The new causes of chronic absenteeism that arose during the COVID pandemic require a fresh set of solutions from educators. Transportation challenges, student health, school climate, mobility and poverty—long the leading causes of chronic absenteeism—also became much more severe during the pandemic.
At the same time districts were struggling to find enough bus drivers to bring kids to school, many families also stopped using public transportation for fear of contracting COVID. Prior to the pandemic, transportation was already the largest attendance hurdle, particularly for students who had to walk through high-crime areas or faced long commutes, according to a new report from Brown University’s EdResearch for Recovery team.
A decline in student engagement was another major challenge of the pandemic as a lack of internet access cut some families off completely and teachers struggled to transfer the in-person learning experience to the virtual classroom. The new research also details a number of less well-known reasons for absenteeism not directly caused by COVID. For instance, attendance is lower in schools where asthma rates are higher and the weather is colder. And children who experience more frequent conflicts with teachers and classmates are more likely to miss school, the report says.
Beyond the academic impacts of absenteeism, students who miss school regularly show less self-efficacy, eagerness to learn and social engagement. These impacts are more pronounced among low-performing and low-income students and English learners.
To reverse these trends, many district leaders are already working to improve the school climate. For instance, in high-crime areas, administrators can encourage students to walk to school in large groups that can be supervised by educators or other adults. Districts can also develop transportation plans that incorporate ride-share services and are targeted toward students experiencing homelessness or those living in foster care.
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Here are several more attendance strategies detailed by EdResearch for Recovery:
- Home visits. These give teachers, nurses and other educators insight into why children are absent and can also improve relationships with families.
- Communicating with parents. Pairing detailed and timely information about a child’s absences with positive messages about their schools has been shown to improve attendance. Text messaging is a particularly effective way to connect with parents who are unaware of the extent of their children’s absences.
- Breaking down ‘morning barriers.’ Schools can help families navigate the logistics of getting children to school by providing laundry services and coordinating ride-shares. Another step in this process is to have teachers or educators greet students when they arrive at school.
- Access to health care. Schools see better attendance when they can provide dental care, vaccinations and other medical care to students. Improved ventilation will also help prevent medical conditions that cause absences.
- Culturally relevant classrooms. Students are more engaged, and more likely to show up, when their schoolwork connects to their identities and life experiences. When it comes to special education, students are more likely to miss school when they are segregated into special needs classrooms.
- Mentors make a difference. Students are more likely to come to school when they can look forward to working with a mentor or role model. Schools can develop mentorship programs in-house or work with community organizations.
- Creat absence intervention teams. Districts can form teams that comprise educators, social workers and other community organizations to diagnose and respond holistically to the many causes of chronic absenteeism. The teams should use data to pinpoint a student’s academic and behavioral issues.
Educators, however, should not push for perfect attendance. In fact, research shows that rewarding perfect attendance in one month can lead to lower attendance the next.
