Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Office of Civil Rights estimated, based on data submitted by schools, that 27% of teachers nationwide miss more than 10 school days each year, labeling them chronically absent.
- The Washington Post reports districts in poor, rural areas and large, urban cities are more likely to see even higher rates, with the Alamance-Burlington School District in North Carolina reporting 80% of its 1,500 teachers missed more than 10 days of school in the 2013-14 school year and Cleveland reporting 84% of its 2,700 teachers did the same.
- While the problem is considered a crisis in some places, there isn’t a lot of information about why the numbers are so high — school climate problems may lead teachers to take more sick and personal days than they otherwise would, but predominantly female teachers may also simply be required to miss work more often to take care of their families.
Dive Insight:
When teachers are not in their classrooms, their lessons plans are often put on pause. Substitutes routinely do not get the respect lead classroom teachers do and they often cannot make as much progress as the teacher would have. Getting a handle on teacher absenteeism is as important as getting a handle on student absenteeism, which has gotten more attention since the Office of Civil Rights started asking schools to report those who are chronically absent.
When school climate issues impact teacher morale enough to contribute to high levels of absenteeism among staff, that is a major leadership issue. Administrators are the ones who can create positive working environments that inspire teachers to come to school every day. Still, teachers, like workers in a range of other fields, deserve the sick and personal days they are entitled to. Schools should also figure out ways to make substitutes more effective.