How should D.C. schools fix its chronic absenteeism problem?

Washington Post

20-06-2025

The June 10 front-page article 'Empty desks,' which focused on chronic student absenteeism in D.C., reflected problems experienced by school districts and communities around the country, especially in disadvantaged and underserved communities. As demonstrated in the article, teachers, school districts and policymakers have tried to get students back into the classroom by investing in mental health support, offering engaging afterschool activities and using referral programs to provide more comprehensive social support. However, with systemic barriers such as limited budgets, as well as overworked and underpaid school staff, the problem of chronic absences has become too big for educators or schools to solve alone.
Schools need a new way of thinking to meet the unique needs of students and help mitigate root causes of chronic absences with evidence-based solutions. A new framework developed by public health and education leaders from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Kaiser Permanente and Attendance Works offers a new path forward.
The framework outlines three guiding principles: calling for using integrated data to identify and address root causes; building cross-sector partnerships, including with health-care providers, community organizations and city agencies; and focus on strengths-based policies that promote prevention rather than punishment.
Some pediatricians already partner with D.C. Public Schools to receive secure reports about students who are at risk of chronic absence. They can then intervene early, identify root causes and connect families with the appropriate resources. States such as Ohio also have examples of health and education partners working together to improve outcomes for kids.
We can no longer afford to wait to solve this problem. We need to think bigger, use data, build capacity within the community, and implement evidence-based solutions and recommendations to address chronic absence. Our kids deserve it.
Catherine Falconer, Baltimore
The writer is U.K. Harkness Fellow in Health Care Policy and Practice at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The June 10 front-page article about chronic absenteeism in D.C. was a troubling read. One statement was particularly startling to me: 'For more than a decade, District leaders have linked school attendance to youth crime, saying tackling one will curb the other.'
It is sad enough that school leaders saw the connection between truancy and youth crime without success in tackling it for 10 years. But this connection was identified more than 30 years ago in Byron M. Roth's 1994 book, 'Prescription for Failure: Race Relations in the Age of Social Science.'
Roth, who was a professor emeritus of psychology at Dowling College, saw the combination of truancy, youth crime and teen pregnancy as the prescription for failure of those involved. For decades, our country has been preaching against truancy, youth crime and teen pregnancy.
Why has it taken the D.C. school system so long to put serious efforts into keeping teens in school and out of trouble?
Edward Stern, Bethesda
The June 10 front-page article about chronic absenteeism surfaced a critical connection between middle school truancy and crime — as well as many systemic failures in D.C. Thank you for naming afterschool programs as part of the solution.
Afterschool programs that offer mentoring, specifically, are proven to boost student attendance and engagement. We've seen that in action at Higher Achievement, where scholars in our program are 52 percent less likely to be chronically absent than their peers in D.C. public schools. Notably, we operate in several of the D.C. middle schools named in the article: Brookland, Ida B. Wells and Kelly Miller. Our staff and mentors have supported the friends and families of the children who were tragically killed in recent years with deep empathy.
There is a growing body of research demonstrating that well-trained, lasting mentoring relationships can help combat loneliness, depression and anxiety. The consistent presence of one caring adult outside the family is an antidote to a range of adverse childhood experiences. Further, as was mentioned in the article, the presence of consistent mentors can mitigate some effects of the shortage of counselors and social workers in middle schools.
Mentoring doesn't only improve school attendance, it also boosts academic performance. In fact, in two randomized controlled trials by MDRC, Higher Achievement demonstrated statistically significant results on test scores and report card grades.
And it makes sense to focus on middle schools. It's a critical time in a child's development. In fact, early adolescence is second only to infancy in neurological development. Lastly, in middle school, families and schools tend to give students more independence, and students begin to take bigger risks. This is normal and necessary for growing up — but they need support. With a mentor by their side, middle school students can take positive risks rather than dangerous ones.
To solve the truancy-driven crime challenge, every adult can play a part. To sign up to volunteer as a mentor, visit the DC Tutoring & Mentoring Initiative's website.
Lynsey Wood Jeffries, Washington
The writer is CEO of Higher Achievement, an academic enrichment and mentoring program that works in D.C., Prince George's County, Baltimore and Richmond.
Regarding the June 3 online Style article 'Trump asks Congress to defund PBS and NPR':
Proposed funding cuts to the Public Broadcasting Service threaten more than just access to local news — they also jeopardize a vibrant arts community across Virginia, Maryland and D.C.
WETA is a cornerstone of the Washington metropolitan area. Many local residents are familiar with the station through WETA Classical 90.9 FM (WETA Classical), which brings classical music to thousands across the region every day.
WETA Classical is a source of joy for classical music enthusiasts, amateurs and professionals. Hearing Mozart's stately Symphony No. 38 or Mendelssohn's lyrical Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64 on WETA Classical is always a true delight. Beyond entertainment, it serves as a cultural and educational institution, connecting musicians and fostering a sense of identity through programming such as 'From the Top,' which spotlights talented teen musicians.
I played violin in my middle and high school orchestras when I attended Fairfax County Public Schools. Classical music brings people together, and it should be easily accessible to everyone. Let's preserve funding for our public broadcasting so we can continue to enjoy art that makes our days a little brighter.
Alexander Weisman, Fairfax
The June 12 Metro article 'Singing the blue crab blues' must serve as a five-alarm fire for all who care about the largest estuary in the United States and its most iconic inhabitant, the blue crab. As the article noted, the latest annual report from Maryland and Virginia experts who monitor the species estimated the quantity of crabs at 238 million, the second-lowest cohort since they began yearly crustacean surveys during the 1990s. The article also noted that the drop-off touched adult male and female crabs as well as juvenile crabs, although the major concern was the decline in juveniles.
The Maryland and Virginia legislatures and agencies, which are charged with protecting crabs, must redouble efforts to save the crustaceans. The article noted that the population decrease's precise causes remain unclear, but they could include habitat alterations, particularly underwater grasses' loss, which are critical to young crabs; the increase in the presence of predators such as red drum and blue catfish; pollution runoff; and dramatic changes in current, wind and storm patterns. This situation is likely to be exacerbated because the blue crab's population decline is occurring just as the Trump administration dismantles programs for improving water quality and restoring underwater habitat essential to the creatures.
Maryland and Virginia's legislators must swiftly prevail upon Senate and House members to reverse President Donald Trump's misguided decision to eviscerate measures that are crucial to restoring the population of the beloved species.
Carl Tobias, Richmond
The writer is Williams Chair at the University of Richmond School of Law.
The Post's June 7 editorial, 'D.C.'s jail is a disgrace. Still.' astonished me.
It recounted the alarming conditions in the D.C. city jail reported by the D.C. auditor, and then appeared to support the upside-down approach to financing a new jail promoted by the mayor: private financing. This, while she pushes a plan to use $1 billion of public money to assist with building a new football stadium.
It seems to me logical that housing prisoners should entirely be a public financial and management responsibility. And it seems illogical to provide significant public financial backing to a highly successful business to build a new stadium for a football team. The mayor has got this all backward. The stadium investment should be borne by the individuals and companies that have been profiting immensely from that business for decades and have the capital to spare.
Bringing the Commanders back to D.C., with a new stadium where the old RFK Stadium stood, might or might not be a good idea, but asking the public to pay a significant chunk of its cost — while seeking an equivalent private investment for a new prison — is assuredly not.
Lee Epstein, Silver Spring