School here started over a month ago. And while time flies for students and their families, the school year often passes by in warp speed for teachers and administrators.
As school districts across the country settle in and set their objectives for the coming school year, many will focus on improving test scores, graduation rates and proficiency levels. But there’s a more important goal that needs urgent attention: getting students back to class.
Since the pandemic, chronic absenteeism — when a student misses at least 10% of instruction time — has soared. In Kansas, more than one in four students were chronically absent during the 2021-22 school year. That number was about 13.7% in 2017-2018.
This is a national problem. One recent study found that the number of public school students across the country who are chronically absent has nearly doubled from about 15 percent in the 2018-2019 school year to around 30 percent in 2021-2022. On an average day in America, about 10% of students are absent.
Locally, the problem is more acute. In USD 257, 44.24% of students were chronically absent in 2021-2022, well above state average. Superintendent Stacey Fager understands the challenge. “When a district has as many at-risk students as we do, it shows,” Fager told the Register.
WE KNOW what happens when students miss school. They learn less, get worse grades, and do poorly on standardized tests.
Ask any teacher: Classrooms are more chaotic when students attend one day and miss the next. Inequities can’t be addressed. Discipline issues go ignored.
But there are more pernicious effects, too. Research shows that irregular attendance can be a predictor of dropping out of high school, which has been linked to poor job prospects, diminished health, and an increased probability of entering the criminal justice system.
Study after study has shown America’s economy is shifting to offer fewer opportunities to those without any postsecondary credentials. Young people can’t compete if they don’t have the tools.
As Hedy Chang, who runs Attendance Works, a nonprofit group focused on the problem, told The Associated Press, “The long-term consequences of disengaging from school are devastating.”
HOW did we get here? Blame the pandemic. If there’s one clear trend, it’s this: States where schools remained closed for longer during the pandemic have seen more absenteeism. That said, every single state for which data are available has seen an increase in chronic absenteeism.
Simply put, attending school now seems optional. For almost two years, school looked very different for students: they could learn at home and do classwork when they wanted. Turns out families got used to that.
Other parents and guardians will pull kids for fear of getting sick — the pandemic didn’t disappear — and there’s been a notable societal shift against public education. Parents worry about unsafe school environments and think their children might be better off at home. But the more school you miss, the easier it is to miss more. And here we are.
SOLUTIONS exist. In Iola, we are grateful for successful initiatives that keep families connected to school.
Now in its twenty-fourth year, the after-school program SAFE BASE deserves mention. Director Angela Henry said the program served more than 141 K-8 students in its summer program, while enrollment during the school year is around 350. The communication SAFE BASE facilitates between kids, teachers and staff is critical.
