Low Income Families and School Attendance by Christian Wilke

I’ve read about many issues pertaining to education and how they affect students.  Today, the issue that has captured my attention is the discrepancy in the income of student’s families, and how this plays a role in their attendance.  As a teacher myself, I know the importance of regular attendance, and the consequences that can result from perpetual absences.   Low-income households have more chronic absences, because of hardships financially on the family and other factors that stem from the lesser income.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there were 98,817 public schools during the 2009-2010 school year located within the United States (Balfanz, Chang).  Some of these public schools are found in districts that have many people that are impoverished, while other districts have very wealthy people in the districts.  So there is clearly a large discrepancy in the amount of money given to schools for all the things that they need.  There are students in these schools that are absent many times throughout the year, these are referred to as chronic absences.  This occurs when a student misses 10 percent or more of the school year, or in the previous year missed a month or more of school (Balfanz, Byrnes 3).  Students within the lower income school districts generally miss more school for various reasons such as economic factors or family reasons.  Income inequality in schools greatly affects attendance, as those who do not have as great an income are at risk for chronic absences and therefore development issues. 

These attendance issues are not normally caught by schools, because they do not have the funds to track student attendance for the school year.  As with my own school, most schools observe daily attendance or if a student is absent for a couple days in a row, then they will check on that student.  The problem with this system is that “it takes just two days a month to reach 18 days, or 10% of the school year” (Balfanz, Chang).  When students miss 10% or more of school per year, this places those students substantially further behind the rest of the class.  School attendance is by far the strongest predictor of course performance.  There was a study done that observed and analyzed student absences and how that affected student’s grades.  This study concluded, “that even moderate amounts of absenteeism had strong impacts.  Students with high test scores who missed two or more weeks of school per semester were more likely to fail than students with low test scores who missed a week or less of school” (Balfanz, Byrnes 25).  Being in school is extremely important for students and their well-being.  Students who are not regularly attending school become at risk for falling behind their peers.  It has been proven that even “children from low-income families with good attendance…gained more literacy skills than peers from higher-income families during kindergarten and first grade” (Balfanz, Byrnes 23).  It is crucial for students to attend class, as this will help their overall education.  Students who do not regularly attend class become at risk for having to repeat the grade, if they do not learn the skills necessary to pass.  As a teacher, it is difficult to watch students struggle because they cannot make it to class. 

Low-income students have many reasons for missing classes throughout the school year.  According to the National Association of Secondary School Principals there are some categories that they use to explain absences:

We use three categories to explain absences: discretion, aversion, and barriers.  With discretion, parents and students don’t understand how much attendance matters, schools lack a strong culture of attendance, or students simply have something else they would rather do.  With aversion, a child could be struggling academically, victimized by bullying, or dealing with anxiety.  And with barriers, students lack access to healthcare; have no safe path to school; lack effective transportation options; or face family responsibilities, housing instability, a need to work, or are caught up in the juvenile justice system.  (Balfanz, Chang). 

These reasons for not showing up to school can affect any child in America.  It is not just low-income or high-income students that these affect.  Parents who are scheduled to work a night or late shift at their job often return home exhausted.  As a result, they are unable to get up to take their child to school in the morning.  These absences add up, and can contribute to a child’s chronic absentee rate.  The category that affects low-income students more than other students is the barriers.  Some of these students, even ones that I have observed, do not have health insurance or families that can afford it.  As a result, these students become sick and stay sick for a longer period of time.  Some students are living in rough neighborhoods because that is the only district where their parents could afford to buy a home.  If the student if older, that student also might have to get a job in order to help provide for the family.  However, a higher-income student home would not necessarily need a student to start and keep a job to help pay the bills.  These students have many different issues outside of the classroom that can affect them, as well as those problems going on inside the school such as bullying and not feeling like being at school matters.  Students who are bullied do not want to attend school for fear that they will be teased, ridiculed, or even assaulted.  Due to an increase in bullying within schools, student absentee rates have been growing.  It is important to recognize these issues that students face, and equip them with the means necessary to be able to attend school regularly while facing these challenges.  Missing classes greatly affects students grades and test scores, placing them farther behind their higher income peers. 

          Ultimately, income inequality has an impact on student attendance in schools.  The studies have shown that students who show up to class on a regular basis do better in class than those who have a history of being absent.  Financial problems cause many students to have to start a job early in life to help pay the bills for the family.  Many other factors play roles in student academic achievement, but it begins with attendance.

Work Cited

Balfanz, Robert, and Vaughan Byrnes. The Importance of Being in School: A Report on Absenteeism in the Nations Public Schools. Rep. Getschooled.com, May 2012. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.

Balfanz, Robert, and Hedy Chang. "Content." A Focus on Attendance Is Key to Success. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.