When it comes to going to school in New York, I think I’d show up every day. If not, the court system is likely to get involved. However, the urban city school district has a high rate of chronic absenteeism, so they must not agree with me.
A City’s Crisis
Kim Nauer, who researched the city’s statistics, “found 124,000 chronically absent teenagers in 2008-09 and 140,000 the year before, about 40 percent both times. She also found 24 percent missed at least 40 days in one year, designated as severe cases.” In New York City, “chronic absenteeism” is defined as when a student misses at least 20 of the 180 days in a school year. As of now, educators refer these cases to social services for neglect.
A Parent’s Neglect?
I can’t imagine my mom and dad being reported for neglect when it came to whether I was attending school! I agree that chronic absenteeism is a concern and a problem – it’s obviously much harder to provide support for these students and make sure they graduate with the proper knowledge and skills needed for life, jobs, and/or college. But my first question is in line with what Professor Robert Balfanz, at Johns Hopkins University, did a study about. WHY are they missing school?
A Court System Intervenes
Balfanz’s research has shown that “about half the students just decide to skip school, a quarter are avoiding something negative such as a bully or uncomfortable class, and another quarter stay out for life issues like work or baby sitting.” To me it seems that that is where you start – not with reporting them to the court system. What impact does hauling them in before a judge have on them? It seems that addressing the reason for missing school may be the place to start.
Yes, it takes more hours and more man power, but hopefully with the end result being what is desired – students who know someone wants them at school. The half that miss just because needs to be addressed – what’s so interesting outside of school that they would rather be there than inside the school learning? Maybe the students struggle with concepts taught in school leaving them feeling unsuccessful and thinking, “Why not skip school?”
Using the courts to try to get students to school seems an effort in futility when it comes to high schoolers. It would be interesting to see what getting to the root of the problem would do for these students, but it has to be on an individual basis. Maybe they should try getting to know the kids a little better!