Each year, more than 6.5 million students are likely to be absent from school often enough that it could have a significant impact on their academic performance. Chronic absenteeism, missing 10% or more school days per year, occurs at every grade level and in schools nationwide. The problem is particularly acute for students who face the most significant barriers, including students from low-income families, students of color, and students with disabilities (1).
The prevalence of chronic absenteeism is a national crisis, and disparities among student groups underscore the need to better support all students to attend school. For many students, lack of food, health care, school supplies, clean and undamaged clothing, and even shampoo and soap can have a profound impact on their ability to attend school.
Public-private partnerships with evidence-based providers, like Communities In Schools, can bring resources into schools to address barriers to learning, like attendance, and help create more opportunities for teachers and school leaders to focus on their core mission.
Source:
1 U.S. Department of Education, Chronic Absenteeism in the Nation’s Schools
