In his state of the state address on March 10, Governor DeWine shined a spotlight on chronic absenteeism. He noted that students with good attendance are “three times more likely to be proficient readers, nearly four times more likely to be proficient at math, [and] almost twelve times more likely to graduate on time.” It’s worrisome, then, that one out of every four Ohio students was chronically absent last year.[1]
Traditionally, Ohio only publishes attendance data once a year, when it releases state report cards in September. When those data are released, chronic absenteeism rates make headlines. But then the numbers get stale. They’re viewed as last year’s issue, not a current one. And that makes it easy for local officials, district and school leaders, and families to let their guard down and overlook the importance of daily attendance.
Access to real-time data could help. That’s why DeWine announced in his address that the Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) would be launching a new statewide attendance dashboard. The tool, he said, would provide administrators, educators, parents, and the public with “simple, fast, and transparent attendance data each week.” This information could then be used to take “actionable steps to improve attendance.”
The dashboard went live on April 15. As promised, it allows the public to track statewide attendance trends and chronic absenteeism rates by district, school building, and grade level. It offers a chart that displays absence trends over time via a line graph, as well as a table that displays results for the most recent week. Data can be disaggregated into four categories of students: Satisfactory (those missing less than 5 percent of class time); At risk (missing 5–10 percent); Moderate (10–20 percent); and Severe (more than 20 percent). Users can also compare results across districts. A leaderboard identifies top-performing districts and those trending in the right direction.
Right now, schools must choose to participate. Unfortunately, some are refusing. During the launch announcement, DEW Director Steve Dackin said that roughly 24 percent of districts hadn’t yet uploaded their data to the dashboard. Among them are two of Ohio’s largest: Columbus City Schools and Cleveland Municipal. They also happen to be districts where significant numbers of students—52.6 and 55.7 percent, respectively—were chronically absent last year.
Dackin noted that many districts haven’t uploaded their data because of technical difficulties. DEW is working with them to resolve those issues. But DeWine added that there are “a few schools who don’t seem to have a technical problem. They just have not gotten on.” Jocelyn Rhynard, a board member from Dayton Public Schools (DPS), told the Dayton Daily News that her district is “considering” participating. But she also “expressed trepidation with a system that she said leaves out a great deal of information about why some districts might have higher absenteeism rates than others, like a higher proportion of homeless youth or students in group homes.”
This is disappointing to hear from a district official for two reasons.
First, because it prioritizes adults over kids. Instead of viewing the dashboard as an opportunity to be transparent with the families who trust DPS with their kids, and the taxpayers who trust DPS with their hard-earned dollars, district officials are choosing to conceal data. It seems they’d rather avoid difficult questions than acknowledge a problem and provide evidence of their efforts to address it. They appear more interested in how the dashboard might make them look than what the numbers mean for kids’ futures. Remember, the dashboard is information-only. It has no ties to the state accountability system. Districts and schools that refuse to participate aren’t sidestepping state-leveled sanctions. They’re just shielding their attendance numbers from public view.
Second, because it’s a huge missed opportunity. The dashboard provides real-time data that district and school officials can use to identify issues as they occur and address them before they snowball into a bigger problem. Does a nearby district or charter school have better attendance numbers among its at-risk youth? Then schedule a visit, identify what’s working, and implement it. The dashboard makes it possible to learn from other schools. And since it’s updated weekly, district officials will have immediate feedback about whether their efforts are working. Moreover, as was the case in Rhode Island, real-time data can help mobilize not only educators and families but also lawmakers, hospitals, businesses, and other stakeholders who can offer additional support.
The hundreds of schools that have already submitted data deserve credit for putting students and transparency first. But if some districts continue to prioritize adult interests over those of kids, lawmakers should consider making the dashboard mandatory. Years of taskforce recommendations, attendance guides, and pledges have yet to move the needle. Real-time data could help—but only if everyone gets on board.
[1] Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing at least 10 percent of instructional time for any reason.
