Week 3: Chronic Absenteeism – Detroit Community-Engaged Research Program

Week 3: Chronic Absenteeism

Chronic Absenteeism is “missing at least 10 percent of days in a school year for any reason, including excused and unexcused absences”. – AFT

This week I did research on what my site does and what is their mission. Detroit Public Schools Community District- Office of Homelessness and Foster Care is focused on Chronic Absenteeism in the Detroit Public Schools. They gave me a study that was done by Jennifer Erb-Downward et al from Poverty Solutions at U of M on this issue and has learned that the Detroit Public Schools have the highest chronic absenteeism rate than any other city in the US.

Source: Singer, Jeremy, et al. “Detroit’s Uniquely Challenging Context for Student Attendance.” Wayne State University, 2019.

So with this information, my site is working on helping students who are experiencing Homelessness and/or Foster Care get the help they need to be able to attend school and graduate. They provide services such as transportation, hygiene kits, referrals to shelters, food, etc. I will be looking at attendance rates for a certain school year and coming up with interventions that can help decrease the chronic absenteeism rate in students who experience home instability. This will include being able to speak to these students and their families.

6 thoughts on “Week 3: Chronic Absenteeism”

  1. Hi Edisa, I loved reading about the work you’re doing! I’m excited to see what solutions you’ll come up with this summer.

  2. Hi Edisa,
    47.8% is astonishingly high. However, it does sound like your site is committed to giving practical aid to students in overcoming these obstacles. I look forward to hearing about what approaches are effective and which fall short when exposed to the real world.

  3. Hey Edisa! I’ve learned a lot about poverty and its impact on health from Poverty Solutions at U-M in my public health courses. I didn’t know that Detroit Public Schools have the highest chronic absenteeism rate in the U.S. I am glad to know that you are actively searching for ways to lower this rate and help out the kids and families who need assistance.

  4. Hi Edisa,
    Chronic absenteeism is such a sad and large problem in Detroit. I am glad that your org is doing the research and the work needed to combat this and hopefully lower the rate at which children have to miss school. I look forward to seeing what your future work looks like and the progress that you will make!

  5. Edisa,

    This is a really interesting topic that you got to learn about! It is really wonderful that the group that you are working with is doing great stuff to reduce chronic absenteeism. What do you think is the next step in addressing this problem? Did remote learning help or hurt this situation?

    1. Edisa Niyifasha

      I think it is to first look at who is being absent the most and see why. Then we can come up with ways or programs to help them miss fewer days. I think it made the situation worst but I have not seen data about it yet.

Comments are closed.

lsa logoum logo