Chronic Absenteeism Could Be Cut in Half in 5 Years, Experts Say

Leaders from various states shared their ideas to improve attendance rates within five years.

A teacher gives students a lesson at Yung Wing School PS 124 in New York City, on Jan. 5, 2022. Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Chronic student absenteeism rates could be halved within five years if schools, families, and governments work together, a panel of education leaders and policymakers said during an American Enterprise Institute (AEI) panel discussion in Washington.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, too many Americans are viewing the decline in school attendance “as the new normal,” AEI’s deputy director of education policy studies, Nat Malkus, said during the July 17 discussion titled “Coming Together on Chronic Absenteeism: School’s Top Priority this Year.”