Ed Source – Sonia Llamas
“Research has shown a strong correlation between chronic absence and low student achievement. High rates of absenteeism often contribute to widening the achievement gap among low-income and some minority groups – with the impact showing up as early as kindergarten. In addition, students who are frequently absent are more likely to drop out in middle and high school. It is clear that improving student attendance is essential to improving student learning. Unfortunately, many schools and districts do not effectively track or analyze student absences and may not have the information they need to develop effective strategies to improve student attendance. Many schools and districts have only tracked and reported average daily attendance. Average daily attendance does not offer any insight into how many, and which students are chronically absent. And, because it is simply an overall attendance rate for a school, schools often report an attendance rate that might on the surface seem acceptable, while still having a large number of students who are chronically absent.”(more)