The podcast explores chronic absenteeism in schools, its impact on students and schools, and potential solutions. It discusses the increased rates of absenteeism during the pandemic and the challenges faced by English learners and students with disabilities. Strategies to improve attendance include family engagement, addressing health issues, and forming community partnerships. The podcast highlights Connecticut as a leading state in addressing chronic absenteeism.
38:17
AI Summary
AI Chapters
Episode notes
auto_awesome
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
Chronic absenteeism in American schools has reached crisis levels, with 14.7 million students chronically absent, and intentional strategies like family engagement and community partnerships can help mitigate this issue.
Chronic absenteeism disproportionately affects certain groups, such as Native American, Pacific Islander, Latino, and African American students, as well as those with disabilities and English learners, emphasizing the need for targeted outreach and support.
Deep dives
The Impact of Chronic Absenteeism on Students
Chronic absenteeism has become a crisis in American schools, with 14.7 million students chronically absent, a significant increase from before the pandemic. Students facing barriers like disabilities, chronic health conditions, and family obligations are particularly affected. The absence of meaningful connections with teachers and peers, coupled with a lack of belonging, contributes to lower academic performance and engagement. Chronic absences starting as early as pre-K can predict lower literacy, higher suspension rates, lower achievement, and increased dropout rates in later years. While absences during the pandemic have worsened the problem, intentional strategies, including family engagement, improving school connectedness, addressing health issues, and community partnerships, can help mitigate chronic absenteeism.
Understanding Chronic Absenteeism and its Definition
Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more of school, which is approximately 18 days in a school year. Early research showed that missing 10% or more of kindergarten predicted lower literacy in third and fifth grade. This measure is both a reliable predictor of academic challenges and a practical way to identify students at risk. Chronic absenteeism includes all types of absences, not just unexcused ones, and considers the cumulative effect of missed instructional time. However, it is important not to label students based solely on absences, as understanding root causes and providing support is key.
Impact of Chronic Absenteeism on Different Student Demographics
Chronic absenteeism affects students of all demographics, but certain groups are disproportionately affected. Native American, Pacific Islander, Latino, and African American students face higher rates of chronic absenteeism. In economically challenged areas, schools with high levels of chronic absence often have 20% or more of their students affected, leading to challenges in teaching and learning. Students with disabilities and English learners are also more likely to be chronically absent. It is crucial to examine both the composition and disproportionality within specific communities to target outreach effectively.
Addressing Chronic Absenteeism through Home Visits and Intentional Strategies
To combat chronic absenteeism, schools and districts are implementing various strategies. Connecticut's Learn Engagement and Attendance Program (LEAP) is successfully using relational home visits to connect with families and understand their needs. Home visits help build relationships, improve school-family partnerships, and address barriers such as health issues, unstable housing, and access to resources. Other strategies include family engagement, improving school connectedness, addressing health issues, and fostering community partnerships. Celebrating successes and highlighting positive examples can help inspire change and tackle chronic absenteeism.
Nearly four years after the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and years after school reopenings, schools still face a major challenge: Students aren’t showing up. An estimated 14.7 million students didn’t show up regularly in the 2022-23 school year and were “chronically absent.” As data rolls out, states are realizing that they can’t address chronic absences without strategic plans to target it. Today on The Weeds, Vox reporter Fabiola Cineas explores what chronic absenteeism is, how it affects children's learning in both the short and long term, and what strategies have a proven track record of getting kids back to school.
