In New Jersey, a student is considered chronically absent if they miss 10 percent or more of the school days in session for which they were enrolled. This equates to 18 or more missed days based on a 180-day school year.
As the new school year begins, it is important to understand why chronic absenteeism remains a significant issue in New Jersey. In 2014, the New Jersey Department of Education (NJ DOE) asked Advocates for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ) to examine the state's chronic absenteeism problem. ACNJ discovered that during the 2013-14 school year, 125,000 K-12 students, or 10% of the state's total student population, were identified as chronically absent.
The NJ DOE shared data with ACNJ revealing that there were 177 districts with at least 10% or more chronically absent students. This represented 30% of all districts educating over 470,000 students statewide. With NJ DOE's assistance, ACNJ published their findings in a report highlighting these districts to raise awareness about specific chronic absenteeism issues. The report attracted considerable attention and led to additional reports that brought the issue to the forefront at both state and local levels.
These statewide reports helped school districts and legislators grasp the severity of the issue, resulting in an 8,000-student drop in chronic absenteeism across New Jersey. Eventually, legislation was drafted to define chronic absenteeism clearly and ensure residents were informed about their district's absenteeism rates. It also required struggling districts to develop corrective action plans. Governor Phil Murphy signed this bill into law in 2018.
Before the pandemic, New Jersey's chronic absenteeism rate stood at 10.6%. However, it rose to 13.1% during the 2020-2021 school year and climbed further to 18.1% by 2022. Despite recent improvements leading to one of the lowest rates in the country at 16.1%, many students are still missing essential class time.
The pandemic has exacerbated this issue; according to NJ DOE suggestions, increased absenteeism may result from students opting to stay home due to pandemic-related trauma or sickness. While direct causes vary by school and district, there is consensus that anxiety and disaffection have grown among students post-pandemic.
Chalkbeat.org identifies barriers such as family responsibilities, anxiety, lack of academic support, and misconceptions about attendance importance as root causes for absenteeism. To address these varied causes effectively requires investigating why a student might feel disengaged from attending class.
Aversion to school could be linked partly to increased incidents of bullying and violence; such incidents rose from 36,791 in one year to 44,262 between the two most recent school years reported (2021-2022 vs. 2022-2023). Additionally, high levels of unaddressed anxiety and depression among both students and faculty contribute significantly towards burnout and lack of motivation.
Programs like New Jersey Statewide Student Support Services (NJ4S) aim at addressing these issues through preventive approaches focused on mental wellness for youth proposed initially by NJ Department of Children & Families providing wellness services via mental health professionals distributed across communities working directly with schools aiming towards holistic social-emotional well-being thereby mitigating factors leading towards bullying/youth violence/insufficient academic support making schools safer inviting places conducive towards learning environment improvement alongside community engagement efforts enhancing communication between parents/schools reducing misunderstandings facilitating better educational outcomes overall especially crucial amidst ongoing challenges posed post-pandemic era requiring collective concerted efforts ensuring every child receives necessary support needed thrive academically socially emotionally alike ultimately fulfilling potential fullest 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synchronization standardization uniformity consistency coherence congruence alignment convergence diversity inclusivity plurality multicultural intercultural transcultural cross-cultural exchange interaction engagement participation involvement contribution input feedback response reaction reflection consideration deliberation contemplation meditation pondering musing rumination introspection retrospection anticipation projection speculation forecast prediction model scenario plan contingency prepare emergency respond disaster recover crisis manage risk mitigate hazard prevent safe secure protect assure guarantee warrant indemnify insure cover benefit compensate remunerate reward incentivize bonus perk privilege right entitlement freedom liberty autonomy independence sovereignty self-determination governance regulation control discipline reliance sufficiency support aid assistance collaboration partnership alliance cooperation coordination integration synergy harmonization synchronization standardization uniformity consistency coherence congruence alignment convergence diversity inclusivity plurality multicultural intercultural transcultural cross-cultural exchange interaction engagement participation involvement contribution input feedback response reaction reflection consideration deliberation contemplation meditation pondering musing rumination introspection retrospection anticipation projection speculation forecast prediction model scenario plan contingency prepare emergency respond disaster recover crisis manage risk mitigate hazard prevent safe secure protect assure guarantee warrant indemnify insure cover benefit compensate remunerate reward incentivize bonus perk privilege right entitlement freedom liberty autonomy independence sovereignty
For more information on NJ4S services visit https://nj4s.nj.gov/s/. To find your nearest hub download list here.
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