Schools tackle absenteeism with new strategies

In last week’s meeting of the McCook School Board, Superintendent Grant Norgaard provided an insightful analysis of student absenteeism in McCook. His presentation focused on the trend of chronic absenteeism since the COVID-19 shutdown, highlighting that pre-pandemic rates were just under 8% in the 2019-2020 school year, while they have now surged to 23%. Recognizing the impact of absenteeism on student learning and overall academic success, Norgaard emphasized the importance of collaboration with parents and the implementation of new strategies to encourage student attendance. His goal is not just to penalize absenteeism but to support families and create an environment where students feel encouraged to be present in school.

Norgaard is not alone in addressing this issue. The Brookings Institution recently published an article examining how schools nationwide are exploring alternative approaches to attendance and discipline. In particular, the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) system has implemented restorative practices (RP) as a means of reducing suspensions and improving student behavior. Traditional exclusionary discipline methods, such as suspensions, have long been a default tool for managing classroom disruptions. Research, however, suggests that suspensions do not necessarily deter misbehavior and can, in fact, contribute to lower educational attainment and an increased likelihood of incarceration—often referred to as the “school-to-prison pipeline.”

In response, CPS introduced RP, which prioritizes understanding and addressing the root causes of misbehavior through dialogue and harm reparation rather than immediate punishment. Instead of removing students from the classroom, RP focuses on conflict resolution by facilitating discussions among students, teachers, and counselors. Between 2014 and 2019, CPS trained staff in 73 high schools to implement RP, leading to a significant reduction in suspensions and student arrests. The data suggests that minority students, who historically faced higher suspension rates, particularly benefited from the approach, experiencing fewer absences and improved school engagement. Furthermore, concerns that keeping disruptive students in school would negatively impact peers were largely unfounded, as test scores and school climate indicators showed no decline.

The challenges facing McCook are undoubtedly different from those in inner-city Chicago, but there are striking parallels in the efforts to rethink student engagement and discipline. McCook’s approach to absenteeism begins with small but meaningful interventions, such as sending postcards to families noting a student’s absence. The messages start with a simple message saying the student was missed before progressing to a more direct “Where were you?” This method mirrors the principles of RP by fostering conversations rather than defaulting to punitive measures.

Yet, there is a crucial distinction between McCook’s situation and Chicago’s. While many absenteeism cases in urban settings stem from disengagement or external socio-economic barriers, in McCook, absenteeism often occurs with the approval of parents. This presents an additional challenge: how to shift the perception of attendance from being a matter of convenience to a non-negotiable priority for student success.

As McCook moves forward, its focus on parent engagement and supportive intervention reflects a growing trend in education—one that prioritizes keeping students in school and fostering a culture of accountability through dialogue rather than punishment. While the scale and circumstances may differ, the underlying goal remains the same: ensuring that every student has the opportunity to succeed by being present, both physically and academically, in their school community.