School districts across the state are struggling with reducing student absentee rates. At a time when communities are concerned about the drop in student performance scores that can be traced back to remote and hybrid learning during the pandemic, absenteeism is negating targeted efforts.
Student chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more days in a school year, which equates to a student missing 18 or more days during a 180-day school year. Whether an absence is considered excused or not is irrelevant. The student is not in school where they would benefit from educational opportunities.
Some school leaders and board members will look at the daily attendance rates, which may be in the mid-to-high 90% range, and assume that chronic absenteeism isn’t a problem. However, this may not be the case. If a student is consistently part of the percentage of children missing school, then this should be a cause for concern.
Schools need to be concerned about chronically absent students. Not only will the chronically absent student be at risk for learning loss and more likely to drop out, but their absence may also contribute to behavioral and social struggles. When a student is chronically absent, the reason for the absence may be indicative of a student being worried about grades, being bullied by others, experiencing troubles at home, needing to take care of younger siblings and/or the student not feeling a connection to school or seeing the purpose behind receiving an education.
The reasons why students miss school fall into four main areas, including barriers to school, aversion to school, disengagement from school and misconceptions about the purpose and benefits of school.
Barriers to school are beyond the control of the student but hinder a student from attending school on a consistent basis. Students who are ill or have a family member who is ill, may miss school to recuperate or to care for the ill family member. For other students, a lack of transportation or poor transportation will impede their ability to get to and from school daily. In areas where neighborhood violence is prevalent, students may avoid certain areas, making their trip to school longer and stressful. Since many students live in single parent households that may be struggling financially, they may need to assist with home responsibilities and/or work outside the home to support the household. Moreover, students and their families may be experiencing insecurity in their housing and may not have enough food for daily meals.
Students from more affluent families are not immune from experiencing barriers. Family vacations, visits to colleges and other institutions, and long bus rides to and from school influence student daily attendance, as well. The aforementioned barriers hamper a student from regular school attendance, thus depriving them of the same educational opportunities that are being accessed by their peers.
Some students develop an aversion or strong dislike to school. A student who is struggling academically, socially, or behaviorally will not find school a desirable place to spend time. General anxiety, for a multitude of reasons, or depression will dampen the desire and drive to be present. For students who walk to school when transportation is not provided, inclement weather will hinder them from attempting to leave home to get to school.
For other students, they are simply disengaged from the school environment and educational offerings. A myriad of reasons contribute to disengagement and include experiencing an unwelcoming school environment, harassment, intimidation, bullying, unmet or undiscovered disability needs, less engaging classroom lessons and educational offerings, learning that is not challenging enough, teaching that is culturally unresponsive and a general disconnection from the school and district.
Some students and families may not appreciate the importance of school attendance, which may be partially because of the pandemic. During that time, districts thought they could meet student needs through virtual and hybrid learning, but we now know it resulted in learning gaps. Additionally, schools encouraged families to keep children home if they had signs or symptoms of illness. Post-pandemic, the messaging to come to school when experiencing minor illness symptoms or the benefit of in-person attendance has not been conveyed adequately, which has led to confusion among parents and students. This has resulted in students staying home even when not ill. In some families, attending school consistently is not prioritized, which prevents students from reaching their full potential.
Furthermore, families believe that an excused absence is okay without realizing a day not attending school, regardless of the reason, is still a lost day of learning. Lastly, parents and educators are role models for students. So, when the adults miss work, it sends a subliminal message to students that it’s okay to miss school, too. Some districts are struggling with chronically absent staff members, which compounds the learning loss experienced by chronically absent students.
Understanding the reason(s) for a student not attending school on a consistent basis will enable schools to develop plans that target the reason individual students are absent. Schools in New Jersey and across the nation have been utilizing a variety of strategies, employed in a strategic manner, which have yielded positive outcomes. The solutions fall under six different areas: academic, commitments, connections, data, environment and incentives.
Focusing on academics, many schools have used state funds to offer tutoring programs that have identified student learning gaps. Other districts have developed specialized programs designed to re-engage disenfranchised students by connecting them to local partners and organizations that offer support. In other districts, schools are using early dismissal days as Student Success Days where students work on success plans, which can be continually monitored, so students can work toward selected goals. This approach keeps the importance of striving for established educational goals front and center for the students.
Everyone knows that communication is the cornerstone of any successful endeavor. Sending positive messages to students can help them believe in their own potential. This approach has been coupled with asking families what the school can do to support efforts to keep students in school. In conjunction with establishing communication channels, schools are leveraging home visits to convince students to show up to school. The home visits are often supported by counseling sessions where appropriate.
Families are working with schools to establish better home morning routines, so students get ready for the school day and arrive at school on time every day. Some districts have had success creating videos in the native language(s) of families of the district, highlighting why attending school is so important and sharing how the district can help keep students in school.
Students strive to connect with others to feel a part of the school community. Districts have assisted in this by having older students mentor younger students, encouraging students to have lunch buddies and using mentors of the same race/gender.
When schools employ teachers that mirror the student population, students can see themselves in the staff. Other strategies include using homeroom as a time for students to connect, home visits, pairing chronically absent students with adult mentors, connecting every student with an extracurricular opportunity, implementing walking school buses, integrating therapy dogs, and learning about each student’s hopes, dreams, and school experiences – and then taking that information to tailor a plan to assist them in achieving those goals. The students learn more about themselves while staff learn more about the students, which enables schools to better understand and support student needs.
In some schools, data teams analyze student attendance data and other student demographic factors. Districts use the data to better understand individual students as well as the problems they face. In conjunction with the data collection and analysis, schools are communicating with students identified as being at risk.
The learning environment provided to students is a focus for districts, as well. Some districts are upgrading facilities, so school feels safe and secure. In other districts, schools have worked with community partners to purchase alarm clocks for students identified as at risk for attendance issues.
Although transportation costs have risen dramatically, some school districts have provided options to chronically absent students or added bus routes to locations where absentee rates are high. Supports such as laundry rooms at school, daycare centers at school, free breakfast and lunch along with free dinner, and avoiding suspensions that take students out of school all assist in improving attendance. A mind shift has occurred in some districts: They do not view absenteeism as a behavior to be punished, but rather as a problem to be solved.
Although some may frown on providing incentives to attend school, pop-up science exhibits, festivals, parties, assemblies, giveaways, movies with popcorn, competitions between classes, community donated prizes, early yearbooks and holding yearbook distribution days on historically poor attendance days have all resulted in success. The incentives bring students back to school, so a support plan can be developed and put into place, while at the same time recognizing their efforts.
It is important to note that a one-size-fits-all approach will not work. As this issue becomes a bigger concern for districts, more research is being conducted and success stories are being shared. Take the time to research what appears to be working and share it with your schools, district, and colleagues.
Dr. Timothy Teehan is a field service representative at NJSBA and the former superintendent of Somerville Public Schools.
