Chronic Absenteeism Plagues Bay Area Schools

Last year, nearly a quarter of public school students in California were considered “chronically absent” – more than double what it was before the pandemic. Factors such as parent work schedules, poverty, and lack of interest have led millions of students to miss more than 10 percent of the school year. In response, many schools are trying everything from hiring social workers to offering Uber rides and tastier food to bring more kids to the classroom. We’ll talk with experts and school administrators about chronic absenteeism and what they are doing about it.

Guests:

Carolyn Jones, K-12 education reporter, Calmatters

Gloria Corral, president and CEO, Parent Institute for Quality Education

Hedy Chang, executive director and founder, Attendance Works - a national initiative that works to curb chronic absenteeism in schools.

Chien Wu-Fernandez, associate superintendent, Hayward Unified School District

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