Too many New York City public school kids are missing too much school and that’s a very big problem. So why, then, is hardly anyone sounding the alarm bells?
During COVID we saw that in order to learn, to really learn, kids and young kids especially need to be in school. Not logged into Google Classroom or Zoom but sitting in a room with a teacher, surrounded by kids, focusing on real things in front of you.
In large part because kids across America learned remotely for too long, the pandemic was a time of epic learning loss from which kids still haven’t recovered.
Now that COVID is long over, the problem of missing classes remains. A new report from the Manhattan Institute, penned by Danyela Souza Egorov, points out that the public school system’s chronic absenteeism, defined as missing 10% or more of all days throughout the 180-day school year — which was 25% before the pandemic, and rose to 40% during the lockdowns — hit 35% during the 2023-24 school year. That’s objectively way too high, and higher than the nationwide rate.
Just who is missing school the most? Kids in temporary housing have the highest chronic absentee rate, topping 50%. Thirty-nine percent of low-income students are missing 10% or more school days. Among Black students, the chronic absentee rate is 41.5%; among Hispanic students, 41.7%. White and Asian rates are lower, at 26.2% and 19.6% — but still too high.
Part of the problem is cultural. Some parents think it’s no big deal for their kids to miss school if they’re a little bit sick, or maybe even if they’re not sick at all. There was a pandemic homeschooling boom; perhaps some families incorrectly got the idea that in-person schooling is just plain optional. It’s not. New York has a formal process for parents to establish that they’re actually educating their children at home.)
As the report points out, combating the problem starts with strong and consistent communication. That should begin with the chancellor in the Department of Education headquarters, but it should also come from every single principal’s office and teachers. Elected leaders should amplify those voices, as should church leaders and others.
The early grades have seen the biggest rise in absenteeism — so this ought to be especially focused on families with the youngest kids. When a pre-K or kindergartener thinks missing school is no big deal, they’re far likelier to fall behind and never get back on track.
Schools also need to publish their attendance data in a much more timely and consistent fashion so that leaders can zero in on problems and develop action plans.
When schools identify who the chronically absent kids are, they must quickly develop intervention strategies to engage effectively with their parents and guardians. When they discover especially serious problems at home, that requires the marshaling of additional support services.
This is not just about sticks. Schools need to think creatively about how they can make the learning environment fun and supportive for all kids. That doesn’t mean dumbing down curriculum; it means making learning standards high but going to great lengths to give kids who might be disengaged footholds they can grab onto, reasons to feel motivated about coming to class.
Kids belong in school. Get them there so that they can grow into healthy, well-adjusted and productive adults.
