Stephen Wakefield 
BALTIMORE, Md. — May 14, 2026 — Michigan’s Van Dyke Public Schools (VDPS) today announced the continuation of its partnership with Concentric Educational Solutions, which is fighting chronic absenteeism in the district’s middle and high schools. Using an innovative, human-centered service model that meets families where they are, Concentric works alongside partner school systems to address the academic, social, emotional, and environmental factors preventing students from engaging in learning.
Serving the Metro Detroit community of Warren, VDPS’s team of education professionals partners with community stakeholders to build a culturally responsive, supportive, and safe learning environment that helps the 2,500 students they serve develop the critical thinking and problem-solving skills needed for future success. Through this approach, the district nurtures, educates, and prepares students to be successful critical thinkers and problem-solvers ready for college and career.
This collaboration began last year, when VDPS sought additional support in combating chronic absenteeism in the district’s middle and high schools. Specifically, the district looked for a partner that could quickly scale a non-punitive, human-centered effort to reengage students in learning that combined relationship-driven outreach with data-driven solutions including attendance services, home visits, and MTSS interventions.
Following a review of potential solutions, VDPS selected Concentric Educational Solutions to aid their work to combat chronic absenteeism. Based on the success of this initiative, which has contributed to falling rates of chronic absenteeism at Lincoln High School (from 64% in 2023-2024 to 58% in 2024-2025) and Lincoln Middle School (from 59% in 2023-2024 to 50% in 2024-2025), VDPS has renewed its partnership with Concentric Educational Solutions.
Concentric’s approach leverages trained community members to gather real-time insights into students’ absenteeism in the district’s middle and high schools. Services provided to Van Dyke Public Schools include:
- Home visits by trained, community-based teams to families of VDPS students to identify and address attendance barriers
- Engagement with families through collaborative discussions to identify barriers to enrollment and re-enrollment
- Root cause analysis led by Dr. Ivory Toldson, Concentric’s Chief of Research and a Howard University Professor, to interpret engagement data and outline factors driving student disengagement
- Collaboration with district administrators to turn research into actionable attendance and re-engagement strategies
“The continuation of this vital initiative is closely aligned to our mission: “Every Student, Every Day, No Matter What,”” said Ms. Piper Bognar, Superintendent of Van Dyke Public Schools. “Concentric’s human-centered approach to combating chronic absenteeism supports our ongoing efforts to proactively dismantle the barriers preventing attendance. This strategic renewal reinforces Van Dyke Public Schools’ commitment to working in concert with our community and family stakeholders to meet the needs of all students.”
“Concentric is honored that the district has chosen to deepen our collaboration, and we remain dedicated to ensuring every family in the Van Dyke community has the support needed to overcome obstacles to school attendance and unlock a future full of possibility for their children,” said Concentric Educational Solutions CEO Molly Hebert Loyd. “This continued collaboration supports Van Dyke Public Schools’ ongoing efforts to ensure all students have the opportunity to develop the knowledge and intellectual skills necessary to be successful after graduation and throughout life, and we look forward to the next phase of this work.”
To learn more about Concentric Educational Solutions, visit the company’s website, follow on X, or connect on LinkedIn.
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