Over the last few years, a marked transformation has occurred in education. Long-standing research on how to best teach children to read was acknowledged. School districts around the country embraced the "science of reading" – an interdisciplinary body of knowledge about reading and writing. Thankfully, our local districts have begun to make this long-overdue change. Springfield District 186, for example, will roll out a new K-8 classroom literacy curriculum plus an evidence-based intervention curriculum. The future of literacy looks bright.
This future, however, may dim as local districts are weighed down by chronic absenteeism. According to the Illinois State Board of Education report card, in the 2022-23 school year, 43% of Springfield District 186 students missed 10 days or more of school. In our elementary schools, chronic absenteeism rates ranged from 25%-55%. Middle school rates varied between 25%-60% and in our high schools, 32%-60% of students were chronically absent.
Springfield District 186 is no different than any other Sangamon County school district – all have struggled with post-pandemic attendance. However, the effects of poor attendance are especially pronounced among low-income children, who need more time in the classroom to master reading and are less likely to have access to outside tutoring. Chronic absenteeism is four times more prevalent among low-income students, contributing to the high rates experienced in Springfield District 186.
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to chronic absenteeism. It is rarely based on kids not wanting to go to school. The reasons are varied. Some families face a constellation of issues: housing, transportation and health needs that keep them in crisis mode. A shortage of child care has turned some students into caregivers. Others struggle academically and find school to be unpleasant or even unbearable. Additionally, some students do not get enough sleep. Over the years, students have confided in me about staying up well into the night while playing video games, browsing their phones, attending to a crying sibling or waiting for a parent to return from work.
Absenteeism is a complicated issue with significant consequences. The statistics related to reading are particularly staggering. Only 17% of chronically absent students in kindergarten and first grade will be reading at grade level in third grade. By sixth grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school. By ninth grade, attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than eighth-grade test scores.
[pdf-1]Educating parents about the consequences of absenteeism is paramount. Parents are hungry for guidance on how to help their children be successful in school.
The good news? School districts do not need to wait and see who will struggle. Prior-year data provides a good starting place. Districts can be proactive and reach out to these families in the summer to determine barriers to attendance. The Regional Office of Education for Sangamon and Menard Counties currently partners with Springfield District 186 to reduce chronic truancy.
Project Impact established student advocates at Grant, Jefferson and Washington Middle School along with Feitshans and Harvard Park Elementary schools. The goal of Project Impact is to identify obstacles to school attendance and offer supportive services to help students and families overcome these barriers. Student advocates serve as liaisons between families and schools, providing home visits and accountability checks. Advocates and Regional Office truancy workers begin this process before the school year begins.
While this is an important start, a deeper, parent-focused approach is needed at all schools in Sangamon County and would reap even greater benefits. Working proactively with parents communicates two important points: We see your struggles and want to support you, but we also have high expectations for attendance.
The national initiative, Attendance Works, suggests the following: Universal prevention strategies for all students, early intervention strategies for at-risk students, and targeted intensive support for students with the highest need with punitive interventions being a last resort.
Some schools have campaigns solely focused on the first month of school. According to Attendance Works, half of the students who miss two to four school days in the first month will miss an entire month by the end of the school year.
We can also start preventative efforts in preschool. Laying the foundations early of good attendance has a strong return on investment. The University of Chicago Consortium of Chicago School Research found that low-income children who attend preschool regularly benefit more from the instruction than their high-income classmates, gaining 8% more literacy skills in kindergarten and 7% more in first grade. This narrows the reading gap by a third.
The results of absenteeism impact entire communities for generations. Children who struggle to read are less likely to graduate. Those same students are more likely to enter the criminal justice system and earn less over their lifespan. Improving attendance will pay off in spades. Prevention is always better than remediation.
Melissa Hostetter teaches science at Franklin Middle School and is the chair of the Springfield Education Association Literacy Task Force. She is also a certified academic language practitioner and tutors students with dyslexia.