Missing School, Falling Behind
How Michigan's struggles with chronic absenteeism undermine education.
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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.
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A coalition called Every School Day Counts has been at it since 2012.
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Nearly a third of students missed too much school in the latest school year.
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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.
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At Gompers Elementary-Middle School, Effie Harris plays the roles of investigator, counselor, spirit leader, and more.
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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.
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Proposal would let school officials request a transfer to a neighborhood school if family outreach efforts don’t work.
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Now district officials are considering punitive policies against severe absenteeism, such as making students repeat a grade.
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State policy that cuts off aid has been in effect for at least a decade, even though there’s little evidence it works.
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Limited access to school buses and an unreliable transit system make it tougher for students to get to class.
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The options vary based on where you live and which school the student attends.
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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.
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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.