Chronic absenteeism is a symptom of a lack of student engagement. Many students feel that schools are not welcoming places and that what they learn in the classroom is not applicable in the real world. Schools like Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center (the Met) in Rhode Island offer an alternative to educating high school students that taps into their need for connection to adults and the world outside the classroom. The Met is the first school founded by Big Picture Learning, which has grown into a network of public schools across the country and internationally. Its interest-based learning approach gives students opportunities to explore internships and projects based on their interests and passions. The students devote two days a week to internships during the school year.