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Missing School, Falling Behind
How Michigan's struggles with chronic absenteeism undermine education.
The majority of states in the U.S. don’t require kindergarten attendance.
They talked about mental health, childhood trauma, good teaching, and the importance of self-love.
With initiatives targeted at specific schools, neighborhoods, or family needs, they’re chipping away at a problem that has long undermined efforts to improve student achievement.
A coalition called Every School Day Counts has been at it since 2012.
Nearly a third of students missed too much school in the latest school year.
The Rev. Larry Simmons wondered why children were roaming the streets of Brightmoor during school hours. That was the start of a campaign that continues today. Schools “need other partners to come to the table,” he says.
At Gompers Elementary-Middle School, Effie Harris plays the roles of investigator, counselor, spirit leader, and more.
Between intensive outreach, rewards, and early warning systems, staff at Gompers Elementary-Middle School managed to improve student attendance after a rocky year in the pandemic.
Proposal would let school officials request a transfer to a neighborhood school if family outreach efforts don’t work.
Now district officials are considering punitive policies against severe absenteeism, such as making students repeat a grade.
State policy that cuts off aid has been in effect for at least a decade, even though there’s little evidence it works.
Limited access to school buses and an unreliable transit system make it tougher for students to get to class.
The options vary based on where you live and which school the student attends.
Families typically try their best to get kids to school, interviews with parents and researchers show. If you know why absenteeism remains high, we want to hear your story.
Schools have gotten little help addressing a problem that is far bigger than them, experts say, one whose roots lie in society-wide failures of housing, employment, and public health.