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.