After nearly doubling during the pandemic, the rates of chronic absenteeism in K-12 schools are finally showing steady signs of improvement.
A student is considered chronically absent when they miss at least 10% of a school year. In most states, that means missing about 18 days a year, regardless of whether the absences were excused.
"Thousands of students have returned to schools, which means that states are putting in the work," said Carl Felton, III, a policy analyst at EdTrust, a nonprofit that advocates for underrepresented students.
Felton is the author of a new report that looks at how policies in 22 states plus Washington, D.C., have helped improve student attendance. He said there are several things states are doing right, including collecting and publishing reliable data, and investing in early interventions and outreach programs instead of punitive practices.
"The things that we want to see happen are happening," he said.
Multiple data analyses have shown the rates of chronic absenteeism skyrocketed during the pandemic, from 15% in 2019 to 28% in 2022 according to one report from the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank.
Research has linked chronic absenteeism with lower academic achievement and a higher likelihood of dropping out of high school.
Changing punitive practices and investing in more support
One of the areas Felton looked at was punitive practices. He said states need to ban corporal punishment entirely and ban harsh penalties like suspensions for minor infractions because they can harm the relationship between students and educators, and they can make students feel unsafe or unmotivated to come to class.
Several states, including many in the South, still allow corporal punishment in schools, and according to federal data, more than 69,000 K-12 public school students received corporal punishment during the 2017-18 school year. (More recent federal data reflects a time during which many K-12 students were learning remotely, during the pandemic, and shows a drop in corporal punishment.)
"In order for a student to want to be in the school environment they need to know that they are cared for and that the adults in the building have their best interests at heart," Felton said. "You can hold students accountable without harming them."
He said research-backed services like after-school programs and mental health supports help to create a positive school climate: "These are the practices that we know can reduce chronic absenteeism because they address root causes."
Felton found some states, like Connecticut and Maryland, have invested millions of dollars in wrap-around services like mental health support and at-home visits. California has invested billions of dollars in that effort.
"Not until you reach people, are you really able to address problems," Felton said. "We need to prioritize investments and policies that focus on engaging students and families, and making sure they get the support they need to show up daily."
In many places, data collection also needs improvement
In his report, Felton highlights the importance of collecting high quality data on absenteeism – without it, he said, there's no way to direct funding and programs toward the populations that are most at risk, including students of color, students from low-income backgrounds, students with disabilities and English language learners.
"If the funding is not reaching the student groups that are most chronically absent, then states and [state education agencies] need to rethink their strategy and investment."
The frequency of data collection also plays a role, Felton said. In many states, attendance data is published quarterly or even annually, making it hard for schools to respond in real time when students aren't coming to class. Connecticut publishes attendance data every month, and is among the states with the lowest rates of chronic absenteeism.
Still, only about half of the states Felton examined require teachers to take daily attendance and have clearly defined standards for how long students must be in school before they're marked present. Felton said that needs to change.
"Students and families need to know what measurement they're being held accountable to so that they won't be chronically absent," he said.
According to Felton, a clear metric would also help teachers and school administrators better support their students and families.
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