Overview:
Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more of the school year, has quietly become a nationwide crisis.
As a former Texas Master Teacher, I thought I knew everything there was to know about education, as it related to data and metrics. I knew how to tier my students based on their academic needs. I understood the necessity for grouping my students by various demographic markers. I effectively delivered the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) objectives, ensuring my students would be successful on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) tests.
I attended diverse professional development workshops to enhance my teaching skills over the years. I implemented new techniques, including empathy interviews, culturally responsive teaching, and progressive monitoring, among others. I was intentional in diversifying my approach because I chose to serve in schools that had been identified as historically low-performing. However, with the plethora of experiences I had over my sixteen-year career, there had never been ONE discussion about chronic absenteeism. I am blown away by the inconspicuous impact chronic absenteeism actually had on my students, to which I was completely oblivious.
Now, as the Director of Education at For Oak Cliff, a Dallas education nonprofit, I have been empowered by CEO Taylor Toynes and CSO Xavier Henderson to design a strategy that will eliminate chronic absenteeism in the Superblock. This is a name coined to represent South Oak Cliff (75216 zip code). This community is one of Dallas’s most disenfranchised and most promising areas. For Oak Cliff is not entering this space blindly. It mirrors the unprecedented work of legendary education architect Geoffrey Canada.
Working alongside Mr. Canada’s amazing teams at the William Julius Wilson Institute and Harlem Children’s Zone has been an intriguing opportunity. Learning from Ron Cope and Shayna Terrell, I have been exposed to the detrimental intricacies of chronic absenteeism that impact the lives of our most vulnerable student population…those who live in impoverished communities.
Studying the work of Hedy Chang and the phenomenal team at Attendance Works has allowed me to explore the defining characteristics and root causes of the debilitating concept. Partnering with Dallas heavyweights, the Communities Foundation of Texas and Commit Partnership, has provided the resources and data that will drive my work as I begin to curate the formula that will significantly decrease chronic absenteeism in Dallas schools.
What is Chronic Absenteeism?
Attendance Works defines chronic absenteeism as missing 10 percent of the school year, which usually equates to eighteen days or more of school. Chronic absenteeism counts both excused and unexcused absences against students, as they are missing valuable seat time that must be made up. Chronic absenteeism differs from truancy in that it is not typically connected with the court system. Instead of combating chronic absenteeism with punitive consequences, school leaders employ a more positive approach by utilizing community resources to support home visits, offer incentives, and provide training. Chronic absenteeism disproportionately affects disenfranchised students of color and those with disabilities because they are unable to access school and community resources to support them in mitigating the issues that contribute to their chronic absences.
The Work Begins
I analyzed the data on chronic absenteeism to identify the two feeder schools with the highest rates of chronic absenteeism in the South Oak Cliff feeder. Black Elementary and Todd Middle Schools were selected as the pilot campuses that would lead the work of For Oak Cliff’s innovative ‘Go To School’ Campaign. I developed the Black-Todd Dream Team, a squad of teachers and staff from both schools, to learn about their needs and the strategies to be activated to reduce chronic absenteeism. We held meetings throughout the summer to design a year-long strategy to address chronic absenteeism at both schools.
In true teacher form, I created an acronym and slogan to guide the work we were executing. The Superblock (75216 zip code) has an H.I.T. out on chronic absenteeism. H.I.T. stands for Home Visits.Incentives.Training. We are conducting home visits, meeting families in their safe spaces, to listen to their needs and provide support. Oak Cliff is incentivizing students, parents, and staff to ‘Go To School’. We understand that student success is a trifecta, and everyone should be recognized for their contributions. The organization is sponsoring raffles, lunches, award celebrations, dances, and community events to get everyone involved in the fight against chronic absenteeism.
The training piece is extremely important, as we ensure that students, parents, and staff are aware of the impact of chronic absenteeism. I have visited both schools to share the definition of chronic absenteeism, the data surrounding the concept, and, most importantly, to introduce Texas’s Senate Bill 991. It categorizes chronic absenteeism as an at-risk characteristic and mandates that school districts report their data to the Texas Education Agency. It is imperative that we educate and inform all stakeholders about the impact of chronic absenteeism, so they understand their responsibilities in addressing this significant issue.
To deepen the staff’s understanding at both campuses, the team participated in For Oak Cliff’s ‘Get on the Bus Tour’, led by Unesha Wells, Director of Community Building. This transformative experience enabled the teachers and staff to travel the route their students follow. They were able to identify the barriers the students faced traveling to school, such as drug transactions, prostitution, and stray, aggressive dogs. Educators were able to see the conditions of the apartments and homes in the area, which was extremely eye-opening. The tour was designed to instill the level of empathy teachers would need to execute this work at a high level.
Following the success of the bus tour, I hired the services of Stacey Hodge Vanhoy, a Home Visits Partnership expert. Vanhoy has trained thousands of educators and community members nationwide to conduct successful home visits. The training delves into the proper ways of engaging with families. It also provides detailed instructions on outreach and executing meaningful visits. Additionally, there is an app that allows the home visits team to log the pertinent information they learn while spending time with the families. This way, the team can follow up with resources and support that will assist the families in navigating obstacles that prevent them from sending their students to school every day!
What You Need to Know About Chronic Absenteeism
- Chronic absenteeism is a nationwide problem.
- Chronic absenteeism nearly doubled in the United States, post-COVID, increasing from 16% to 30%.
- States across the country are implementing legislation to make chronic absenteeism an ‘at-risk’ characteristic for students.
- Nonprofit education organizations, in some states, are developing statewide coalitions to combat chronic absenteeism in targeted communities.
- Excuse notes do not prevent a student from being classified as chronically absent.
- Chronic absenteeism impacts student academic performance and behavior negatively.
- Chronic absenteeism in elementary and middle school is an indicator of high school dropout rates.
- Schools with high chronic absenteeism rates are losing millions of dollars in funding.
- Chronically absent students are prone to being retained because they struggle to make up the work or ‘seat time’ they miss when they are not at school.
Next Steps for Education Leaders
- Ensure teachers and staff receive intense professional development about chronic absenteeism
- Educate parents on chronic absenteeism and provide tips to avoid students being listed as chronically absent
- Tier the students in your school so you are aware to which category they belong (satisfactory, at-risk, chronic, severely chronic, profoundly chronic)
- Establish a home visits team that can go to the homes of chronically absent students and learn the resources families need to prevent chronic absenteeism
- Identify local education nonprofits and community organizations that will provide incentives to students and families for perfect attendance and improved attendance
- Advocate for legislation around chronic absenteeism, if it doesn’t already exist in your state
