May 31, 2019
Lost Days: Inside one rural California district’s effort to combat chronic absenteeism
In Paradise Unified, where the chronic absenteeism rate is 18 percent, Dena Kapsalis does what it takes to get students to come to school.
Topic
Chronic Absenteeism
Schools and districts across California are looking for models to bring students back to school. Students are labeled chronically absent if they miss at least 10 percent of the school year, or approximately 18 days. Missing school can have adverse consequences for a child as early as kindergarten. A growing body of research shows students with high rates of absenteeism are less likely to be able to read at grade level by the end of the 3rd grade, are more likely to drop out in high school and are less successful in college.