Across the state of California, enrollment is down 6% for the 2021-22 school year, or 160,000 students, according to the California Department of Education. And data from School Innovations and Achievement, a company that offers software and services to schools aimed at improving attendance, shows that chronic absence rates increased by 39% from March 2020 to March 2021 across SIA’s 33 California school district partners in 18 counties. Looks like our state has reached a new low.
As a parent, and a teacher, that leaves me asking, Where have all the children gone?
As a teacher of at-risk, socioeconomically disadvantaged students, I would venture to say that many are:
- home taking care of younger siblings because their parents can’t afford childcare
- home because their parents, who were told their children could not come to school because of the pandemic, have stopped trusting, or caring whether their kids attend, participate in or complete their education
- home because their parents don’t feel the outside world, including school, is safe, or
- without a home because of financial, physical or mental health hardships over the past two years
And truancy officers may, in some (rare) instances, follow up with those who are chronically absent. But what about those who aren’t even enrolled…students existing in some educational oblivion where they can’t be quantified or helped.
Because somewhere along the line of shutdowns and quarantines and “distanced learning,” it became acceptable to stop showing up. When life as you know it stops happening, the bar is lowered, compromise is commonplace, and the switch to survival mode is flipped. Rules are bent, dreams dissipate, and existence becomes shallow. If, as Greek philosopher Diogenes says, “the foundation of every state is the education of its youth,” our state’s foundation is cracking.
As a teacher who wants with all her heart to teach, love and guide any student who comes through her door, I ask, Where have all the children gone?
The foundation of every state is the education of its youth.
Diogenes
Because I’m still here. Ready to invite you in to a safe environment and feed your belly and your soul, and oh yeah, teach you some algebra and how to draft a thesis statement as well. And falling through the cracks is not acceptable to me. It should not be to anyone. Not the politicians, not the educational leaders, not the teachers, or counselors, or parents or the 160,000 who haven’t shown up yet. Life can be difficult, and scary, and dream-crushing, but it can also be rewarding and beautiful amidst the mess.
I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking about the 160,000. And I still hope they show up.
I find it interesting that some of the other obvious causes for not attending public schools weren’t mentioned. There are at least a half-dozen bigger reasons to bail on public schools, but I won’t mention them here lest I be labeled a domestic terrorist for disapproval of teaching racism to students. Typically, I’m right with you, but there’s more to it than you mention in your post.
I agree. There are thousands of children missing. No one knows where they are.
It’s heartbreaking.
xo
Wendy
Thank you for your shared concern here. It’s really troubling, and as you said, heartbreaking. Xx
Passionate OpEd on the current state of the CA education system.
You have such a big heart and I can tell you love your job because you love making a difference in the lives of those kiddos ❤️❤️❤️❤️
I love this:
“When life as you know it stops happening, the bar is lowered, compromise is commonplace, and the switch to survival mode is flipped. Rules are bent, dreams dissipate, and existence becomes shallow.”
This is the crux of the age of Covid. Scary to imagine the full impact on our childrens future mental and emotional health. 😳🙁
Powerful
Yes, the effects are still forming and lingering and waiting to make themselves fully known. I am really struggling to get my group of students to even show up. Showing up is 80 percent of life, righr? Xx
Hang in there Collette. Your presence and dedication makes a difference❣️🤗
It’s a mess here. It just feels like the system and needs of the Government is more important than the needs of every child. Teachers aren’t allowed to teach, children are allowed to be children. The result is too many are left behind or drop through the gaps. We need to get back to what works best. Great teachers like you teaching kids, those kids not able to get to school are catered for ❤️❤️