Curbing Chronic Student Absenteeism
commentary by Daniel Duerden | February 14, 2012
As school budgets come under greater scrutiny, many schools are looking at various ways to increase student attendance rates. Often schools’ budgets are directly tied to attendance rates, and schools with low rates are in danger of losing critical funding. However, while budgetary needs are important issues, the student’s needs ultimately take precedent as chronic absence, especially in young children, is a good indicator of troubles later.
National research has shown that students who miss a month or more of kindergarten are more likely to struggle with reading in the first grade. This in turn can have a great effect on a child as they transition from ‘learning to read’ to ‘reading to learn.’
At the same time, chronic absence is strongly linked to high school dropout rates. By sixth grade, a student who misses two months of school is more likely to dropout, with a prediction rate of 70 percent, essentially stating that kids who don’t go to school early on are more likely to not finish school. Additionally other studies have shown that chronic absenteeism and truancy can also be a strong indicator of depression and other issues.
Because of this, many states and school districts are stepping up their efforts to curb chronic absenteeism and truancy. Additionally, there are certain steps that educators can take individually to help resolve the issue as well.
Earlier, President Obama announced that he would push to raise the dropout age to 18, and make it mandatory that children and teenagers attend school, and some states are already pushing similar laws. For example, in New Jersey they have already approved a bill to increase the dropout age.
Similarly other states have laws that punish parents and students for not being in class. In Nebraska, Georgia and Colorado parents can face hefty fines and even jail time if their kids are caught skipping school. Additionally some states are also including school attendance as requirements for students to get their driver’s licenses.
While these methods have been fairly effective in keeping teenagers in school, many are saying that it is more important to focus on children when they are young and make it so they want to be in school.
In California, more effort is being placed in educating parents on the importance of keeping their children in school. Often, teachers are aware of which students are absent, and when it’s a young child missing school it often comes down to a family situation.
“Teachers and principals know there are kids who are chronically absent,” Mary Shelton, Sacramento City Unified School District’s chief accountability officer said to The Sacramento Bee. “But this tool lets you see just how much academic time they are missing. Often, absenteeism has to do with the family situation.”
Ultimately, it usually boils down to parents feeling that kindergarten attendance is unimportant.
While there are many different methods being employed by school districts and local governments to keep kids in school, there are certain things that parents and educators can do to help each other out as well.
Teachers can and should communicate with their students frequently, and build a relationship of trust. They can do this by talking about family expectations regarding school attendance and school work and praising positive behaviors and achievements in school. More importantly, it is important for a teacher to look for attitudes from your youth that indicate unhappiness with school or fear of attending school.
Parents have many tools at their disposal as well. Parents should:
• Ask the school about their policy and procedures on excusing absences from school.
• Respond quickly when the school notifies you of an unexcused absence.
• Learn how to check a student’s attendance.
• Immediately address issues of concern about the student with the school. Start with the teacher or counselor.
• If the district’s truancy or discipline procedures were not addressed properly, inquire about your district’s appeal process.
• If you feel the school district policies are inadequate, speak with the Superintendent and school board members.
Ultimately, with the support of both parents and teachers, school can be a place where they actually want to be. By working together, parents and teachers can foster that desire to succeed in teenagers and children.More Commentary
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