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The Multnomah County School Attendance Initiative (SAI) is a non-punitive, strength-based, and culturally appropriate approach to assist students in maintaining regular attendance. The primary intervention strategy consists of outreach to families of K–8 students in support of their efforts to improve their children's attendance. SAI staff members help families identify their strengths and supplement those strengths with services rather than focusing on their deficits.

The SAI is one part of a larger service delivery system called the School Age Policy Framework. The goal is to provide services to families and children in Multnomah County who have diminished government resources. The framework merges key services so that families can easily access those they need. Included are school-based services such as extended-day activities, family engagement, Parents Organizing for School Success, and individual, family, and group support.

One of the goals of SAI is to identify problems with attendance early so the problem will not become serious later. This is why the focus is on K–8 students, although high school students who are targeted for services through the School Age Policy Framework (SAPF) are also referred to SAI.

Each week the school receives a printout of all students who have missed three or more days of school in the previous week. Principals select students from this list for a referral to the SAI program. Upon referral, the principal sends a letter home, notifying the family of the referral to SAI.

Once the referral has been made, SAI outreach staff members make a home visit or telephone the home to find out the reasons for nonattendance, and offer services and referrals to other programs to help families address the barriers to attendance. Staff members may bring a culturally specific service provider into the support network at this time. For example, if transportation to school is a problem, the SAI staff try to procure a bus pass or alternative means of transportation. If the student doesn't have appropriate clothing to attend school, the staff will find clothes. Students and families are often referred to the county Family Center that provides counseling, housing, and drug and alcohol services.

Because SAI recognizes that families have multiple needs and issues, the staff provides a diverse array of services to help families and students. They include tutoring, mentoring, medical assessment, and parent education, especially around negotiating immigration and social service agencies.

For families in which the student's attendance does not improve or that need more assistance, additional case intervention services are available to create a support plan that addresses attendance issues. Once a student has been referred to SAI, his or her attendance will be monitored for the remainder of the school year.

SAI also provides extended learning, recreational, and support programs to students during summer and interim breaks. These programs are run by committed staff members and are especially valuable for children who are making a transition between schools.

SAI has documented the main issues affecting attendance with their students. The top three are education, behavior, and parenting skills. An educational need can be anything that the school was not providing— students may need a special assessment, an Individualized Education Plan, or tutoring. An evaluation report summarizes the needs: "Students are affected by issues of poverty—transportation, housing, basic needs … Cultural issues arise frequently—translation needed or other culturally specific services."

The evaluation report notes that 25 percent of referrals come from kindergarten and first grade, which further highlights the need to have early intervention in these grades.

The data from the last several years show a 12 percent increase in attendance for students who have been involved with SAI. And the effects do last—data show that attendance improves right after contact with SAI staff and gradually builds. After contact, more than 30 percent of the students were attending school 90 percent of the time.