Truancy rates by school?

[Anonymous]

Is there a link where we can compare the rates between different schools specifically?

[Anonymous]

You can get it from DC school report card.

[Anonymous]

Sure, here you go:

https://dcps.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dcps/publication/attachments/DCPS%20Annual%20Attendance%20Report%20SY%202022-2023.pdf

[Anonymous]

The Ballou numbers are painful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Ballou numbers are painful.

It's the truancy rate for the bottom ten or fifteen percent of kids in the area. Everyone else lotteries out.

[Anonymous]

Why is Bard Early College so high?

[Anonymous]

Looks like More is a ghost school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looks like More is a ghost school.

It’s an alternative high school.

[Anonymous]

And no one has anything to say about these schools? Many of you look at the standardized scores so much and think the teachers are bad. But I mean if kids are missing 15,20,30,40,50,60+ days or are always late what do you expect?
Apologies for the tangent but where is the accountability for these parents and students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And no one has anything to say about these schools? Many of you look at the standardized scores so much and think the teachers are bad. But I mean if kids are missing 15,20,30,40,50,60+ days or are always late what do you expect?
Apologies for the tangent but where is the accountability for these parents and students?

I have never said I think the teachers are bad and I don't think that's a common criticism. DCPS has very strong teachers, and some of the higher-performing charters less so, but the selection issues dwarf those.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And no one has anything to say about these schools? Many of you look at the standardized scores so much and think the teachers are bad. But I mean if kids are missing 15,20,30,40,50,60+ days or are always late what do you expect?
Apologies for the tangent but where is the accountability for these parents and students?

Personally I never think: oh, the teachers must just be bad at that school. I recognize that standardized test scores are driven largely by factors outside of school. No matter the skill level of the teacher, students constantly missing class and then working years behind grade level when they do show up is extremely disruptive to the entire classroom and the ability to teach the curriculum. Who would want their child in an environment like that, if they can avoid it? The scores matter because they show where a teacher has any chance at effectively teaching grade level material and where students might have a cohort of peers to encourage and push one another to gain further academic knowledge and skills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And no one has anything to say about these schools? Many of you look at the standardized scores so much and think the teachers are bad. But I mean if kids are missing 15,20,30,40,50,60+ days or are always late what do you expect?
Apologies for the tangent but where is the accountability for these parents and students?

Here's a recent article talking about how council, mayor, and others are thinking about this problem and how to address it: https://wamu.org/story/24/03/20/how-is-dc-addressing-chronic-absenteeism/

I don't think anything they're considering is anywhere near enough, but at least it's on their radar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And no one has anything to say about these schools? Many of you look at the standardized scores so much and think the teachers are bad. But I mean if kids are missing 15,20,30,40,50,60+ days or are always late what do you expect?
Apologies for the tangent but where is the accountability for these parents and students?

Here's a recent article talking about how council, mayor, and others are thinking about this problem and how to address it: https://wamu.org/story/24/03/20/how-is-dc-addressing-chronic-absenteeism/

I don't think anything they're considering is anywhere near enough, but at least it's on their radar.

Thanks for this, I saw the mayor has a plan that doesn’t put all the ownership on schools. I have a couple of students who have missed 40+ days.
I call parents but it does not help the majority of the time.

I hope their plan includes supports for these families but some kind of actual consequence as well that doesn’t involve taking their child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And no one has anything to say about these schools? Many of you look at the standardized scores so much and think the teachers are bad. But I mean if kids are missing 15,20,30,40,50,60+ days or are always late what do you expect?
Apologies for the tangent but where is the accountability for these parents and students?

I have never said I think the teachers are bad and I don't think that's a common criticism. DCPS has very strong teachers, and some of the higher-performing charters less so, but the selection issues dwarf those.

As a teacher, it is hard to teach a child and help them improve and grow when they are not in the classroom regardless of the reason. Your boss wouldn't tolerate such high absenteeism, why should DCPS? Sadly teachers always get the blame.

[Anonymous]

On the chart do the numbers sum up? Ie are the 21 day absent students in the 1 day absent bloc?