CDE Field Trips - 4/17/24: Districts gather to tackle problem of chronic absenteeism

A group of about 20 administrators from six school districts gathered together in early April 2024 in Fort Morgan to discuss what has worked and what hasn’t in their efforts to get kids to stay in school.

The Colorado Department of Education has been bringing district officials together from across the state in what has been called “learning cohorts” to discuss various tough issues and to facilitate the sharing of best practices. The issues have covered the influx of newcomers and unfinished math to this cohort on chronic absenteeism.

The absenteeism cohort focused on effective practices to keep students connected to school and held four meetings, including the final meeting in Fort Morgan, where administrators shared ideas about how to battle the growing problem of chronic absenteeism. In 2022-23, nearly 270,000 Colorado public school students missed more than 10% of school, according to a CDE analysis.  This impacted small and large districts across a wide range of locations that saw large increases after the pandemic and were committed to improving engagement in their districts.

Colorado Education Commissioner Susana Córdova kicked off the meeting with a video message that underscored the importance of finding solutions to chronic absenteeism.

“Student attendance is one of the most critical issues educators are facing,” she said. “It’s going to take every one of us working together to turn around the trajectory of our state’s chronic absenteeism challenge.”

Studies show that students who attend regularly in kindergarten through first grade are more likely to be reading at grade level by third grade, students who are chronically absent in middle school are more likely to disengage and drop out in high school, and students with high attendance rates above 90% in ninth grade are more apt to stay in school and graduate with their peers.

A key step, said CDE Director of Dropout Prevention Johann Liljengren, is making connections with students and families and building expectations in the community around regular attendance. 

For example, Fort Morgan County School District created a support network for chronically absent students – enlisting community members to urge students to stay in school. The district deployed a retired judge, the district attorney, a school counselor and other district leaders to head an attendance review panel that meets with kids who have had attendance problems and work with them to find solutions to how to stay in school. The idea is to put the student in front of a caring adult to emphasize the importance of getting to class -- making those key connections.

The U.S. Department of Education recently cited the importance of attendance in recovery from the pandemic and listed crucial steps for districts and schools when working to cut down absenteeism: strengthen relationships with families, including through home visits; use a multi-tiered system of support and intervention, including an early warning system; create a positive school climate; and adopt a continuity of instruction plans.

“After the past few years of increased absenteeism, we are beginning to see the numbers fall, which is a testament to the hard work districts are doing,” Liljengren said. “The key is to develop good relationships with the families and act quickly when the telltale signs begin. The earlier we can act, the more likely that student will stay in school.”