A recent report conducted by the University’s EdPolicyWorks research center found that some of the state’s schools suffer from chronic absenteeism — which occurs when a student misses at least 10 percent of the academic year for any reason. The University and state government should consider allocating increased resources towards absenteeism research projects, such as the one led by EdPolicyWorks, and enact efficient short-term proposals that would help address the problem.
The report by EdPolicyWorks found that around 10 percent of students in Virginia were chronically absent during the 2014-15 school year. Findings suggest chronic absenteeism is especially high among pre-kindergarteners. This is alarming, especially when younger students are more likely to drop out or be held back. Therefore, early attendance problems can exacerbate these effects for younger Virginia students. The highest rates found were: 20 percent in Richmond, 23 percent in Norfolk and about 25 percent in Petersburg. These three divisions also participate in the Virginia Preschool Initiative, the potential benefits of which are likely hurt by these high rates of absences, according to the report.
This problem of chronic absenteeism should not be overlooked by Virginia’s government. It is not a self-correcting issue that will disappear in a few years — it is instead an increasingly large factor contributing to education achievement gaps, according to a report by Attendance Works. Studies have also shown attendance can be predictive of graduation rates, tying chronic absenteeism and educational performance gaps closer together. In order to further improve the gap, schools need to be able to identify attendance problems early in a student’s educational career.
A way to begin addressing the issue in Virginia is for the state to ensure its counties’ schools have the proper mechanisms needed to track and monitor for attendance problems. This can be achieved by creating better ways to track the rates of attendance and increasing state funds to those schools with the worst rates. The funds should be specifically allocated to hire outreach workers focused on attendance, encouraging school officials’ increased attention at attendance patterns and establishing in-school health clinics to help with its students’ health. Additionally, schools should implement workshops and outreach programs in order to increase education and awareness among parents regarding the effects of absenteeism.
It’s important to clarify that the issue isn’t completely ignored by Virginians. Public officials in both Richmond and Petersburg are well aware of the issue their local districts are facing with in regard to chronic absenteeism, and are working on addressing it. However, these efforts need to be revamped to the state-level if we want to start seeing longer-term results at the county and district level.
The U.S. educational system is implicitly based on one crucial assumption: that students attend class every day on a weekly basis, barring illness or extraordinary events. This implies that in order to thrive, let alone succeed, students need to have a solid attendance. Achievement in many cumulative subjects, such as math, is incredibly dependent on showing up to class — miss enough of them, and failure is basically a certainty. Losing track of student attendance will only exacerbate the educational achievement gaps in Virginia, and would leave those with harsher circumstances outside the classroom behind.
There is no use for the government to provide public education if people aren’t going to take advantage of it. Ensuring that students show up to class should be one of the top priorities when it comes to education policy. In order to produce a long-term solution to the problem, increased research into its causes should be the next step.
Carlos Lopez is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at c.lopez@cavalierdaily.com.
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