Simply put, effective approaches are those that treat student absenteeism as a problem to be solved, not a behavior to be punished. Studies on the effect of interventions for all types and levels of absences have found that efforts to address root causes have increased attendance, while punitive practices have not. Even when students’ absences are excused, the lack of support for them to catch up can feel like punishment.ĭespite the fact that punitive practices are widespread, a growing number of researchers have found that they are not particularly effective. For their part, districts and schools also implemented policies to punish truants some do not accept make-up work from truant students, others bar them from extra-curricular activities, dis-enroll them from school or suspend them for excessive absences. Many instituted criminal penalties, such as jailing parents, when a student’s unexcused absences rose above a certain level. The courts, in response, instituted civil penalties for truant students and their parents, such as tickets and fines. Throughout the U.S., lawmakers have enacted compulsory attendance laws and charged the courts with the ultimate responsibility to enforce them. To date, our efforts to reduce absenteeism have been strongly flavored by punishment and blame. Why? We all know the definition of insanity: responding to poor outcomes by doing more of what we have done in the past and hoping for a different result. At the same time, this increased accountability creates an imperative for LEAs and schools to examine their approach to student absences. Now that all states are required to report chronic absence data, and that 72 percent have chosen it as an ESSA accountability indicator, improving chronic absence is certain to be higher on schools’ agendas in the coming year.** Focusing on chronically absent students, or those who are missing 10 percent or more of school days, is a tremendous opportunity to improve education outcomes. Read the previous blogs in our series, ESSA Implementation: Keeping Students with Disabilities In School, A Sea Change in Defining and Responding to Poor Attendance, High Quality Attendance Data is More Important Than Ever, and Making the Most of Attendance Indicators. In this post, we focus on the need for districts and schools to address chronic absence with positive, proactive, and problem-solving strategies, not punitive ones. This is the fifth in our blog series highlighting attendance-related issues that are emerging as states begin to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
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