Absenteeism in schools a problem before pandemic; it’s worse now
In the 2020-21 academic year, more than 50% of Ohio high school students were chronically absent from school. Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing more than 15 days of school in an academic year and has been linked to poor academic achievement and decreased graduation rates.
Ohio has had a problem with chronic absenteeism for many years that was so significant the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) started an initiative to cut absenteeism from the high rates of 30% to 40%, and Ohio schools were making strides until the pandemic hit.
The pandemic reshaped education. Students were forced into virtual classes and were not prepared. The ODE reported that chronic absenteeism increased dramatically at all grade levels, including elementary students, who went from 19% chronically absent to 35% this year. Of greatest concern, the ODE reported total enrollment decreased by 53,000 students in Ohio alone.
How can teachers work with kids to catch up to where they need to be by April of this academic year so they can be prepared to move on to the next grade level by June? Due to their absences, many children have fallen significantly behind where they need to be at this time in the school year. While some standardized testing has been canceled, those schools that are holding testing have already seen a significant decrease in average test scores, especially among already disadvantaged students.
While the ODE created a list of tools to help teachers as schools try their best to return to normal, they have not provided ways to help find the more than 50,000 missing Ohio students. So, I ask of readers: Take a second to check on your neighbors or the family whose kids you don’t see waiting at the bus stop and make sure they’re doing all right – you might be the only one checking.
Rachel Zeno, Columbus