Category Archives: Chronic absence

Education Week: Asthma, Linked to Reduced Achievement, Rising Among Children

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by Nirvi Shah

Since 2001, the prevalence of asthma among children increased at a rate of 1.4 percent per year, rising to 7 million children by 2010, a report published late last year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. Overall, the rate of asthma increased 2.9 each year, from 20.3 million people in 2001 to 25.7 million in 2010.

Asthma, a common childhood illness, has been linked to higher rates of school absenteeism, and from there to lower grades and test scores, my colleague Sarah D. Sparks has written over at the Inside School Research blog. Sarah noted that asthma itself may not be the sole reason behind low student achievement. The illness, more common among children living in poverty and from minority groups, may be a symptom of those children’s living conditions. These kids are also disproportionately more likely to attend schools with lower indoor air quality.

via Asthma, Linked to Reduced Achievement, Rising Among Children.

Attendance Works: Indiana Legislation Tackles Chronic Absence

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by Hedy Chang

With research in hand showing more than 55,000 Indiana students are chronically absent, a state senator has introduced legislation that would require schools and districts to share data about chronic absence and intervene with students.

Sen. Dennis Kruse, a northeastern Indiana Republican who is chairman of the Senate Education and Career Development Committee, introduced the bill that also defines chronic absenteeism and ensures that days missed to out-of-school suspensions are counted as absences.

via Indiana Legislation Tackles Chronic Absence.

SCOE’s Facebook Wall: Every Minute Matters addresses chronic absence

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Research proves that students who are chronically absent in Kindergarten and 1st grade are far less likely to read proficiently by 3rd grade.

Chronic absences occur when a student misses 10 percent or more total school days, about 18 days per year, for any reason including excused absences. Learn more about chronic absence here: http://www.solanocoe.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=202599&type=d

via Research proves that students who are chronically absent in Kindergarten and 1st….

Vallejo Times-Herald: Jay Speck – Absence does not make the Solano County student grow smarter

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As we approach the second half of the school year, some students are already heading toward academic trouble: They have missed too many days of school. Chronic absences often hinder academic performance at each subsequent grade level, yet close to 7.5 million students across our nation miss nearly a month of school every year.

Problems with absenteeism can start surprisingly early. National research shows that 1 in 10 kindergarten and first-grade students are chronically absent, meaning that they miss 10 percent of the school year, or roughly 18 days of instruction, due to excused and unexcused absences.

via Absence does not make the Solano County student grow smarter.

The Reporter: Jay Speck – Countywide push to get children in school every day

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As we move into the second half of the school year, some students are already heading toward academic trouble — they have missed too many days of school. Chronic absences often hinder academic performance at each subsequent grade level; yet, close to 7.5 million students across our nation miss nearly a month of school every year.

Problems with absenteeism can start surprisingly early. National research shows that 1 in 10 kindergarten and first-grade students are chronically absent, meaning that they miss 10 percent of the school year, or roughly 18 days of instruction, due to excused and unexcused absences.

via Countywide push to get children in school every day.

Suisun City Patch Op-Ed: Jay Speck – Missing School Hurts Students, Must be Addressed by Community

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By Jay Speck, Solano County Superintendent of Schools
Special to Patch

As we approach the second half of the school year, some students are already heading toward academic trouble – they have missed too many days of school. Chronic absences often hinder academic performance at each subsequent grade level; yet close to 7.5 million students across our nation miss nearly a month of school every year.

via Op-Ed: Missing School Hurts Students, Must be Addressed by Community.

Dixon Patch Op-Ed: Jay Speck – Missing School Hurts Students, Must be Addressed by Community

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By Jay Speck, Solano County Superintendent of Schools
Special to Patch

As we approach the second half of the school year, some students are already heading toward academic trouble – they have missed too many days of school. Chronic absences often hinder academic performance at each subsequent grade level; yet close to 7.5 million students across our nation miss nearly a month of school every year.

via Op-Ed: Missing School Hurts Students, Must be Addressed by Community.

Benicia Patch Op-Ed: Jay Speck – Missing School Hurts Students, Must be Addressed by Community

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By Jay Speck, Solano County Superintendent of Schools
Special to Patch

As we approach the second half of the school year, some students are already heading toward academic trouble – they have missed too many days of school. Chronic absences often hinder academic performance at each subsequent grade level; yet close to 7.5 million students across our nation miss nearly a month of school every year.

Problems with absenteeism can start surprisingly early. National research shows that 1 in 10 kindergarten and first-grade students are chronically absent, meaning that they miss 10 percent of the school year, or roughly 18 days of instruction, due to excused and unexcused absences.

via Op-Ed: Missing School Hurts Students, Must be Addressed by Community.

SCOE’s Facebook Wall: Excellent editorial in Sunday’s The Reporter about local efforts to address chronic absence

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Editorial: School attendance must be a communitywide commitment
www.thereporter.com
As Solano County public school students return to the classroom on Monday, they and their parents may notice new signs on hallway walls or handouts coming home, describing the importance of good attendance.

via Excellent editorial in Sunday’s The Reporter about local efforts to address chro….

