Obama administration launches new effort to combat absenteeism

Obama administration launches new effort to combat absenteeism

By  | October 9, 2015 
Education Dive

Dive Brief:

  • On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Education, along with the Departments of Justice, Health and Human Services, and Housing Urban Development, announced a new initiative to combat chronic absenteeism in schools.
  • The new effort will provide guidance to schools on how to handle absenteeism without resorting to suspensions, urging additional support instead.
  • The Education Department also announced its intention to release new school-level data on where students are absent for 15 days or more.

Dive Insight:

The announcement was also a soapbox moment for education secretary-to-be John King Jr. "We have to be thoughtful and careful to provide structure and support, rather than suspend or punish students who are struggling to make it to school every day," King said, as part of the announcment. "It sends the wrong message to tell a student who is not coming to school that they are unwelcome.”

King also urged schools to start taking action long before the typical chronic benchmark of 18 absences.

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