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Here are some of the things we’ve been reading about this week:

Higher chronic absenteeism rates linked to NAEP score declines.

Schools fine-tune services to address influx of migrant students.

North Carolina’s early education programs face the looming expiration of federal Covid relief funds, which could close programs and deny access to 155,539 children.

To read more, click on the following links.

Research & Practice

Higher chronic absenteeism rates linked to NAEP score declines
K-12 Dive: An analysis by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has found that increases in student absenteeism post-pandemic are linked to recent declines in NAEP scores. On average, 22% of 4th-grade public school students reported being absent for five or more days in the month before their 2022 NAEP assessments, double the percentage reported in 2019 before the pandemic. For 8th graders, the rate rose to 17% in 2022 from 8% in 2019. Absenteeism increased across demographics. While the analysis doesn’t claim that high absenteeism rates caused the declines in student performance, it suggests a clear association between increased absenteeism and lower NAEP scores. NCES researchers found that the increase in absenteeism was associated with a decrease in performance of one score point in each subject and grade. Chronic absenteeism is estimated to have doubled nationwide since the COVID-19 pandemic began, impacting about 16 million students by the 2021-22 school year.

Active children are more resilient
Science Daily: Researchers from the University of Basel found that school children who engage in daily exercise are better equipped to handle stress, especially during exams. In a study involving 110 children aged 10 to 13, participants wore movement-tracking sensors for a week and then completed stressful and non-stressful tasks in a lab setting. The results showed that children who engaged in over an hour of exercise per day, as recommended by the World Health Organization, had lower cortisol levels during stressful tasks compared to less active children. Even in the non-stressful task, the more active children exhibited lower cortisol levels. This suggests that regular physical activity may reduce the physiological stress response in children. One possible explanation is that exercise conditions the brain to associate cortisol increases with positive experiences, helping prevent excessive cortisol release during stressful situations like exams. The researchers also plan to investigate the impact of exercise on cognitive responses to stress. See Also: “Sports and play are even more essential for mental health after the pandemic”

Policy

Schools fine-tune services to address influx of migrant students
K-12 Dive: U.S. school districts are adjusting to an increase in migrant students, implementing various strategies to enroll and support them. Chicago Public Schools, for instance, is using mobile units to enroll newcomers, launching welcome centers, and arranging transportation to these centers from shelters. In August, the district enrolled nearly 1,200 newly arrived students and expects to enroll another 1,000 English learners. Other regions are also seeing higher numbers of newcomer students. In New York, 95% of school superintendents surveyed by the New York State School Boards Association anticipated challenges in providing instruction for English learners (ELs). Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Education has published a toolkit and is hosting webinars to assist schools and communities in meeting newcomer students’ needs.

More school districts are bringing back or adding police. Experts say it may not help
USA Today: In 2021, the D.C. City Council planned to phase out school resource officers by 2025, but they reversed this decision in May 2023 due to pushback from Mayor Muriel Bowser and concerns about safety. Similar reversals have occurred in other districts across the U.S., as some states have passed laws to increase police presence in schools, but finding qualified officers has become problematic amid law enforcement recruitment challenges. Additionally, recent laws have created concerns about the use of force in schools. Research suggests that the presence of school resource officers may not significantly improve school safety and has led to increased suspensions, expulsions, and arrests. The presences of school resource officers also may have disproportionately affected marginalized students.

Schools are cutting recovery programs as U.S. aid money dries up. Students are still struggling.
Chalkbeat: The significant federal pandemic relief money provided to schools is beginning to diminish, leading some districts to wind down programs like expanded summer school and after-school tutoring. The relief money, totaling approximately $190 billion, was intended to address COVID-19-related needs in education, including learning loss. However, the latest data shows that many students continue to lag academically due to the pandemic. Districts have until September 2024 to allocate the remaining funds, but some are already reducing or eliminating programs to soften the impact, anticipating a “funding cliff” in the next budget year. A survey of school system leaders indicated that many are cutting staffing for specialists like tutors and reading coaches and reducing summer learning programs. The effectiveness of the relief money in addressing learning loss varies, with experts noting that district decisions on spending have varied widely. Some school systems are trying to maintain COVID-era additions, while others are making difficult decisions about program cuts as the funding diminishes.

Around the Nation

School’s Back in Session. For Early Childhood Education in North Carolina, It Was Never Out
The 74: As K-12 schools and community colleges enjoyed summer vacation, early childhood programs continued, highlighting their fragility and necessity. Across North Carolina, these programs face a financial crisis as federal relief funds run out, threatening closures and the loss of access for 155,539 children and families. Advocates have requested $300 million to prevent this, but this funding has yet to be included in budget proposals. Many childcare facilities struggle to see a future within the current financial structure. Meanwhile, communities desperately need more childcare options. Despite these challenges, pockets of hope and awareness exist. Initiatives like Building Bright Futures aim to expand awareness and funding, while cross-sector relationships are forming in some areas, including partnerships with businesses, chambers of commerce, and philanthropic organizations. As stabilization funding edns, one of the biggest challenges is retaining staff, who are likely to leave because of low wages. In addition, the pandemic’s lasting effects, including developmental delays in children, create further stress for childcare providers.

The heat wave is shutting schools down just as kids return to class
The Washington Post: Schools in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast have experienced closures or early dismissals due to extreme heat, leading experts to predict more “heat days” in the future. Older school buildings without air conditioning become unbearable in high temperatures, making learning difficult and potentially dangerous for students. While Southern states have long had air conditioning in schools, many Northeastern cities didn’t consider it necessary when constructing older buildings. However, with climate change leading to hotter weather, the lack of cooling systems has become a significant issue. Recent examples include Philadelphia, where schools without air conditioning had to dismiss students due to extreme heat, and Baltimore, where similar schools released students early or moved to remote learning. In response to this trend, some schools are investing in air conditioning units, while others face budget constraints in upgrading their facilities. The increasing number of heat-related school closures could impact students’ academic progress. See Also: “Thousands Of Hawaii Classrooms Lack AC. The DOE Won’t Say Which Ones” 

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