Chronic absenteeism has run rampant post-pandemic. The Biden admin is taking action
Members of the Biden administration announced funding and resources to help cultivate a “culture of attendance” in response to rampant chronic absenteeism – when students miss at least 10% of school – at an event for leaders in education at the White House Wednesday.
The White House held the Every Day Counts Summit to address the nation's hidden educational crisis. The share of chronically absent students spiked during the pandemic. It reached about 31% in the 2021-2022 school year, according to the administration. The Council of Economic Advisers calculated that this absenteeism could account for up to 45% and 27% of post-pandemic test score declines in reading and math, respectively.
“These students were smart. They’re capable, yet tough circumstances stood in the way of their full potential,” Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said at the Summit Wednesday. “We cannot afford to normalize that among our nation’s students today and this is a very crucial moment for academic recovery.”
In his remarks, Cardona encouraged applications for the $250 million available through the Education Innovation and Research grant program to curb absenteeism and increase student engagement. He also highlighted the administration’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget proposal which includes $8 billion in grants to help close achievement gaps and increase student attendance.
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The administration also made promises to soon make available additional resources to reduce absenteeism.
The Department of Education’s Institute for Education Sciences will release new resources supporting schools in using data and early warning systems to help identify patterns in student attendance and notify parents, the administration said. It added that the Department of Education will also work with the Federal Transit Administration on a resource highlighting ways to make bus and train transit a more viable option for students to get to and from school.
Rachel Barber is a 2024 election fellow at USA TODAY, focusing on politics and education. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, as @rachelbarber_
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden admin targets ballooning chronic school absenteeism