The Washington Post: Students who miss school get help, not punishment
Donna St. George of The Washington Post takes a look at a new program in Montgomery County, MD which aims to get kids back to class amid a national wave of absenteeism. Policy Attorney Danielle Robinette spoke to the impact of comparable programs in DC.
Even though the worst of the coronavirus pandemic may be finished, students across the country continue to rack up absences at alarming levels. An analysis released in October showed two-thirds of the nation’s schools faced severe absenteeism in 2021-2022, with no signs yet of a widespread rebound in the year that has followed.
In D.C., where several efforts focus on the issue, some have shown promising results but are small or underfunded, said Danielle Robinette, a policy attorney at the Children’s Law Center. She said programs with an individualized approach have been more effective than those that are punitive.
Photo credit: Matt McClain/The Washington Post
Our Impact on Children’s Education
Too often the District’s schools fail to provide students with physical, learning or emotional disabilities or children living in poverty with the right supports they need to succeed. We work with parents and schools to get a child’s education back on track – from ensuring testing for learning disabilities at a young age to making sure students with disabilities have an appropriate plan that meets their learning needs.