English language learners (ELLs) have seen some of the most dramatic jumps in chronic absenteeism in the country. While pre-pandemic, ELLs accounted for about 10% of chronic absenteeism, post-pandemic, that rate has risen to around 40%. This trend is particularly troubling since absences lead to delays in language acquisition, making it harder for students to acquire the fluency they need for both academic and social success.
Here are a few approaches schools can take to address chronic absenteeism among ELLs:
- Work with families first. Many ELLs are not able to attend school because of issues at home. Food and housing stability, a parents’ need for help with translation, a lack of childcare for younger siblings, and a need to contribute to a household’s income can all keep students out of school. By speaking with families about their needs and addressing those needs, not only are students able to attend school, they’re also able to escape the parentification that sometimes comes with being the child of immigrants.
- Implement home visits. Families from other countries may have experienced interrupted education and / or school systems that are oppressive, untrustworthy, or simply unavailable. Beginning these relationships with home visits with educators from the school who are fluent in the family’s home language or able to work with an interpreter not only establishes trust, but also helps families feel welcome in a new school. Additionally, home visits provide an opportunity for families to ask questions about the American school system and to learn about the importance of attendance in a nonthreatening, nonpunitive way.
- Improve translation services. Ensure that all school messaging is available to families in the languages of their choice. Many messaging programs provide translation services, and many districts have translators available to communicate in multiple languages during student conferences and other school wide events. Having translators available in community settings is especially important for making families of all backgrounds feel welcome.
- Provide regular clinics or help sessions for accessing benefits. Sometimes, students are absent from school because they need to help their families file forms for benefits that are only available in English, or to navigate bureaucracy that requires a fluency their caregivers do not yet have. By creating regular events or hubs for caregivers to sign up for benefits like food stamps and medicare or to access immigration services, the burden is taken off students, who are then free to concentrate on school.
- Host extracurricular activities and events celebrating home cultures. International nights, newcomer playdates, and after school clubs like international clubs or language clubs can give students and their families a way to connect to the school while celebrating their cultures and countries of origins. Activities like this make it clear that while students are expected to learn English, they are not expected to leave their linguistic and cultural backgrounds at the door – in fact, they are encouraged to bring them into classrooms and to celebrate them with the community at large.
