Map of the Day: Chronic Absenteeism in City Schools

The New School's Center for New York City Affairs issued a troubling report finding that "more than 90,000 children in grades K through 5 (more than 20 percent of enrollment) missed at least one month of school." And, "In high poverty neighborhoods, the number was far higher, approaching one-third of primary grade students." You can read the whole report here--PDF--but here's an excerpt from the executive summary:

There are many reasons for high rates of chronic early-grade absenteeism: health issues such as asthma, transportation problems (particularly for children with disabilities), and dislocations caused by eviction or traveling between homeless shelters. There are issues of family instability, such as a mother’s depression or illness. Absences are also associated with cultural issues such as language barriers, and with problematic family priorities, including extended family vacations during the school year. The schools themselves bear a responsibility for attendance, both in their attention to the issue and in their efforts to create welcoming places where children want to be and that parents respect and value.

Addressing these issues directly, alongside absenteeism, may not only improve school success in the long-term, but also strengthen families and improve the quality of many children’s lives.

The report notes that some schools in high-absenteeism districts have come up with ways to address the matter, by working with other community groups and trying to reach out to families or "seek[ing] intervention when problems are dire." The Bloomberg administration's report card grading system only values attendance as 5% of the total grade, "often masking serious problems," as the NY Times puts it. But the Bloomberg administration has also encouraged the schools and social agencies to share resources to help families and children.

Principals are responsible for student attendance, and the deputy mayor of education Dennis Walcott tells the Times, "You are going to have pockets of students and pockets of schools that have high rates of absence, and we can’t be afraid to go after that. Those principals will be held accountable for that. At the same time, I think as a system you see that there are schools that are very attuned to their attendance needs.”

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By Jen Chung in News on October 21, 2008 11:15 AM

Comments [rss]

NannyState

Poor people are particularly stressed out ( and not all of them are on "welfare" ) and they often lack the coping skills to deal with that stress ( which might explain why they are impoverished ). One way to deal with truancy is to ask the child to truthfully explain exactly why they are being absent so many times and try to find ways to help. Pointing the finger and trying to shame these people doesn't work. That tactic only works on the motivated, and the highly functional.

HUGO_MEGO

Look at all the hateful racist comments. I guess even neo-lib hipsters have a breaking point. LOL

MissPinkKate

"Absences are also associated with cultural issues such as language barriers, and with problematic family priorities, including extended family vacations during the school year."

If I had to choose between an extended family vacation and sending my kids to a shitty school in a bad neighborhood to bored every day, I would definitely choose the former.

midtown

I taught at two schools. One where the kids did their homework and worked very hard. They did well on standardized exams. All of the students were black. The school was in Africa --- where education is highly valued. I thought I was a great teacher.

I returned home and taught at a predominantly white school here. The kids did not care so much, often missed school, didn't do as well on standardized exams. I realized I was a mediocre teacher.

Point being - it is not about race, or about teachers or principals...but about the students' attitude towards school. And that starts at home.

I (mostly) blame the parents.

MrCow

7, are you kidding me?! underfunding is a huge problem. we have schools in new york that are falling apart, not enough books, teachers don't show up because they're not paid enough to care, the kids feel like they don't matter so they say fuck it and stop showing up.

has anyone ever read Savage Inequalities by Kozol???

nice job

Yeah I was going to mention that the color-coding is pretty funny if unintentional.

White neighborhoods: truancy free! Color them white.

Black/Hispanic neighborhoods: Kids here don't go to school. Color them brooooowwwwn.

zodak

"How did they come up with that color-coding???"

famdoc suggested the colors go from white=good to brown=bad.

(he was the director of the program (but he's not racist))

babyhitler

You know how much taxpayer money these fuckhead kids are wasting? they live in government subsidized apartments that cost pennies, get to go to school for free and they don't go. this is what's wrong with america.

tsol

How did they come up with that color-coding???

zodak

right, because only latin kids are absent from school. nobody else. just those damn foreigners. no, you're not racist. not at all.

(you sure pwned me on the typo, i guess you win this argument.)

Shinobi Shaw

The problem here is the system itself, between the brainwashing of the Idiot Box and Schools being places to 'recruit' or inbred future criminals.

The problem lies in the Education system *fundamentally* and other factors.

Wza

Educated US citizen who never missed school.

---------------------------->

Just thought I'd let you know famdoc.

:D

sowhtifithppnsitwll

i love blaming bloomberg for everything. and yes, asthma is a city related problem.

JRod5417

#19- Puerto Ricans are not immigrants because PR is a US Commonwealth. Just sayin'...

famdoc

Zodak: I was a director of a program in the NYC Public Schools that dealt directly with this issue.

There is nothing racist (please correct your spelling of this word) here: it is a statement of reality. Asthma is prevalent in poorer areas of the city and there are cultures that travel to home countries more than others.

zodak

famdoc, i like how you tried to mask your rascist comment, not bad, but not good enough.

sorry, slappy, parents are in charge & if they aren't, they are to blame.

there's a reason i wrote "district 12 represent," that was my childhood school district but my parents made sure i went to school.

famdoc

There are two major reasons for absenteeism, and this phenomenon is NOT new.

1) Illness, predominately asthma

and

2) The frequent migration and re-immigration of foreign-born populations (predominately from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic).

Principals have no power over these factors and it would be a mistake to blame them for this type of absenteeism. It is the responsibility of parents to obtain timely medical care for their asthmatic children and to avoid prolonged visits to their country of birth during the school year.

slappy

What ever happened to truant officers? Not fair to put it on the principals. Its not fair to just point to parents either. Of course, school is a socializing experience and "education" should include efforts to arouse in students the importance and pleasure of education, even if the parents are out to lunch. The problem is complex.

Splicer

The locations on the map tell the story. Notice how District 26, with its influx of Asian immigrants, has students that actually, you know, study. Probably because their parents will shame them into suicide if they don't. Or maybe it's cultural. Another generation and their hipity-hopity kids will be just as stupid and self-defeating as the ones in the "red" districts.

Mags

As a third grade teacher in East New York, I was always amazed by the excuses...

"We were up late in the laundromat and slept in."

"We were at a birthday party last night and too tired today."

"It was raining."

Parents would actually write me notes like that.