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Read the latest news stories, press releases, and opinion pieces to keep you informed about the state of education in the U.S., the ways we deliver on our mission, and the impact of our work on students’ lives. For media requests, please contact: Whitney Faison, 315-420-6049, FaisonW@cisnet.org.

Opinions

Jane Mentzinger

How to Help Students Find Their Way Back to Regular School Attendance

According to the latest data, 2 out of 5 Chicago Public Schools students were chronically absent during the 2022-23 academic year. That means they missed 18 or more school days. The district’s 40% chronic absence rate is 16 points higher than before the pandemic, and it represents more than 2 million missed school days. Like so many social challenges impacting our city, the phenomenon is unevenly spread.

Opinion | Dec. 9, 2024 Read more of How to Help Students Find Their Way Back to Regular School Attendance
Rustin Lewis

Tackling Chronic Absenteeism Requires Collective Action

As someone with more than 20 years of experience in youth development in DC, I have witnessed firsthand the importance of collective action in driving positive student outcomes, especially for our most vulnerable populations. As students across the District return to school, our city must come together to deal with a crisis that, if left unaddressed, will have long-term consequences for our children and our community.

Opinion | Dec. 2, 2024 Read more of Tackling Chronic Absenteeism Requires Collective Action
CIS Site Coordinator Marco and Alumnus Esteban

Being Present Matters: The Fight to End Chronic Absenteeism

This month, as 50 million public school students across the U.S. return to the classroom, it’s clear that the pandemic’s impact on students and families isn’t over. Four years after the shutdowns of 2020, millions of students are academically behind.

Opinion | Sept. 30, 2024 Read more of Being Present Matters: The Fight to End Chronic Absenteeism
Jessica Knapp (left) is executive director of CIS of PA

There’s an urgent need for “wraparound services” to support low-income students in Pennsylvania

Not all students have an equal chance to succeed. The socioeconomic achievement gap is a real phenomenon in which lower-income children are significantly less likely to succeed than their wealthier classmates. Poverty affects children’s brain development, causing challenges in paying attention and retaining information. Low-income students also attend schools with insufficient funding and resources, such as quality teachers.

Opinion | Feb. 5, 2024 Read more of There’s an urgent need for “wraparound services” to support low-income students in Pennsylvania

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