Arizona schools are grappling with a significant spike in chronic absenteeism, with some districts reporting more than 30% of students missing at least 10% of the school year.
With nearly one-third of Arizona students absent for 18 or more days annually, state education officials have labeled the situation an emergency.
“The idea that a third of our students are missing 18 days of school or more is a real catastrophe and an emergency for our state," State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said in a recent press release. "We need radical efforts to solve this problem. We have to create a motivation for parents to be sure their children go to school. Parents don’t want their kids to fail courses or to miss out on graduating on time, and if schools would adopt those kinds of policies, we would see the parents motivated and a radical drop in absenteeism.”
While Horne is urging schools to adopt policies where a certain number of unexcused absences result in a student failing a course, and five tardies count as an absence, other experts disagree with implementing punitive efforts to resolve the issue.
“Effective approaches to chronic absence cultivate student and family engagement, so that families and students are not problems to be solved but are active in designing the solutions,” Hedy Chang, executive director of Attendance Works, said to Read On Arizona recently. “Evidence indicates that punishing students and families does not work to solve the problem.’
A complex problem
The factors driving chronic absenteeism are complex, interwoven with the social and emotional aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental health struggles, unstable housing, transportation difficulties and digital distractions top the list of issues affecting students' regular attendance.
Anne Tinklenberg, an elementary teacher from the Tempe Elementary School District, sees this firsthand in her classroom.
“I do not have substantial data to back this, but some students are late or absent because they are not sleeping well. They are up late on their devices and not able to wake up ready for school,” she explained. “I also believe the pandemic shifted the mindset a little that school attendance was not as important. Prioritize school attendance and have cell phones away in the evening and not in children’s bedrooms.”
Tinklenberg’s observations align with national research that indicates increased screen time among youth can disrupt sleep patterns and diminish academic engagement.
A recent study published in "Scientific Reports" indicated higher screen time correlates with delayed bedtimes, shorter sleep duration and poorer sleep quality among adolescents. These sleep disturbances are associated with decreased cognitive performance and lower academic achievement, underscoring the importance of managing screen time to promote better sleep and educational outcomes.
Comprehensive solutions on the table
Arizona schools and districts are beginning to implement strategic, evidence-based approaches to tackle absenteeism. Many or all of these strategies have been implemented with success in Buckeye Elementary School District, Tanque Verde Unified School District in Tucson, Window Rock Unified School District, Washington Elementary School District in Phoenix and the city of Phoenix Head Start Program.
Early Warning Systems
One effective method is the use of early-warning attendance systems. These systems use data analytics to identify patterns of absenteeism, allowing educators to proactively support students who show early signs of disengagement.
Family Liaisons
Another approach involves appointing family liaisons, staff members whose role is to bridge communication gaps between schools and families. They investigate underlying issues, connect families with social services and tailor interventions to individual student needs.
Incentives
Some schools are experimenting with attendance incentive programs, which reward students for regular attendance with privileges, special events or tangible rewards. Such programs have successfully motivated students across various districts nationwide.
Wellness Hubs
Yet another alternative includes schools establishing on-campus wellness hubs — spaces where students can access counseling, mental health services and social support without leaving school grounds. These hubs aim to address underlying psychological barriers to regular attendance.
Mentorship programs are also gaining momentum, pairing at-risk students with adults or peer mentors who provide ongoing guidance, support and encouragement, fostering a deeper sense of community and connection within the school environment.
Looking ahead
The Governor’s Educator Retention Task Force was convened by executive order to address educator retention challenges in the state of Arizona. The Task Force underscores the need for such supportive frameworks, highlighting that solving absenteeism requires community-wide collaboration involving families, educators, social services and policymakers.
"To lower chronic absence rates, many schools are more closely tracking attendance patterns so they can intervene early with students who are missing school before it escalates to chronic absence," said Lenay Dunn, senior research director at WestEd.
"Prevention and intervention strategies to address chronic absence should have evidence that they are effective, match the needs of the school and local community, and be tracked over time to ensure they are helping schools meet their chronic absence goals. The Arizona Chronic Absence Taskforce has a resource guide containing many evidence-based strategies for schools to consider."
As Arizona continues to tackle chronic absenteeism through multifaceted strategies, educators and policymakers hope to see attendance rates rebound and academic outcomes improve, ensuring brighter futures for the state’s youth.
Editor’s note: A grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation made this story possible. The foundation awarded 15 newsrooms to pay for solutions-focused education reporters for two years. Please send your comments to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
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