Addressing the Root Causes of Chronic K-12 Absenteeism

Key points:

More children than ever are missing school. He latest data shows that the number of public school students missing at least 10 percent of their school days, whether excused or unexcused, has nearly doubled.

The White House Council of Economic Advisers found that chronic absenteeism contributed significantly to declines in National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores, accounting for 16 to 27 percent of NAEP score decreases in mathematics and between 36 and 45 percent in reading.

Lower test scores only illuminate some of the problems caused by chronic absenteeism. Students who miss school also miss out on important social interaction with their peers, access to regular meals, and special services like speech therapy or counseling. These students are also more likely to drop out of high school and less likely to pursue post-secondary education, further impacting their future and societal growth as a whole. Below are the key elements that must be addressed before we can reduce chronic absenteeism for our students.

Why do students miss school?

Before anything else happens, we must recognize that our students are missing school for a Variety of reasons, ranging from bullying to a lack of established relationships and an engaging curriculum, to feeling physically or emotionally insecure. Other barriers, such as housing insecurity, unreliable transportation, and health problems, also influence chronic absenteeism.

We know that it is not enough to take attendance and focus on students recording consecutive absences; District leaders must invest in robust data systems to truly understand absenteeism risks and patterns.

The Education Trust recommends that districts:

• Determine whether many students are absent some days or whether a small segment is responsible for excessive absences.
• Disaggregate data to determine whether specific demographic groups are experiencing higher levels of chronic absenteeism (for example, by race, ethnicity, gender, disability status, or free or reduced-price lunch status).
• Start tracking chronic absence data early, no later than kindergarten.

Digging into the data

We know that raw data from attendance tracking systems only tells part of the story, requiring schools and our teachers to proactively dig deeper. With limited time in the day and more priorities piling up on educators' plates, the use of universal screening and other periodic wellness assessments can provide a broader picture of school climate and identify issues that trigger individual and school-wide absences. , and then intervene before they happen.

According to the School Mental Health Collaborative, universal social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) screening tools are a critical component of a comprehensive, multi-tiered system of school supports (MTSS). Using these tools, schools can uncover individual and system-wide reasons for chronic absenteeism by:

• Engage in Tier I universal prevention monitoring, such as school readiness and needs assessments, climate surveys, student assessments, and staff and caregiver training, all of which can help uncover the reasons behind chronic absenteeism.
• Invest in prevention activities and then use that data to direct resources toward specific interventions that can reduce absenteeism.

Ensure that all students reach their full potential.

Improving student attendance requires meeting the needs of the whole child. This includes supporting students' social-emotional needs, mental health, and physical well-being, long before chronic absences occur. However, we must also create policies and have tools available to support identified students and their challenges. This includes establishing a robust referral and intervention process for chronically absent students who will need Tier 2 services, such as individual or group counseling, community referrals, and progress monitoring.

Providing Level 2 support when you're already struggling with staff shortages can feel overwhelming. By partnering with a full-service MTSS provider, educators can offer comprehensive solutions to chronically absent students. Providers offering assessments, interventions, and counseling throughout MTSS help you better identify and support at-risk students, ensuring they reach their full potential.

Chronic absenteeism will not disappear overnight; We must continue to support our students and educators with all the tools and resources we have available to ensure they have the access, support and education that every child deserves.