Student absenteeism has been a problem for at least a decade in schools around the country, and school officials report that student attendance rates worsened during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey of schools across the country found that 72 percent of public schools had higher teacher absenteeism rates than before the COVID-19 pandemic.…

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) wishes to remind states, districts, schools, students, staff, families, and guardians as well as communities about the importance of: (1) addressing the prevention of infectious disease in schools, including the seasonal flu, viral meningitis, enterovirus, and Ebola; and (2) ensuring the continuity of teaching…

This project focuses on the policies and practices of school boards (or mayors or others who govern public schools), and how their priorities can make a tangible difference in the academic success of kids living in poor communities. Instead of focusing on deficits of poverty, the researchers wanted to stress school board action as an effective…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Four More Years: Obama Wins Re-election, Plans to Continue Education Reforms Through Race to the Top, NCLB Waivers;…

Lists ways in which school districts enable teacher absenteeism and how these practices can be remedied. Includes limiting personal days, sick-leave provisions, and conference leave. (MLF)

This report makes policy implementers and educators aware of the importance of work attendance and its relation to student outcomes. It also encourages policymakers to better implement and supplement existing policies through different strategy options. The focus is on the Pacific region. Rather than recommending a punitive approach, the report…

The "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" examines what is arguably the single most powerful authority over the teaching profession: state government. This Colorado edition of the National Council on Teacher Quality's (NCTQ's) "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" is the first of what will be an annual look at the status of state policies…

Unavoidable absences of both students and teachers in college preparatory math classes adversely affected achievement and produced academic frustration in a moderately affluent urban high school. In order to reduce the frustration level and to promote continuity and meaningful activity on teacher absence days, videotaped reviews of material…