Chicago schools face a common challenge: the need for people to show up. Chronic absenteeism and educator burnout both erode the foundation of school culture — and when either one grows unchecked, learning suffers.
The good news? Schools don’t have to tackle these problems in isolation. By focusing on engagement, consistency, and connection, CPS schools can take steps to bring both students and staff back into the building — and keep them engaged.
The Student Side: Showing Up Matters
Like many districts across the country, Chicago schools are working hard to improve attendance. Every day in class matters — it’s an opportunity for students to learn, connect, and grow. When absences add up, it can create gaps that are harder to close, and small things like tardiness or unstructured hallway time can make the challenge even bigger.
Schools need more than manual processes and paper slips to manage attendance. They need systems that make it easier to track patterns, catch concerns early, and act quickly. Just as important, parents must be part of the solution. When families are engaged early and automatically, not only after patterns become chronic, students are more likely to get back on track.
The Staff Side: Doing More With Less
Chicago educators are carrying heavier workloads than ever, often balancing instruction with responsibilities like discipline, attendance, and communication. This isn’t just about doing more with less — it’s about making sure the staff who remain have the tools and support they need to thrive.
When routine processes eat into instructional time, burnout grows. But when schools automate administrative tasks, they give teachers, paraprofessionals, and support staff valuable time back. That time becomes breathing room: space to connect with students, refine instruction, and focus on what drew them to education in the first place.
Protecting staff well-being isn’t just a matter of retention — it’s about building a school environment where educators feel supported, valued, and able to do their best work every day.
The Behavior Piece: Building a Stronger School Culture
Attendance and staffing challenges don’t exist in a vacuum. They’re tied directly to behavior and school climate. Students need clear expectations, consistent accountability, and positive reinforcement. Schools aligned to PBIS frameworks already know the power of recognition alongside discipline.
But recognition takes consistency — and consistency takes tools that make reinforcing expectations easy. When behavior is managed in real time, hallways become calmer, classrooms run more smoothly, and staff feel more supported.
How Minga Can Help
As the only approved vendor in CPS offering digital hall passes, behavior insight tools, and support for intervention and enrichment in one platform, Minga supports schools by:
- Maximizing class time with digital hall passes, tardy check-ins, and attendance tracking
- Improving student behavior with tools that reinforce expectations and support PBIS
- Strengthening MTSS through flexible scheduling for intervention and enrichment
- Engaging families early with built-in parent communication
- Reducing staff workload by automating tardy policies, detentions, and communication
Minga brings these pieces together in one system so schools can spend less time managing and more time supporting students.
Closing Thoughts
Getting students to class and supporting staff to stay engaged isn’t about checking boxes — it’s about building schools where people want to be. When students feel engaged, when staff feel supported, and when families feel included, Chicago schools will be full, not just of people, but of purpose.
Let’s chat about how Minga can make a difference at your school →
