Attendance Works began when Executive Director Hedy Chang found in 2008 that students who miss too much school in the early grades is one of the reasons so few low-income children were reading proficiently by the end of 3rd grade. Today, Attendance Works is the nation’s go-to resource for attendance policy and practice. We operate virtually with team members located across the U.S. Our goal is to collaborate with schools, districts and states and national policymakers to ensure that students of all backgrounds and circumstances attend school regularly, engage in learning and thrive. Learn more about our mission.

Our website (www.attendanceworks.org) is our primary vehicle for communication with the broader public. While many offerings and products are available without charge, including the website, webinars, methods for data collection, toolkits and attendance messaging, a variety of fee-based services are also available to schools, districts and states. These include individualized consultation, technical assistance, coaching and peer learning networks.

Attendance Works is a national, non-profit initiative, fiscally sponsored by Community Initiatives in Oakland, California. 

Current Job Openings

Communications Specialist

The Communications Specialist position is a fully remote position that works under the supervision of the Director of Communications. The Communications Specialist manages the production of new and updated resources, reports and other designed and written materials, and with maintains and updates the website’s content. The job includes maintaining Attendance Works’ social media campaigns, news media activities and coordination of the Attendance Awareness Campaign.

This is an exempt, full -time, 40 hour per week remote position with benefits, including sick leave, vacation and health benefits. The salary for the position ranges from $66,560 - $73,646 depending on experience. 

View the full job description for the position.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

1. Website and Resource Development

    • Use an online project management tool to update the website with new material, including research summaries, news articles from outside media, and new AW products
    • Update website pages using WordPress
    • Proofread materials including website pages and PDFs, often using AP style.

2. General Communications 

    • Participate in development of communications campaigns and materials as requested for Attendance Works and the Attendance Awareness Campaign
    • Ensure a updated subscription lists
    • Assist with promotion of AAC and AAC webinar series
    • Work closely with the Communications Director to make sure the AAC stays on track and is well received by constituents
    • Assist with development of fundraising materials

3. Social and Traditional Media

    • Foster engagement on social media platforms (Twitter and Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) and research how to make better use of social media features
    • Assist with news media contacts and help ensure that AW gets print and digital coverage

Other Communications Duties and Responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications

    • BA or MA in Communications, Multimedia, English Literature,  Journalism preferred
    • Strong preference for candidates who have availability between 9am-5pm EST Monday-Friday
    • 5+ years of experience working as communications professional
    • 3-5 years of experience managing production of designed reports and other materials
    • 3-5 years of experience posting on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, YouTube
    • Demonstrated communication-related project management skills
    • Skilled at writing and editing using Adobe PDF, Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, Google docs and Google slides
    • 3-5 years of experience using online modes of work including WordPress, videoconferencing (Zoom), teleconferencing, file sharing (Trello, Basecamp)

Interested candidates should send a cover letter and a resume to jobs@attendanceworks.org  by March 22, 2024. Please direct any questions to Zach Freeman at Zach@attendanceworks.org. No calls please.