Breaking down the Myths That Lead Young Students to Miss School
June 4, 2018
By: Sarah D. Sparks
Source: Education Week
Educators might think of “kindergarten as the new 1st grade,” but parents often still think of early grades as less academic than higher grades—and thus, less important for their children to attend every day.
Challenging that misconception and helping parents understand the value of the early grades can significantly boost student attendance, according to a new study in the American Educational Research Journal.
The findings come as 36 states have started to measure absenteeism as part of accountability systems under the Every Student Succeeds Act. Nearly 8 million K-12 students nationwide were reported chronically absent from school in 2015-16 according to the most recent federal data.That’s about a million more students missing 15 or more school days than when the data was last collected in 2013-14.