By Andrew Pillow

Much is made of initiatives to improve schools. However, if students don’t consistently show up, schools are fighting with their hands tied behind their back.

According to the U.S. Education Department over 6 million students are chronically absent. (Chronic absence defined as 15 or more days out of school)

This probably comes as little surprise to teachers in struggling schools as there is a correlation between attendance and achievement. It also probably comes as little surprise that the demographics of absenteeism mirror that of the achievement gap, with Blacks, Latinos, and Indigenous missing school at higher rates.

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