June Krunholz's new report on truancy in Education Next should curl some education reform toes:
California reported that 24 percent of its 6.2 million public school children, some 1.5 million kids, were truant (missing more than 30 minutes of instruction without an excuse at least three times) in 2008?09. Wisconsin disclosed that 15.4 percent of its high-school students were truant (absent without an acceptable excuse for part or all of five or more days during a semester) in 2008?09, including 62 percent of its African American students.
The New School calculated that 24 percent of New York City's 350,000 high schoolers had 38 or more absences in 2007?08 (the report didn't distinguish between excused and unexcused absences). Washington, D.C., reported that in 2008?09, 20 percent of its students were truant, that is, absent 15 days without an excuse. But the district also said that it missed counting about 10 percent of its youngsters, so the true number could be higher.
Could this have anything to do with our academic?problems?
It's a?sobering read?Krunholz is a former education reporter for the Wall Street Journal ?with a?Starbucks ending.
?Peter Meyer, Bernard Lee Schwartz Policy Fellow
