Giving Compass' Take:

• Lori Higgins reports that research has identified causes of absenteeism in Detroit that schools alone can not adequately address.

• How can funders partner effectively to form supports for students in Detroit? 

• Learn more about the challenges of chronic absenteeism. 

How bad is Detroit’s student chronic absenteeism problem? Wayne State University researchers have identified eight conditions — such as poverty, unemployment, and even cold temperatures — that are strongly correlated to chronic absence, and the city leads all other large metropolitan areas in having the worst outcomes for almost all of those conditions.

The findings come with a key takeaway the researchers hope will prompt action: Schools alone can’t solve the problem of getting students to school every day, said Sarah Winchell Lenhoff, an assistant professor in the college of education at Wayne State University. And, the findings come during a critical time as the Detroit school district invests heavily in a number of efforts designed to get students in school.

Citywide, across district and charter schools, about half of the students are chronically absent — meaning they’re missing 18 or more days during the school year.

Lenhoff said what’s needed is a more coordinated effort that brings together policymakers, school district officials, charter school officials, community organizations, and community members.

Without it, the work being done by schools is “unlikely to make the huge difference we need to make,” Lenhoff said.

There is already a community-wide effort, called Every School Day Counts Detroit, focused on improving attendance in the city. Lenhoff said that effort includes the Wayne State research team, school districts, and several  community organizations, such as the Brightmoor Alliance, that are tackling attendance problems. But it needs more involvement from city officials and policymakers, she said.

Read the full article about keeping Detroit kids in school by Lori Higgins at Chalkbeat.