What Does It Take to Get Every Student to School?

Every Day Counts: Building Belonging, Improving Attendance

A year ago, Spark launched Be Here!, a citywide attendance and belonging campaign to shine a light on chronic absenteeism—and reinforce a simple but important idea: students are more likely to come to school when they feel known, supported, and that they belong.

This year, Spark is helping SFUSD take comprehensive action.

Through new philanthropic investment, including a grant from the Room to Breathe Project, Spark is providing seed funding to help SFUSD launch a stronger, comprehensive approach to improving attendance, strengthening student wellness and belonging, and reducing chronic absenteeism. The investment is helping SFUSD put in place better data and intervention tools, expanded staffing,  school-level supports, and access to nationally recognized expertise from Attendance Works.

The goal is to give SFUSD the resources and expertise to build, test, and embed stronger practices across the district—so they become part of how SFUSD operates.

That work is now taking shape through Every Day Counts, a multi-year strategy grounded in the understanding that attendance is not just about showing up to school; it is also an important indicator of student wellness, connection, and belonging.

“Chronic absenteeism is emblematic of the mental health and well-being of students, families, and their school community. Students show up when they feel seen, known, and have a true sense of belonging. We’re supporting Every Day Counts to give the district the room to build systems that last, while putting resources in the hands of schools to innovate and decide the best ways for students to arrive and thrive.”

— Rhonnel Sotelo, Executive Director, Room to Breathe Project

Meet Danny Chui, SFUSD’s New Supervisor of Attendance and Sense of Belonging

At the center of this new effort is Danny Chui, SFUSD’s new Supervisor of Attendance and Sense of Belonging—a new position made possible through philanthropic investment.

Danny brings more than 19 years of experience leading Bay Area schools and programs as a public school principal and program director, including ten years at the nonprofit Aim High. Born in San Francisco and raised as a multilingual learner in an immigrant household, Danny understands personally how a strong sense of belonging can shape a student’s educational journey.

Today, Danny leads SFUSD’s districtwide attendance and belonging strategy—implementing new attendance data and intervention-tracking tools, training SFUSD staff in evidence-based practices, and helping schools identify when students are struggling, respond earlier, and strengthen student wellness and belonging.

Danny will also work closely with Attendance Works, a nationally recognized leader in improving attendance. It will provide coaching and expertise to help SFUSD apply proven practices and develop more consistent approaches across the district.

This is how philanthropy can create lasting change. By helping SFUSD build, test, and embed stronger practices, effective approaches to attendance and belonging can become part of everyday practice in every school across SFUSD.

Why Attendance Matters

The need is significant. Nearly one in four SFUSD students is chronically absent, meaning they miss at least 10% of instructional time during the school year. Rates are even higher among some students facing the greatest barriers to consistent attendance: chronic absence exceeds 50% among African American and Pacific Islander students and is above 40% among students experiencing homelessness or foster care involvement.

Every missed day represents lost learning time—but chronic absence can also tell us something deeper. When students are consistently absent, it can be a signal that social, emotional, family, health, or other challenges are getting in the way.

That is why Every Day Counts is about more than improving an attendance number. It is about building a system with the tools, expertise, and support to identify challenges earlier, strengthen belonging, and address what is keeping students from school. Together, these efforts can help more students be present, connected, and ready to learn.