The Atlanta Journal Constitution – Maureen Downey
“The kids are in school. That means it’s time for educators to worry about kids who are not in school. Soon we’ll see horrific headlines like “Georgia woman shackled over son’s school absences” (AJC 5/26/15) and “Student truancy can spell $1,000 fine, jail for parents” (AJC 12/18/11). Or perhaps policy makers will take a different approach: “State education board allows more excuses for student absence” (AJC 5/8/15). According to a 2013 study by the National Assessment for Educational Progress, poor attendance is detrimental to almost all students; it disproportionately damages students affected by poverty and those from communities of color. The deleterious effects begin early. Students who are chronically absent in kindergarten are more likely to be retained in third grade; students who are retained are 50 percent less likely to graduate from high school. According to the NAEP report, a primary strategy for addressing excessive absenteeism is to “help schools and community partners to intervene with chronically absent students through community-wide approaches to health and transportation challenges, as well as personalized outreach.” Let’s look more closely at one of those challenges: illness.”(more)