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Regular Attendance-Every Day Matters

A blue background with the words 'EVERY DAY MATTERS' in white and orange.

When children and teens regularly attend school in person, they're more likely to develop their whole selves-personally, socially, academically, and emotionally. They're routinely able to connect with friends an adults, collaborate and problem-solve, make decisions, think critically, be creative, and engage in hands-on learning.

In other words, showing up matters!

  • Missed days add up quickly. Even missing just two days a month can cause students to fall behind. Students who regularly miss school can quickly feel hopeless, which makes it harder and harder for them to return to the classroom.
  • Chronic absenteeism reasons are understandable, but must be addressed. Troubleshooting the issues that are keeping students away from school can have an immediate positive effect on their attendance.

A graphic compares truancy and chronic absence, with text in blue and dark blue circles.

WHAT ARE THE ROOT CAUSES OF CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM?

Although the causes are varied and complex, absenteeism is typically symptomatic of a larger issue for students. Researchers Robert Belfanz and Vaughn Byrnes (2012) divide the reasons students miss school into four broad categories:

Barriers

Aversion

Disengagement

Misconceptions

Chronic and acute illness

Struggling academically or behaviorally

Lack of challenging, culturally responsive instruction

Absences are only a problem if they are unexcused

Family responsibilities

Unwelcoming school climate

Bored

Missing 2 days per month doesn't affect learning

Home situation

Social and peer challenges

No meaningful relationships to adult in the school

Lose track and underestimate TOTAL absences

Trauma

Anxiety

Lack of enrichment opportunities

Assume students must stay home for any symptom or illness

Poor Transportation

Biased disciplinary practices

Lack of academic and behavioral support

Attendance only matters in older grades

Housing & Food Insecurity

Undiagnosed disability or disability

Failure to earn credits

Suspensions don't count as absences

Inequitable access to needed services

Caregiver had negative educational experience

Need to work conflicts with bein in high school

 

System Involvement

 

 

 

Lack of Predictable schedules

 

 

 

Lack of access to technology

 

 

 

Community violence

 

 

  

 

Across the state of Oregon, school districts are combining efforts to improve attendance by improving collection of and analyzing data, creating school cultures that create meaningful adult relationships, building community partnerships, and partnering with families in assisting to remove barriers to attendance for students.