WASHINGTON — In the back-to-school season educators want parents to know the importance of regular attendance.
“Missing two or more days a month of school has a devastating impact on graduation rates and life outcomes,” said Leslie Cornfeld, special adviser to the U.S. Secretary of Education.
Cornfeld said issues related to chronic absenteeism begin early:
- Children chronically absent in pre-K, kindergarten and first grade are far less likely to read at grade level by third grade and four times more likely to drop out of school.
- As early as 6th grade, children who are chronically absent are far more likely to drop out of school than those with regular attendance.
- As early as 8th grade, chronic absenteeism is a better predictor of dropouts than test scores.
“We’ve talked about the bad news but the good news is that this is a fixable problem,” Cornfeld said.
Best practices to encourage attendance include:
- Having a positive, welcoming school environment
- Mentoring programs that connect chronically absent kids with a caring adult
- After-school programs help kids feel more connected to their school community
Find tutoring and mentoring programs at .
An Ad Council survey shows the need for an Cornfeld notes.
While 86 percent of parents understand attendance impacts a child’s potential for graduation from high school, the 49 percent believe it’s OK for their child to miss three or more days of school a month.
“We know that that’s just inaccurate,” Cornfeld said.
