Although students don’t face punitive consequences for excused absences, unexcused absences can lead to students being denied credit for missed work, excluded from extracurricular activities, and eventually taken to court and fined. Socioeconomically disadvantaged students are much more likely to have their absences labeled unexcused. This is also true for Black, Native American, Latino and Pacific Islander students relative to white, Asian American and Filipino students. Black students experience the largest disparity.
Author Archives: Hedy Chang
Hedy Chang is the executive director of Attendance Works, a national and state initiative aimed at advancing student success by addressing chronic absence.