Would you believe that teachers may be in the classroom more throughout the school year, but still miss several days of school? Some teachers are even absent 18 or more days.
U.S. News reports:
Teachers nationwide are in the classroom 94 percent of the school year, but students may still be getting shortchanged by the more than 1 in 10 teachers deemed to be chronically absent, according to a new report released by the National Council on Teacher Quality on Tuesday.
Using data from 40 large school districts across the country from the 2012-13 school year the NCTQ found that, on average, teachers missed nearly 11 days out of a 186-day school year. This is considered frequently absent. Still, 16 percent of those teachers missed 18 or more days – equivalent to about 10 percent of the school year – and were considered chronically absent, the report found.
“Generally there’s good news, and the average attendance rate reflects that,” says Nancy Waymack, managing director of district policy for NCTQ. “But it’s being dragged down by teachers who are chronically absent.”
Previous research from the National Bureau of Economic Research has shown that when teachers are absent for 10 days, there is a significant decrease in student outcomes. The decrease, Waymack says, makes the difference between students having a brand new teacher and one with two or three years of teaching experience.
Like BlackAmericaWeb.com on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.
REGISTER NOW for the 2014 Allstate Tom Joyner Family Reunion taking place August 28- September 1, 2014 in Orlando, Florida! For booking information, call 407-248-9191.
(Photo Source: Thinkstock)
