When Thomas B. Lockamy became the superintendent of the Savannah-Chatham County school system in Georgia three years ago, he didn鈥檛 set out to go after students who were missing too much school.
But while his initial focus was the reliability of data being collected at district schools, those concerns soon exposed a pattern of chronic absenteeism among some young elementary students living in high-poverty neighborhoods. Having solid data became the first step in addressing what a new report identifies as an underrecognized problem: chronic absenteeism in the primary grades.
鈥淐ommon sense and research suggest that being in school consistently is important to ensuring children gain a strong foundation for subsequent learning,鈥� says the report, from the National Center for Children in Poverty, at Columbia University.
The analysis joins a small but growing body of research on absenteeism in the early grades, an issue that experts say is often eclipsed by concerns about truancy among older students. Among the many reasons to focus on this largely 鈥渙verlooked鈥� issue, the report鈥檚 authors suggest, is that improving early-grades attendance can help schools meet their achievement goals under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
Chronic absence in the early grades鈥攚hich the researchers define as missing at least 10 percent of the school year through both excused and unexcused absences鈥攊s probably more common than some school officials and parents think, the report says. And that鈥檚 partly because hard data on the problem are often lacking.
鈥淲hile growing interest in state data systems with universal student identifiers creates an opportunity to collect such data systematically, many districts have yet to develop the capacity for tracking absences for individual students,鈥� note authors Hedy N. Chang and Mariajose Romero in the NCCP report, which was financed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Learning Loss
Analyzing the U.S. Department of Education鈥檚 Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Cohort, Ms. Romero, a senior research associate at the NCCP, found that more than 11 percent of kindergartners and close to 9 percent of 1st graders are chronically absent. In schools serving poor children, the percentages are probably higher, the report says.
Chronic absenteeism can also vary tremendously within a school district, the analysis shows.
A recent analysis found that going to school regularly in the early years was especially critical for children living in poverty. Among poor children, chronic absence in kindergarten predicted the lowest levels of educational achievement at the end of 5th grade.
SOURCE: National Center for Children in Poverty
In one of the nine districts examined closely by Ms. Romero and Ms. Chang, who is a consultant to the Baltimore-based Casey Foundation, the rates ranged from 1 percent to 54.5 percent for individual schools. Districtwide, 13.8 percent of students were chronically absent in the early grades.
Children who are chronically absent in kindergarten have the lowest performance in reading, mathematics, and general knowledge in 1st grade, the study found. Chronic absenteeism also affects Latino children鈥檚 reading scores more than those of their non-Hispanic white and African-American peers, even if they miss roughly the same number of days, the analysis found.
Finally, the report says that the effects of missing at least 10 percent of the school year in kindergarten extend to the end of elementary school for children in poverty, with those students still posting the lowest reading and math scores in 5th grade.
While the NCCP report does not focus on students beyond elementary school, evidence gleaned from other research suggests that high school dropouts are more likely than graduates to be chronically absent as early as 1st grade.
鈥淒ropping out of school, although identified by a single event, reflects a long process of disengagement and withdrawal from schooling and educational institutions,鈥� Joyce L. Epstein, a research scientist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, wrote in a 2002 paper on improving attendance in the elementary grades through family involvement.
Learning Loss
Ms. Epstein stresses that for most elementary schools in most districts, high absenteeism is not a problem.
But Ms. Romero suggested that even when it is, it鈥檚 not receiving much attention鈥攆rom policymakers or researchers鈥攂ecause 5-, 6-, and 7-year-olds who miss a lot of school are generally not hanging out and getting into trouble.
鈥淧eople are very concerned about absenteeism among older children. They鈥檙e more visible, and they have more control over their whereabouts,鈥� Ms. Romero said in an interview. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not the case with younger children.鈥�
The study explores the wide range of possible reasons why absences might pile up for a young elementary school student. Parents might not understand the consequences of missing school, might lack basic resources, such as food, clothing, and transportation, or might have had a history of negative experiences with schools and don鈥檛 feel welcome.
Children in highly mobile families are also more likely than other students to miss a lot of school before and after a move.
鈥淔or some students鈥攎inorities, low-income students鈥攖he school experience can be pretty trying,鈥� Ms. Romero said.