The Reporter Editorial: School attendance must be a communitywide commitment

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As Solano County public school students return to the classroom on Monday, they and their parents may notice new signs on hallway walls or handouts coming home, describing the importance of good attendance.

The School Attendance: Every Minute Matters campaign launched by the Solano County Office of Education isn’t just targeting teenage truants or those with unexcused absences — although they need to hear the message, too.

This awareness effort is aimed at parents at the kindergarten and elementary school level, where attendance patterns are formed.

via Updated: January 06, 2013 1:04:07 AM PST.

Attendance Works: Hedy Chang Explains the Who, What and Why of Chronic Absence

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by Hedy Chang

In the fall, our director Hedy Chang spoke at the Communities for  Change conference in Houston, a gathering of like-minded groups who see data sharing as essential to making a difference in a community. Today, the folks at nFocus Solutions, one of the conference’s sponsors, are featuring an interview with Hedy on their blog.

Hedy talks about where chronic absence fits among broader educational reform efforts and why so many students miss so much school. Here are some excerpts from the question-and-answer section:

via Hedy Chang Explains the Who, What and Why of Chronic Absence.

Benicia Patch: Chronic Absence Will Be a Priority, Says Solano Superintendent

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by Justin Cox

Combating chronic absence among students will become a priority this school year, according to Solano County Superintendent of Schools Jay Speck.

He has joined a nationwide Call to Action in which he is “agreeing to raise public awareness, dig deeper into attendance data, and work with community partners to improve school attendance starting as soon as children enter school,” according to a release from the Solano County Office of Education this week.

via Chronic Absence Will Be a Priority, Says Solano Superindendent.

Attendance Works: NAEP Study Connects Absences, Poor Tests Results

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by Hedy Chang

Several studies have documented how poor attendance correlates with lower standardized test scores. Now the people who bring you the National Assessment of Educational Progress have connected absences in the month before the national test with weaker performance.

Diving deeper into the data that NAEP provides, researchers found that nearly 20 percent of the eighth graders who scored at the basic level in reading on the 2011 test had missed three or more days in the previous month. For those who scored below basic, the figure was higher than 25 percent.

via NAEP Study Connects Absences, Poor Tests Results.

SCOE’s Facebook Wall: Solano County Superintendent of Schools Jay Speck has joined a nationwide Call to Action for Superintendents to make chronic absenteeism a priority

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FAIRFIELD – Solano County Superintendent of Schools Jay Speck has joined a nationwide Call to Action for Superintendents to make chronic absenteeism a priority this school year, agreeing to raise public awareness, dig deeper into attendance data, and work with community partners to improve school attendance starting as soon as children enter school.

via “Although chronic absenteeism is often considered a high school problem, nationa….

SCOE News and Announcements: Solano County Superintendent pledges to make chronic absence a priority starting in the early grades

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FAIRFIELD – Solano County Superintendent of Schools Jay Speck has joined a nationwide Call to Action for Superintendents to make chronic absenteeism a priority this school year, agreeing to raise public awareness, dig deeper into attendance data, and work with community partners to improve school attendance starting as soon as children enter school.

via Solano County Superintendent pledges to make chronic absence a priority starting in the early grades.

The Reporter: Solano County joins program to fight truancy

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By Richard Bammer/ RBammer@TheReporter.com

In an effort to improve graduation rates, Solano County educators continue to call on students, parents and communities to boost school attendance by focusing on chronic absenteeism.

In October, educators signed on to a comprehensive effort, “School Attendance — Every Minute Matters: From Awareness to Action,” in hopes of stemming the problem. California has a graduation rate of 71 percent, ranking 42nd out of 50 states, based on the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Education.

Chronic absences occur when a student misses 10 percent or more of classroom instruction days, or about 18 days in a year, for any reason, including excused absences, noted Jay Speck, Solano County superintendent of schools.

via Solano County joins program to fight truancy.

Attendance Works: December 13 Webinar: Improving Health to Increase School Attendance

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by Hedy Chang

Attendance Works, in collaboration with the Healthy Readers Team of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading will host a webinar, Present and Engaged in the Early Grades: Improving Health to Increase School Attendance to discuss strategies for reducing absenteeism due to preventable health issues.

Jessica Tovar, Project Manager for the Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma, will describe how LBACA works with schools and community partners to reduce school absenteeism and hospitalizations due to asthma. In addition, Nurse practitioner Jill Kerr will describe her research demonstrating that outreach by nurses to parents of chronically absent students in the early grades can significantly improve school attendance.

via December 13 Webinar: Improving Health to Increase School Attendance.

SCOE’s Facebook Wall: Why is chronic absence so important?

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Solano County Office of Education’s Facebook Wall

Why is chronic absence so important? Research proves that students who are chronically absent in Kindergarten and 1st grade are far less likely to read proficiently by 3rd grade.

Read more about chronic absence on SCOE’s Every Minute Matters web page.

via Why is chronic absence so important? Research proves that students who are chron….