For several years, Washoe County School District (WCSD) has devoted staff to monitoring and addressing chronic absenteeism. However, the rate of chronic absenteeism spiked in 2021, similar to districts across the country (Associated press article, 2023).
The reasons a student may experience chronic absenteeism vary from health, mental health, lack of resources, transportation, and safety to name a few. The solutions for addressing chronic absenteeism also vary among individual students. This is not a challenge that will be solved overnight, nor is it one that any single person or group can tackle alone.
The good news is that WCSD is making positive progress with the support of our community, dedicated staff, and evidence-based interventions. A shared theme across all solutions is a sense of connection and belonging. Whether a student is being celebrated by a teacher for achieving an attendance goal, working with an attendance officer to find transportation, or the feeling of excitement a student experiences when their teammates cheer them on – connection is the key.
How can you help?
Support the efforts that are foundational to building connection and belonging among WCSD students. When students aren’t in school, they are missing out on the very experiences that prepare them to be the next generation of leaders. They will be the medical professionals administering our medications in the hospital, teachers shaping the next generation, legal practitioners ensuring justice is upheld, engineers charged with the careful use of our land, and our very own neighbors. Click here to give the gift of connection today.
Root Causes
- Chronic and acute illness
- Family responsibilities or home situation
- Trauma
- Poor transportation
- Housing and food insecurity
- Inequitable access to needed services
- System involvement
- Lack of predictable schedules for learning
- Lack of access to tech
- Community violence
- Lack of challenging, culturally responsive instruction
- Bored
- No meaningful relationships to adults in the school (especially given staff shortages)
- Lack of enrichment opportunities
- Lack of academic and behavioral support
- Failure to earn credits
- Need to work conflicts with being in high school
- Struggling academically and/or behaviorally
- Unwelcoming school climate
- Social and peer challenges
- Anxiety
- Biased disciplinary and suspension practices
- Undiagnosed disability and/or disability accommodations
- Caregivers had negative educational experiences
• Absences are only a problem if they are unexcused
• Missing 2 days per month doesn’t affect learning
• Lose track and underestimate
TOTAL absences
• Assume students must stay home for any symptom of illness
• Attendance only matters in the older grades
• Suspensions don’t count as absence
Evidence-Based Solutions
Create a culture of attendance by taking a positive approach to absenteeism that is centered on belonging and engagement to help everyone understand why daily attendance matters in PreK-12th grade. Ensure that students – especially those who are chronically absent – benefit from a whole-child approach that includes enrichment activities and addresses health and educational needs.
Researchers found that alerting parents to how many days their children had missed was most effective, reducing total absences by 6 percent and the share of students who were chronically absent by 11 percent when compared to similar students not involved in the study.
A recent report by America’s Promise Alliance shows that students in our highest need communities typically experience “relationship poverty,” which greatly increases the odds that they will dropout. The research showed that having a caring adult in their lives was a major counter force to dropping out. Having a caring adult in school had the largest impact of all – reducing the likelihood of leaving school by 25%.
Chronic absenteeism is a complex issue being tackled by school districts, communities, researchers, and organizations across the country. We know from other regions that when education is not a community priority, the impacts are long-lasting and costly. The average high school dropout costs society more than $800,000 over the course of their lifetime: The Center For American Progress, The High Cost of Truancy. Partnering and learning from others' approaches will strengthen our efforts. Listed below are resources, research, and reports both local to Washoe County and nationwide.
- WCSD Family Attendance Resources
- 9/2024 WCSD BOT Chronic Absenteeism Agenda Item
- 9/2024 WCSD BOT Chronic Absenteeism Presentation
- WCSD’s Comprehensive Plan to Address Chronic Absenteeism
- Strengthen Our Community Presentation
- RGJ Article: Washoe’s chronic absenteeism crisis — and what we can do about it
