Recently the School Committee requested information and data about chronically absent students in the Needham Public Schools to help inform the development of new attendance policies. It’s not a pretty picture, particularly post pandemic as absenteeism rates climbed in the Needham Public Schools. We are not alone: Absenteeism has soared across the country since 2020 in schools and in the workplace.
Blame it on COVID, the hankering for remote work, or the stresses of modern family life… Whatever the reason, somewhere along the line learners and workers stopped showing up.
A few weeks ago a principal told me that the mother of an elementary student was not concerned about the 30 plus days of school the child has missed this school year because the mom figures the child will “catch up.” A good friend and colleague who teaches at a prestigious medical school lamented that his students were missing lectures, labs, and classes due to, as he put it, “the sniffles” or a need for a break or extended holiday. “I've never seen anything like it!” he exclaimed.
We need to help young people and their families reset the attendance button, and the Needham School Committee has charged me and the principals with developing policies and procedures that will hold students accountable for their attendance and provide the support they need when they can’t get to classes. The School Committee endorsed the following belief statement that will guide our ever evolving policies and practices in the coming year and beyond:
We believe:
• Learning is a continuous and ongoing process: Regular attendance allows students to stay on track with the curriculum, avoiding gaps that can be difficult to bridge later.
• A student’s active presence and participation promotes deeper understanding: Ongoing collaboration, class discussions, group work, and student and teacher interaction are vital for the development of knowledge beyond rote memorization.
• School is a social environment: Consistent attendance allows students to develop social and emotional skills, teamwork, and build positive relationships with peers and teachers.
• Habits for lifelong learning: Attending school instills discipline, time management, and a responsibility to learning that benefits students as they progress through the Needham Public Schools and prepare for their futures lives.
These statements will guide our work with students in the coming years. We also need to make sure that we have interventions for students - low income students for example - who are struggling to be fully present in school and ensure that our practices, programs, and policies engage and empower them for success.
I believe we must have both accountability and support for students who are chronically absent. There are often underlying causes for extended student absences, and we need to understand the reasons and context for absenteeism. We owe it to our families and the young people we serve to let them know that learning in person is not optional; that sometimes there are consequences for absences; and reassure them we will provide the academic, counseling, mental health and behavioral support they need to attend school, stay in class learning, and achieve success.