ATLANTA — State numbers show chronic absenteeism has dropped to a new post-pandemic low, and now the Georgia Department of Education is looking at how to keep those numbers declining.
Students marked absent for 10 percent or more of school days dropped to 17.7 percent. The Georgia Department of Education says it has been collecting data and surveys to determine what is working.
Deputy Superintendent for Whole Child Supports Justin Hill says the data can help schools with high levels of absences identify root causes.
“This has proven to be the most cost effective and that is improving how students are connecting and engaged academically, behaviorally,” Hill said.
Hill says schools can also use the data “to look out regional displays of data, all of the sub groups, looking at attendance teams, excused absences versus unexcused absences.”
The department says personal phone calls, texts and visits are more effective than robocalls when reaching out to families. It also says good food in school cafeterias can help motivate students to attend school.
Hill says when students can make friends, have fun and see how school benefits their future, they are more motivated to show up every day.
“We find it to be encouraging, in fact when we look at our dashboard that we launched, every single student sub group in the state of Georgia had a decrease,” Hill said.
Hill says the department has improved how it collects data to help schools identify the reasons students are missing class.
WSB Radio’s MaryRyan Howarth contributed to this story.