Maryland schools attempt to combat chronic absenteeism through initiatives, awards
BALTIMORE -- Some children who lived through the pandemic have found it difficult to return to a life where school dictates their schedule.
A new report from the Johns Hopkins University Everyone Graduates Center shows that attendance in the 2021-2022 school year was abysmal, noting that some children are missing too many classes.
Three-quarters of Maryland schools experienced a chronic absence among students. Half of Maryland schools saw 30% of students miss at least 10% of their school days, according to the report.
"A third of our students missed more than 10% of the school year," Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Myriam Rogers said.
Most of these chronic absences are occurring in Baltimore City, but the trend is prevalent in rural areas, too.
"To be chronically absent—that means you missed 10% of the school year, which is essentially a month of schooling," Bob Balfanz, a research professor at the School of Education Johns Hopkins, said.
This school year, the numbers are already trending up in Baltimore County.
To combat chronic absenteeism, Rogers has launched a campaign with activities and awards for attendance.
"Part of our work is to ensure that all students excel and reach their highest potential," Rogers said.
A joint campaign was launched at the beginning of this school year between the Baltimore mayor's office and Baltimore City Public Schools. Known as the "Mayor's Attendance Challenge," it offers trophies and special events to students as incentives.
The "Mayor's Attendance Cup" is awarded to schools that make efforts to improve attendance within Baltimore City Public Schools.
So far, efforts to entice students into returning to the classroom have not yielded promising results, according to the Maryland State Department of Education.
Nationwide, attendance is still not back to pre-pandemic levels.