CONNECTICUT, USA — Connecticut schools may have closed the books on pandemic-era protocols and teaching changes, but some of COVID's effects are lingering in the classroom.
One of the problems districts are still dealing with is chronic absenteeism.
State data shows that the percentage of K-12 students who are chronically absent is coming down after jumping during the pandemic. However, numbers are not yet back to pre-pandemic levels.
"It was a very serious issue because if the students aren't there, we can't teach them," said Fran Rabinowitz, executive director of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents.
Students are chronically absent if they are absent for any reason for 10% or more school days.
According to state data, 17.7% of students were chronically absent during the 2023-2024 school year, 87,397 students. This is down year-over-year for a second time from a pandemic high of nearly 24% during the 2021-2022 school year.
"When kids attend more, they learn more. We're seeing improvements in academics. We're seeing a drop in disciplinary referrals, suspensions, and expulsions," said Dr. Tony Gasper, superintendent of the Consolidated School District of New Britain.
The work continues to get chronic absenteeism back down to or even better than pre-pandemic rates. During the 2018-2019 school year, about 10% of students were chronically absent.
"I do think certainly the pandemic and what they were used to for a period of time was that freedom from school," said Rabinowitz. "That experience of the pandemic does have some lasting effects."
Rabinowitz said some districts are seeing the issue primarily among middle and high schoolers but also, much younger students.
"We still have the issue with kindergarten. I think parents are not as aware of how important kindergarten is," said Rabinowitz.
In 2021, the state launched the Learner Engagement and Attendance Program (LEAP) targeting 15 districts. LEAP is a research-based home visiting program that identifies and partners with families to improve student attendance and family engagement.
"What they're doing is they're hiring people that are working with the school district who are personally going out to the homes of the students and working with them to bring them back into school," said Rabinowitz.
An evaluation study of the program found attendance rates increased by four percentage points in the month immediately following the first LEAP visit for most students.
Attendance rates then continued to rise in subsequent months, reaching an average increase of approximately seven percentage points for students served in the summer of 2021 and nearly 15 percentage points for students served during the 2021-22 school year after six months.
According to the study, these effects were most noticeable in the Hartford School District.
Districts are also leaping into creativity to solve the issue.
"We do lots of raffles, bike giveaways, pizza parties, parent events at night, even peer-to-peer," said Gasper.
As the work continues, strategies are shifting in the post-COVID school-scape.
“School isn't what it used to be," Gasper said. "Perhaps when you or I were in school, it was kind of sit in a seat by yourself and do this paper work. School today is a lot more interactive these day. You just can't replace that by working on Google Classroom at home or working on worksheets at home."
"I think we have to work even harder to find engagement for these students in terms of career paths. Everyone is not going to a four-year college," said Rabinowitz.
Gasper and Rabinowitz said another piece of the partnership puzzle is family support.
"Students really need to understand that there are adults that are really concerned about them being in school," said Rabinowitz. "We need the partnerships of families, for them to say, 'Hey, this is really important for your future. You need to get up. You need to get to school. That's your job right now, and it will pay off in the future.'"
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Angelo Bavaro is an anchor and reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at abavaro@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook and X.
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