Reply to MCPS has no idea what it's doing when it comes to chronic absenteeism

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Reply to "MCPS has no idea what it's doing when it comes to chronic absenteeism"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think there are a bunch of different problems being conflated and they all have different solutions.

One is that there is some degree of incorrect reporting.

Another is that there are kids who are very invested in school who make strategic decisions about skipping.  Mine do this all the time.  They might skip class if there is a sub; they know the teacher is offering just a study hall or watching a movie; it is a review for material they already know; or it is a teacher who just never teaches.  When they skip these classes, it is typically because other teachers have assigned a LOT of work and so they are trying to catch up; they have been out sick and are trying to catch up; they have a big test and want the extra time for study.  I did the same thing back in HS and I don't think it's a bad idea.  It does seem like they have more classes that are just "nothing is going to happen today" classes than I did.  My son has one class that is almost entirely independent study becuase the teacher doesn't seem to know the material and just gives the kids class time to work together to figure it out.  When he wants to skip that because he's exhausted, I'm not going to force him to sit through that.

Then there's the kids with chronic illnesses, who are desperate for an education, but MCPS does very little to facilitate that for them.  They are just considered chronically truant when they are dealing with serious chronic health conditions.

Then there's the kids that are really checked out of education and are ditching class to do....other stuff.  These kids really need a better solution.  Some of htem might just do better in a non-educational setting.  Some might do better if they had a lot more social services support.  Some might just need parents who really understand how little their kids are in class, so they can start to impose consequences.

I think until they break these numbers down into the different problems, it's hard to come up with a solution.  
[/quote]

The ability to analyze and break down complex problems in the way that you just did is not something MCPS leadership is capable of doing.[/quote]

I'm sure you are right, but it is indicative of the fact that chronic  absenteeism itself encompasses both problems and non-problems as well as issues that are MCPS's fault and issues that are the students'/parents' fault.  These things should not be conflated. We shouldn't be focusing on absenteeism itself, but rather the underlying problems.

For example, an actionable plan is: see if a chronically absent kid is failing major exams. If not, leave them be. If so, then see if they have a major health issue. If so, provide take-home materials so they can do the course at home. If not, only then start reaching out, bothering parents, implementation meaningful attendance enforcement.[/quote]

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