And while family turmoil and stress can contribute to children鈥檚 absences, the report suggests that chronic absenteeism can also point to problems in how schools relate to children and their families.
A school might not have clearly communicated the importance of attendance to parents, especially if the parents don鈥檛 speak English. Officials might not be getting in touch with parents if children are absent, or even monitoring the number of absences. Or a school might not be providing an engaging educational experience.
鈥淐hildren need to feel that they as individuals count in the life of the school,鈥� Ms. Romero said.
鈥楶ersonal Contact鈥�
In Savannah鈥攐ne of the nine localities studied in the NCCP project鈥攖he combination of hiring a data expert, holding school personnel responsible for attendance, and allowing local reporters to cover extreme situations in which the police were involved has helped reduce serious cases of chronic absenteeism in the early grades to about 5 percent across the 34,000-student district, down from 10 percent in 2003.
And the prevalence of high absenteeism among the district鈥檚 youngest students in low-income neighborhoods is even less than it is in some higher-income areas.
But even with those results, school administrators have learned they can鈥檛 rest easy.
鈥淎s problems go, there are far more complicated problems that are hairier and harder to deal with than absenteeism and truancy,鈥� said Bucky Burnsed, a spokesman for the Savannah-Chatham County district. 鈥淏ut you absolutely can鈥檛 let it go. It takes accountability at every level.鈥�
Under the district鈥檚 approach, a letter is sent home after a child misses school three days in a row. The district also has counselors and social workers who 鈥渁re willing to get in their car and say, 鈥楶ut the PlayStation down and get ready for school,鈥�?鈥� Mr. Burnsed said, referring to a console for video games.
In her 2002 paper, Ms. Epstein reported on a small study she conducted of 12 elementary schools that are part of the National Network of Partnership Schools, which she directs.
Because of the modest number of schools participating, the results should be 鈥渧iewed conservatively,鈥� she wrote, but added that the study showed some practices were more successful than others at improving chronic absenteeism.
Conducting home visits, rewarding students for good attendance, giving parents a contact person at the school, and communicating well with all families reduced chronic absenteeism, according to the study. On the other hand, the research found, using truant officers, referring parents to counselors, and holding attendance workshops for parents did not have the desired effect. 鈥淚t鈥檚 through the personal contact generally that you can get the biggest bang for your buck, positively,鈥� Ms. Epstein said.
While the Savannah-Chatham district has resorted to involving law-enforcement officers and the courts in extreme cases, some experts say that the use of punitive measures only worsens relationships between home and school.
鈥淚t creates tremendous animosity and distrust,鈥� Ms. Romero said, adding that 鈥渋t doesn鈥檛 really address the issues鈥� among families facing multiple risks.
Seeking Arbitration
The based in Denver, however, did find positive results from a Jacksonville, Fla., program run by the state attorney general鈥檚 office for elementary school families that did not respond to intervention from their schools.
The Truancy Arbitration Program, a demonstration project of the office of juvenile justice and delinquency prevention at the U.S. Department of Justice, involves summoning families to a hearing before volunteer arbitrators. Parents sign an attendance 鈥減erformance agreement鈥� and are offered help in addressing family problems. Only when the hearing process doesn鈥檛 work can parents be arrested.
The center鈥檚 concluded that while absences were not dramatically reduced, 鈥済rades were improving and failure was all but eliminated, two indicators that these students were on the path to successful school completion.鈥�
Ken Seeley, the president of the school-engagement center, said he believes school administrators don鈥檛 pay enough attention to attendance, in part because they are overwhelmed with other demands and mandates. To change that lack of attention, he鈥檚 pushing for states to move to basing school funding on average daily attendance, instead of on one or two headcount days during the school year.
鈥淎 lot of places are scared off, because they think it鈥檚 administratively cumbersome,鈥� Ms. Chang said of using a system based on average daily attendance.
California and Kentucky are among the states that do use an average, and New Jersey and New Mexico are moving in that direction, Mr. Seeley said.
The NCCP report also calls for expanding high-quality preschool programs, saying they 鈥減lay an invaluable role in reducing chronic absence by orienting families to school norms and helping families make regular school attendance part of their daily routine.鈥�
