The following is adapted from Berit Gordon's The New Teacher Handbook.
Chronic absenteeism—defined as students missing more than 10% of school—became a serious challenge during the pandemic. The latest data states the rate of chronic absenteeism in the 2022-2023 school year was 28% (https://www.ed.gov/teaching-and-administration/supporting-students/chronic-absenteeism).
What can I do?
When students have difficulty showing up, it’s unlikely we’ll know the whole reason. We can only assume that any chronically absent student is struggling and needs capable adults to offer support, not judgment. If they are met with failing grades and few accommodations, they will not likely see this as a helpful life lesson to be responsible. Instead, we risk inadvertently teaching them they don’t belong at school or that it’s too late to try. As an adult, I tend to avoid things that feel hard or where I don’t feel successful. And that’s with decades of experience and confidence to reassure me! Students who miss school will find school even harder. They may want to avoid this hard thing at all costs. Give them grace and opportunities to turn it around.
- Put all of your class materials online in your digital classroom space. You can upload and organize lessons, agendas, and handouts by day, week, and unit while you plan. For example, create a folder for Unit 2, add subfolders by week inside, and inside those, add subfolders by day. Put every handout, linked material, set of slides, and assignment within that day’s folder. If the assignment was not an actual document, add a document that provides a brief description. This will help your students and you. Your plans will be so easy to use next year!
- If you can swing it, take pictures of your board with the agenda, notes, and student work examples. Try to add a quick summary of the day’s work in your own words. Add these to that day’s folder so a student gets a whole picture of the class. For grades 5 and up, you might assign a student to document the board, assignments, and other materials and help upload these to the shared folder. This will save you time and healthily increase student responsibility.
- Share due dates in advance, especially for the end of the unit. Rubrics, assignments, or study guides all go in that folder.
- Check that any chronically absent student has online access at home. If they don’t, strategize with colleagues and administrators. Can someone create hard copies and deliver them? Can a hot spot be provided?
- When a student attends class after being absent, greet them warmly. Say, “I’m glad to see you. Thanks for being here.” Do not immediately show them all the work they need to catch up on. Give them a minute to acclimate.
- Don’t halt your lesson to get them situated if they arrive late. Welcome them with minimal fanfare, as they are likely overwhelmed with reentry. Get everyone started, and later, meet with this student to make a plan for how to participate in the learning at hand.
- When a student is absent for more than two days, call or email them and their caregivers, and start by saying, “I’m reaching out to make sure X is OK.” They will know they are missed even if you don’t get a response. This is important.
- If you can, offer office hours or a separate time to get help. Students deserve and need your one-on-one time to ask questions, get support, and simply feel seen.
Remind everyone, especially those who missed class or got behind on assignments, that something is always better than nothing. Encourage them to do something, even if it’s partially complete or not completely aligned with the task.
