The Pandemic is Over, But Absenteeism Continues
According to data from the U.S.-based education think tank Future Ed, millions of students in the United States did not return to education following the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the preparedness of educators to reintegrate children into traditional learning environments and the allocation of billions of dollars by the U.S. government to assist students in compensating for lost learning, a considerable number of students in the United States continue to abstain from participation in education. The new absenteeism data from Future Ed reveals the devastating impact of the pandemic on students’ school attendance. Before the pandemic, during the 2015-16 academic year, approximately 7.3 million students did not attend school for at least three weeks in an academic year, and this situation was classified as “chronic absenteeism.” After the pandemic, however, this number has almost doubled.
According to Future Ed’s data, the rate of chronic absenteeism increased in every state where the data was disclosed, between the last pre-pandemic school year of 2018-19 and the 2021-22 school year. In California, for instance, the pre-pandemic chronic absenteeism rate of 12.1% in 2018-19 escalated to 30% in the 2021-22 school year. Moreover, experts have highlighted a range of intricate issues that schools have confronted for an extended period, and these challenges have become more evident in the aftermath of school closures. The most important of these issues is the weakening of positive learning conditions that encourage students to attend school, a consequence of ongoing high levels of chronic absenteeism during the pandemic. This situation indicates that students are experiencing a lack of physical and emotional well-being and a sense of safety.