Poverty a Barrier
Poverty has negative impacts on school attendance. According to Hedy Chang, director of Attendance Works (attendanceworks.org), 90% of students with severe attendance problems are from “low-income” families. Findings show unstable housing, limited access to healthcare, poor transportation, unsafe paths to school, inadequate food and clothing and poor quality of schools are poverty related barriers to attendance. These findings should direct us, and policy makers toward remedies that address the real causes rather than faulting the parent or student for truancy.
When looking at preschool students Chang advises to target early interventions to those students who miss 2 days in the first 2 weeks of school or 2-3 days in the first month. Four days in 2 months would be a “red flag” for an effective intervention plan. It is this construct of not waiting for more disappointing results that is critical.
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