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Getting Parents on the Same Page of Student Absenteeism
posted by: Cindy Omlin | August 30, 2016, 09:19 PM   

Whether it's due to illness, avoiding school bullies, dealing with challenges at home, or a host of other reasons students miss class, the fact remains that school absences can be incredibly disruptive to the learning process.

The time a student needs to invest in catching up is time that keeps them from moving on to the next, more complex building block of learning along with the rest of the class and can even make or break a student on the verge of failing. Not only can absences pose a major setback to students, teachers often struggle to make sure everyone is on the same page so that no classmates get left behind.

Teachers are keenly aware of the importance of school attendance, but too often there is a disconnect with laissez faire parents who neglect to understand the devastating impact of absenses.

That's why the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, and the Ad Council partnered to launch the "Absences Add Up" campaign - a public awareness initiative that aims to "empower parents with information and resources to help ensure their children attend school each day." 

This campaign comes on the heels of new research put out by the Ad Council which uncovered the eye-opening stats that nearly half (49%) of parents believe it is okay for their children to miss three or more days of school per month – and that they won’t fall behind academically if they do. 

Furthermore, nearly one in three parents surveyed said they could do more to ensure that their child attends school every day. 

The "Absences Add Up" initiative calls on states and local communities across the country to join in taking immediate action to address and eliminate chronic absenteeism by at least 10% each year, beginning with the current school year.

According to the Ad Council, over 6 million children are considered chronically absent each and every year. That's why it's critical that teachers get on board and do their part to reduce absenteeism in their classrooms. 

For more information about how you can get parents involved in reducing absenteeism in your classroom, visit absencesaddup.org. 

What do you think your school should do to reduce absenteeism?

Tell us in the comments below.

Originally posted by AAE.

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