More than 7 million students nationwide are considered chronically absent, missing three or more weeks of school. But the problem is not distributed equally. Students from low-income families and those in high school are more likely to be chronically absent, according to the new report, Portraits of Change: Aligning School and Community Resources to Reduce Chronic Absence, by Attendance Works and the Everyone Graduates Center.
The report provides state-by-state data based on the most recent federal chronic absenteeism data for 2013-14 school year. It includes examples of attendance initiatives from around the country that show how chronic absence can be turned around, even when it reaches high levels in a school or district or among a particular student population. It also shares how partners such as businesses, nonprofits and local governments can team up with educators and add support and resources.