Strahinja Beljanski is a junior Honors College student at Rutgers University with a major in Criminal Justice and a minor in Legal Studies working towards law school and the broader legal field.

Nearly 1 in 7 students in New Jersey are chronically absent, missing at least 10% of the school year. While other states have made greater strides towards a full return to pre-pandemic absentee rates,  New Jersey is lagging behind, only further hurting groups ranging from minorities, the economically disadvantaged, suburban areas, rural communities, and students with disabilities.

Attendance is the prerequisite for learning. Without it, students bear the harmful short and long-term effects to their future outcomes as a result of learning loss. This issue, if left unchecked, has cumulative effects, where students suffer from compounded disadvantages as they become prone to declining academic outcomes with every passing school year. Addressing this problem as early as possible ensures students not only experience the fullest extent of their education, but academically apply themselves to the best of their capability.

Governor Mikie Sherril has rightly made improving education a priority, however her administration’s approach is not without its shortcomings. Her administration aims to secure higher student achievement and bring affordability to the forefront. Unfortunately, chronic absenteeism has yet to become a central focus. Leaving this major weakness in state oversight unresolved perpetuates the very issues outlined above. Affordability and curriculum discussions certainly matter, but curbing chronic absenteeism is a priority just as important as them. We must make sure our students are able to consistently attend our schools if they are to benefit from improved affordability measures and strengthened curriculums. The accountability the administration is seeking throughout the education sector ought to be extended to the attendance of every pupil.

While New Jersey might have one of the lowest chronic absentee rates in the country, it’s no excuse to ease up on providing support to the students most afflicted by  its associated learning loss, especially when the rates have yet to fall back to their pre-pandemic states. This is where other states have demonstrated better follow-through, such as Connecticut and Michigan. Their programs built to inhibit absenteeism have enjoyed greater successes than the current status of New Jersey education policy, with Connecticut having almost double the drop in post-pandemic rates and Michigan having nearly triple the drop.

Connecticut’s LEAP (Learner Engagement & Attendance Program) initiative involves paid home visitors, such as school staff or community organizations, being sent to chronically absent students’ homes or any agreed upon location to conduct meetings. These visits are meant to address a student’s needs and highlight any of their barriers to proper attendance. Whether it be issues of transportation, housing, or tech, this program aims to connect families to resources wherever applicable. After 6 to 9 months post-visit, students enjoyed increased attendance rates that ranged from 7% to 16%, depending on the grade level of the student.

Michigan’s P2P (Pathways to Potential) program was started to bring caseworkers into schools to address the needs of chronically absent students. Human services staff were integrated into their districts to monitor at-risk students, work alongside their families, and coordinate with school administration to better connect parents to available resources that aid in reducing any barriers to a student’s attendance. The program also saw similar successes to Connecticut’s LEAP initiative. The public school caseworkers helped reduce chronic absenteeism rates by nearly 8%.

These examples prove that being able to connect vulnerable families to the appropriate organizations and their resources is one of the most effective means towards curbing chronic absenteeism. While the programs yielded desirable results, there are caveats that New Jersey could capitalize on and produce even better initiatives of their own.

Aligned with Governor Sherrill’s goals of bolstering education fairness, New Jersey ought to focus their efforts as well as their education budgets towards supporting the most at-risk student populations within the most vulnerable school districts with new pilot programs before taking the time to plot out expansive statewide solutions. Once critical districts are addressed, broader implementation should be pursued. Most importantly, requiring attendance as a core district performance metric will not only keep districts accountable, it will also gauge which local intervention tactics produce the most measurable improvements. Having districts submit periodical attendance reports and strategic plans help set roadmaps as well as points for future evaluation. 

New Jersey can continue debating on how to improve education, but none of these conversations will matter if students aren’t in their seats. Before we ask how to teach our children better, we must first make sure they’re in the classroom. Students cannot benefit from the opportunities we create for them if they aren’t in the classroom to receive them. Attendance isn’t a peripheral issue, it’s the foundation upon which every other education reform depends.