How schools fought chronic absenteeism over the past year

(NewsNation) — Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools across the country saw a huge increase in rates of chronic absenteeism where students racked up weeks of unexcused absences.

For instance, almost half of the students in Washington, D.C., were considered chronically absent last year. These absences will help compound the impact of learning loss, where students fall behind because they’re not getting quality instruction.

As students transitioned out of pandemic protocols in 2023, educators and administrators got creative to bring down these high rates of absenteeism and return students to the classroom.

Home visits

Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy Middle School in Connecticut reduced chronic absenteeism from 32% during the 2021-2022 school year to around 10% the following year.

They got there by streamlining their system for parent communication, which included home visits to families where children had seen many days out of school.

Counselors, social workers and sometimes school resource officers made the visits, which are intended to build ties to the families.

“They literally go to the home and knock and the door and say, ‘Hey just checking in? How’s everything going? What can we help with? We’ve noticed you haven’t been in school,'” said Dean of Students Ashley Glaude.

Creating incentives

Nashville’s Warner Elementary School built a marketplace to help give students incentives to come to school.

The strategy, which they first put in place in January 2020, involved handing out “Warner Bucks” to students based on their attendance.

Students can take this mock currency to a marketplace that is stocked full of items donated by the community. It includes all kinds of items that families need, like diapers and cleaning products.

“If we’re truly trying to change family history, if we’re truly trying to change children’s trajectory you don’t do that through a handout. We can only do that by ensuring they receive a world-class education. But you can’t ensure a child receives a world-class education if they’re not in school,” said Principal Ricki Gibbs, who estimated that chronic absenteeism dropped from 42% to 28% during the first few years of the program.

Holding parents accountable

In Missouri, the state supreme court upheld state law after parents were sentenced to jail for failing to make sure their kids attend school regularly.

Two parents in Lebanon County, Missouri, were arrested after their kids had missed a series of days in school. One parent was sentenced to a week in jail. The other received 15 days in jail, later agreeing to serve a two-year probation.

“Given the notice provided to each parent and that each parent was in control of their young child, evidence existed to support the inference that each parent knowingly failed to cause their child to attend school on a regular basis,” the court wrote.

Family law attorney Susan Guthrie criticized the law, suggesting it might be too punitive.

“I don’t know that jailing parents and these were both single moms, I want to point out, taking them out of their households and away from their children. When the issue is the children attending school,” Guthrie said. “I think the ends are not justified by the needs.”

Implementing four-day weekends

The Pasco County School District in Florida recently decided to implement occasional four-day weekends throughout the year to boost student attendance.

“This forward-thinking initiative not only benefits students but also accommodates the needs of parents and guardians who often struggle to coordinate family vacations with the academic calendar,” the district said.

But the plan won’t be implemented until next year, so it is unclear whether it will actually impact student attendance.

Don Peace, who serves as the president of the local teachers union, took a neutral stance on the new initiative but said feedback from teachers has been positive, “in general.”