention (Not to Exceed $144,188.15)
Summary: Presented by: Kishia K. Towns, Ph.D., Chief of Wrap Around Services, Division of Wrap Around Services
Request: It is requested that the DeKalb County Board of Education approve the renewal of the EveryDay Labs agreement for an amount not to exceed $144,188.15.
Why: EveryDay Labs Intervention is proven to reduce absenteeism among students from communities experiencing marginalization. Research shows chronic absences disproportionately affects students due to systemic barriers. EveryDay Labs Intervention provides the families of these students with proactive support that helps them access learning opportunities. EveryDay Labs Intervention is a research-based and proven effective solution that promotes student achievement by reducing absences and increasing access to learning opportunities.
Details: EveryDay Labs was implemented by DCSD during the second semester. Following the completion of professional development for the staff at Horizon School, the program officially launched in March 2024. EveryDay Labs tracks student attendance and sends text messages, known as nudges, to guardians when students are marked absent. Families can interact with a bot that addresses their concerns and offers necessary resources. The nudges are tailored according to language, grade level, school, and the extent of absenteeism. Schools can access the attendance dashboard through the Everyday Labs platform, allowing them to monitor communications and contact with parents.
Financial impact: The projected annual cost for renewing EveryDay Labs is $144,188.15, which is calculated based on a student population of 23,752. This amount includes expenses for Program Management & Design, as well as Analytics Licenses, which cover text nudges, a support bot, mail nudges, check-in surveys, truancy mailings, and the EveryDay Pro MTSS Platform. A discount of $7,588.85 has been applied. The total purchase amount will not exceed $144,188.15 and will be funded through Title IV Funds.
Contact: Kishia K. Towns, Ph.D., Chief, Wrap Around Services, Division of Wrap Around Services, 678-676-1811
Shelly K. Bishop, Director of Wrap Around and Student Support, Division of Wrap Around Services, 678-676-2009
Effective: September 2026
Status: Approved by the Office of Legal Affairs.
DeKalb County School District
SY 25-26 End of Year Summary
Access to Learning. Access to Supports. Access to Success.
Every absence
matters for
learning
Investment in attendance =
investment in academics
Note: Data reflects 2021-2022 attendance and NWEA MAP scores from
approximately 104,000 students. Tests were administered in January.
Academic performance is represented as score percentile within grade.
Jan 2026 research with similar findings. ‘...if chronic absenteeism is intended to serve as an early warning signal for the
need for additional supports, the current policy definition of 10% of school days (about 18 days per year) is likely too high.’
We support work at
DeKalb County School District through:
Chronic Absence Attendance Platform Professional Learning
Communications
-Actionable data updated -Customized live staff
- Proactive mail & text nightly development
nudges -Intervention coordination & -Monthly webinars
- Connects families to case management -Attendance resources
resources available to all staff
EveryDay Labs Attendance Solutions
Chronic Absence Mail & Nudges
- Evidence-based, proactive communications “Attendance is the Goal;
Family Engagement is the Strategy”
- Connect families to resources Dr. Karen Mapp
- Counter family misconceptions about attendance
Since the start of the SY 25-26:
31,593 students receiving
Hello - Casey has missed 14 days this
mail or text communications
school year.
Attending every day possible will help
4,635 families engaging
Casey stay on track. Text SUPPORT
for help
-DCSD
We’re having car trouble
with the chatbot or the family
support team
Ok, sounds like you have questions
about transportation.
For info about school transportation,
like school buses, visit k12-
support.com/dcsd-transportation, or
call your school. For local
transportation resources, like help
123,570 text messages sent
paying for public transit, visit
findhelp.org
30,876 mail nudges sent
Connecting Families to Information &
Community Resources
Top Resource Topics
4,635 Attendance - Share information to help
families keep track of absences, link to district
families/households attendance policies and answer questions.
connected to resources
via chatbot or family Family Support Referral - Connect families to
support team district, school, and community supports.
Wellness- Assist families with resources
6,827 total family interactions related to student health and wellness.
with the chatbot or family Transportation- Connect families to district
support team resources and contacts to address
transportation-related questions or concerns.
Families like receiving the
communications – mail opt out is
0.1% and mobile opt out is 1.6%
Staff Engagement with Platform
14,471 Sessions
1,060 Total Users
843 Active Users
Avg of 25 sessions per user
Avg of 21 mins per session
Fewer Admin Tasks, More Family Engagement
6,714 hours* - Staff time needed
to replicate EveryDay Labs work
(texting/mailing/phoning)
(Approximately 179 DCSD Work Weeks.)
“Time with students and families is a district’s
most precious resource.” John Kim CEO of DM Group
*Assumes 3 min to download, print, stuff envelopes and mail a nudge, 2.5 min to send a
text nudge, and 5 min to call a family, answer their questions, and provide resources.
The standard work week is regarded as 37.5 hours.
Understanding the Analysis
The impact of EveryDay Intervention within DeKalb County School District analyzes the change
in student attendance behavior prior to and after receiving an attendance nudge.
Analysis Run
(May 28, 2026)
Start of school 1st mail and text nudge received - Student’s year-to-date
student missing 5%+ days attendance rate
Student’s attendance
Treatment window begins
rate pre-Intervention
10,970 students are included in this data analysis. These are the students
whose families received at least one text or at least one mail nudge.
Participating Schools
SY 2025-26 Student Outcomes as of May 28, 2026
10,970 students treated with 1+
chronic absence text and mail nudge
44% 4,775 students improved after
receiving text and mail nudge
of nudged
students 20% of chronically absent students
improved to non-chronic (1,048 of 5,190)
improved
75% of students at risk (missing 5-9%)
have remained non-chronic (3,629 of 4,813)
Participating Schools
Year Over Year School Trends,
as of May 28th
❖ 23 of 43 (53%) schools have reduced their chronic absence rate
➢ Average reduction of -4.75%
❖ 21 of 43 (49%) schools have increased their average daily
attendance rate
➢ Average increase of +.99%
*Attendance metrics are based on students actively enrolled at the participating schools at the conclusion of the school year.
Coming next school year…
EveryDay Truancy Support
What makes our truancy notifications different?
Truancy Support identifies students eligible for a truancy notice
across the entire district. EveryDay Labs prints & mails
restorative truancy letters to families each week on Friday. The
attendance platform offers reports on students who received
truancy notices and provides PDF copies of these mailings for
record-keeping purposes.
EveryDay Truancy Support
Fewer Admin Tasks, More Family Engagement
2026-27 Estimated Truancy Notice Mailings: 37,846
1,892 hours* - Staff time needed to replicate EveryDay Labs work
(Approximately 50 DCSD work weeks of time saved)
*Assumes 3 min to download, print, stuff envelopes and mail a truancy letter. The standard work week is regarded as 37.5 hours.