Hamilton Project Recommends Measurement of Chronic Absenteeism
October 28, 2016
The Hamilton Project authored a report recommending the measurement of chronic absenteeism as ESSA’s fifth indicator, which the authors identify as a choice states must make under ESSA to measure “school quality or student success.” The report evaluated accountability systems under NCLB and how improvements can be made to state goals. In a letter to the editor, Hamilton Project Director Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach argued “reducing chronic absenteeism among students” will prepare students for “participating in an economy that increases opportunity, prosperity and growth.” The group also released an interactive map detailing state-by-state percentages of students who are chronically absent from the classroom.