Why is attendance important

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The Effects of Chronic Absenteeism. Why Is School Attendance Important? Defining and Assessing Chronic Absenteeism in Schools Chronic absenteeism is widely defined as missing 10 percent or more of a school year.

Schools generally recognize three categories of absences: Excused absences are those with a valid reason and that have been communicated to the school by a parent. Student illness or other medical conditions are the most common types of excused absence; other reasons include religious observances, medical appointments, and family emergencies.

Unexcused absences, or truancy , occur when students miss school without a valid reason. Examples include deliberately skipping school as well as missing school for reasons deemed invalid by the school, such as oversleeping or missing the bus. Disciplinary absences are a result of school suspension. School Attendance Facts Even a cursory look at national attendance data reveals that the problem is widespread. The following attendance facts come from the CRDC that was released in More than seven million students in the US——16 percent of the student population——missed 15 or more days of school.

Approximately school districts reported more than 30 percent of their students missed at least three weeks of school. Chronic absenteeism rates are highest in high schools, where about one in five students is chronically absent. Every state had schools that reported 10 percent or more of students as chronically absent. Attendance Inequalities A survey of national absenteeism data also highlights inequalities across school districts and among students.

Students of color generally have higher absenteeism than their white counterparts: White students, Causes of Poor School Attendance Many factors are associated with poor school attendance: Physical health issues.

Health conditions such as asthma, influenza, diabetes, tooth decay, and obesity are all associated with higher rates of student absenteeism. Nearly 10 percent of children aged four to14 are diagnosed with asthma, a leading cause of school absenteeism. Asthma accounts for a third of all days of missed instruction, according to Attendance Works.

Approximately 20 percent of students in the US aged 12 to 18 experience bullying. Bullying can include emotional abuse name-calling, insults, teasing , the threat of harm or actual physical abuse being pushed, tripped, or beaten , destruction of property, and ostracization exclusion, being made the subject of rumors or lies.

In the US, low socioeconomic status is a common factor in bullying, and immigrant youth are more likely to be bullied than locally born youth, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. Socioeconomic hardship. Socioeconomic hardship can lead to unstable housing or homelessness, as well as limited transportation resources. One child in six lives in poverty in the US, according to Children International. Mental Health and School Attendance Mental health issues are among the factors that contribute to chronic absences, according to Attendance Works.

Effects of Poor School Attendance When children are absent from school, they miss out on consistent instruction that is needed to develop basic skills. Addressing Chronic Absenteeism Just as chronic absenteeism has no single cause, it has no simple solution either. Strategies for Parents Parents who are concerned that their child has a problem with school attendance can employ several strategies: Talk with the child.

Conversations are the first step to understanding root causes and working toward a solution. Contact the school. Teachers, counselors, and administrators may be able to provide additional information that helps determine what is causing a child to miss school.

Contacting the school also starts a conversation that can be mutually beneficial, and it demonstrates engagement. Both programs can provide special accommodations and support for students who are struggling with disabilities. Set attendance goals with the child. Creating a plan and tracking progress can encourage better attendance and provide opportunities for conversations and support. Simple steps such as making sure a child gets enough sleep and taking steps to prepare for school the day or night before can also be effective.

Strategies for Educators Teachers, administrators, and policymakers can work together to address chronic absenteeism. Such efforts begin with gaining a better understanding of the importance of attendance: Raise awareness. Training programs can help educators and administrators understand the importance of attendance and the long-term effects of chronic absenteeism. Report and study absenteeism data. More on Chronic Absence. Newsletter Signup Join our newsletter for tips, resources and news.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form. Stay Informed. More from Attendance Works. Twitter Feed Attendance Works Follow 19, 13, Attendance Works is a national and state initiative that pushes for better policy and practice to improve school attendance.

Reply on Twitter Retweet on Twitter 0 Like on Twitter 1 Twitter Social Media. Teacher effectiveness is the strongest school-related determinant of student success, 1 but chronic student absence reduces even the best teacher's ability to provide learning opportunities.

Students who attend school regularly have been shown to achieve at higher levels than students who do not have regular attendance. This relationship between attendance and achievement may appear early in a child's school career. A recent study looking at young children found that absenteeism in kindergarten was associated with negative first grade outcomes such as greater absenteeism in subsequent years and lower achievement in reading, math, and general knowledge.

Poor attendance has serious implications for later outcomes as well. High school dropouts have been found to exhibit a history of negative behaviors, including high levels of absenteeism throughout their childhood, at higher rates than high school graduates.

In eighth grade, this pattern was even more apparent and, by ninth grade, attendance was shown to be a key indicator significantly correlated with high school graduation.