The college’s Symposium on Children brought together educators from around Ohio to address chronic absenteeism among K-12 students.
Arya Ansari keynotes, highlighting research on chronic absenteeism
Educators from around Ohio recently gathered in Columbus to discuss the causes of and brainstorm strategies to address chronic absenteeism among students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The discussions took place during the Symposium on Children, presented by the college’s Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy.
Regular school attendance is an indicator of long-term success in life. Yet chronic absenteeism remains significantly higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic, said Laura Justice, the Crane Center’s executive director and professor of educational psychology in the Department of Educational Studies.
“It’s a very large and concerning topic here in Ohio. We know that when kids are not in the classroom, we can’t reach them in the way that we want to reach them,” she said in her opening remarks. “Today will not just be about the alarming data on absenteeism, but what we can do to address this issue in the communities we serve.”
Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing at least 10% of instruction, or 18 or more days of a typical 180-day school year, the college’s professor Arya Ansari said in his keynote address.
“What we’re seeing is this has impacted all kids across income distribution across various schools in this country,” said Ansari, who is a Crane faculty associate and associate professor of human development and family science in the college.
Ansari cited a recent study that found chronic absenteeism in grades K-12 was at about 10% nationwide before 2020. It rose to as high as 35% in some school districts during the pandemic. Chronic absenteeism has decreased slightly in recent years but has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. It remains at about 25% nationwide.
“That’s right about where we are at the state average: One out of every four kids is now missing 10% or more school days,” he said. “That’s about a two-thirds increase in our chronic absenteeism rates, which to me is deeply troubling because it’s pointing to deeper systemic issues that we’re experiencing post-pandemic.”
In various studies, the most common reason students cite for missing school is illness, Ansari said. However, underlying causes can be complex and multifaceted, such as mental health issues, overall disengagement, insufficient sleep, lack of transportation, housing instability, food insecurity and the responsibility to care for younger siblings.
These issues can be especially challenging in high-poverty districts.
“We need to then guide our interventions more strategically,” Ansari said. “We need to be more intentional — think about both malleable barriers and these broader systemic forces and the intersections of the two.”
Solutions to improve attendance
Ansari discussed the results of a partnership between the Crane Center and Columbus City Schools in the 2022-23 school year that was designed to reduce the district’s 55% chronic absenteeism rate.
The study included a survey of 20,000 students in grades third through 12th and found attendance improves when students feel a sense of connection with teachers and classmates, he said.
“It’s about relationships. Those connections matter,” he said. “These kids who felt more connection … they were absent three fewer days, and they were 8% less likely to be chronically absent.”
During a panel discussion, administrators from the city of Columbus, the state of Ohio and representatives from districts and nonprofit organizations around Ohio offered solutions on how to increase school attendance.
Solutions discussed include providing on-site wellness services in schools whenever possible, school administrators working with parents to address transportation issues, and texting students who are absent to identify causes and find out how to get them to school.
“How are we making families understand that they are a part of the conversation?” said Valerie Kunze, administrator in the Office of Whole Child Supports for the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. “They should know all the things that they can do to support attendance, but also we’re going to listen to you as educators and try to figure out and problem solve around it.”
Also during the symposium, Tanny Crane, president and CEO of the Crane Group, presented the Crane Excellence in Early Childhood Awards. The recipients are:
- Randi Bates, University of Cincinnati pediatrics researcher
- Heather Null, Kent State University’s Child Development Center lead teacher
- Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, who was recognized for the Early Start Columbus education initiative
