After celebrating a decade of innovation and empowering work in the South Oak Cliff community and beyond, For Oak Cliff engaged in a strategic visioning process with The William Julius Wilson Institute and Bridgespan to identify its goals for the next decade. Chief Executive Officer Taylor Toynes and Chief Strategy Officer Xavier Henderson analyzed the most impactful education issues in the area. After reviewing the data, it was evident that For Oak Cliff needed to make a serious imprint on decreasing chronic absenteeism. With neighborhood schools boasting chronic absenteeism rates of 49 percent, the For Oak Cliff team recognized its unique position. They begin to design a dynamic strategy to change the trajectory of chronic absenteeism in the 75216 zip code. For Oak Cliff chose to pilot its work at Black Elementary and Todd Middle Schools, because of their significant chronic absenteeism rates. For Oak Cliff’s Director of Cradle to Career Education, Shareefah Mason, curated the Black-Todd Dream Team, convening educators from both campuses to devise and execute the strategy. The Go To School Campaign was launched at For Oak Cliff’s annual Back to School Festival, in August 2025. In a short time, the campaign has garnered a lot of success, but For Oak Cliff’s work is not done. The goal of eradicating chronic absenteeism is clear, and we will not stop until it is achieved!