White House raises alarm on students’ chronic absenteeism

The White House is raising the alarm on students’ chronic absenteeism, saying there needs to be an “all-hands-an-deck approach” as the issue could be contributing to learning loss.

“A necessary step to ensure students benefit from all that schools have to offer is to support students’ consistent presence in the classroom—which is why the Biden-Harris Administration is focused on the issue of chronic absenteeism,” the White House said in a statement Wednesday.

Chronic absenteeism — defined as missing 10 percent or more of school days –—was exacerbated by the pandemic, with one study showing chronic absenteeism doubled over two years. 

The Council of Economic Advisers partnered with the National Center for Education Statistics to figure out the impact of chronic absenteeism on test scores.

The White House released a figure from the collaboration that showed the “observed association between absenteeism and test scores is large enough to account for 16-27 percent of the overall test score declines in math, and 36-45 percent of the declines in reading.”

It noted caveats to the data, including the unknown “extent to which the recent increase in absenteeism is a stand-alone, causal contributor to test score declines, and to what extent it is a symptom of other factors that could account for both the increases in student absenteeism and declines in performance.”

The White House pointed to some efforts to combat the issue, such as mailing outreach and texts to parents along with early warning systems. 

The administration says it has worked to combat chronic absenteeism through grant funds, technical support to states and schools, supporting mental health programs and working with the National Partnership for Student Success. 

“Ultimately, whether chronic absenteeism is a symptom or a cause — or both — of ongoing academic disruption, the evidence is clear that the road to recovery runs through the classroom,” the White House concluded.