Education Week published a joint commentary piece by Attendance Works Director Hedy Chang and FutureEd Editorial Director Phyllis Jordan on Oct. 24.
Schools have taken attendance for a long time, but they haven't always taken it seriously. Left
Education Week published a joint commentary piece by Attendance Works Director Hedy Chang and FutureEd Editorial Director Phyllis Jordan on Oct. 24.
Schools have taken attendance for a long time, but they haven't always taken it seriously. Left to attendance clerks and truancy officers, counting absences was considered an administrative task with little bearing on student achievement.
That began to change a decade ago when researchers and advocates demonstrated how missing too much school for any reason—excused or unexcused—could help educators predict who was at risk for dropping out of high school or failing to read by the end of 3rd grade. High absenteeism rates could also reveal a school plagued by chaos and bullying or a community struggling with health and safety issues. Chronic absenteeism gained recognition as an important diagnostic tool,