Reclaiming our classrooms so students can learn

My sixth grade student Dalton wasn’t in school when his class went outside for an air temperature experiment in science. He wasn’t there when they analyzed photographs from World War II as part of a literacy lesson. And he wasn’t with his classmates for the Cleopatra papyrus-drawing activity in social studies. 

During one month this fall, Dalton missed half of it. There were doctors’ notes for his migraines, bouts of the flu, and even absences because members of his family were sick. He fell further and further behind, making it harder and harder for me to catch him up and for Dalton to feel confident about his academic progress.

Across Arkansas, about 21% of students are chronically absent, defined as missing 10% or more of the days in a school year. In my school district, 11% of students were chronically absent in 2023-24 and 25% in 2024-25. For every day that Dalton and students like him miss school, they lag behind on skills and content. 

The impact of chronic absenteeism has long-lasting effects on learners, including widening gaps in literacy and numeracy skills, and limited abilities to resolve conflicts and work cooperatively with peers. And the more they are away from classrooms, the more difficult it is to make them want to attend at all.

We must make student attendance a priority in Arkansas schools.

One idea is to increase mentoring programs so students like Dalton have trusted adults to look up to who make school more appealing. In my school, the male School Resource Officer (SRO) and male administrators mentor boys — including one of my students, Luis — to build their leadership skills. I was pleasantly surprised when Luis eagerly completed an assignment in which he had to describe himself and compare it to a list compiled by his mentor. He even asked for my help, so he could turn it in right away.

Offering creative opportunities in which students participate in engaging activities throughout the day, as well as after-school art, music, and other interest-related clubs, is another way to build connections so they want to be at school. Coaches involved in our community’s sports programs periodically visit my school to check in on our student-athletes. Our kids look forward to these pop-ins, motivating them to work harder on school assignments in my class. At the neighboring junior high school, some of my former students have joined the Dungeons and Dragons club, another way for them to stay involved and engaged. 

Lastly, to draw a throughline to students’ homes, schools should encourage family engagement. My school’s Parent Teacher Engagement Committee promotes family events, such as our Harvest of Hope Fall Festival, and creates fundraisers to support classrooms. 

We also host a family engagement night every spring where families can explore academic concepts, play games together, and gather information about community resources. During the most recent family night, I hosted a table in which families listened to students read summaries of their favorite books; I gave out free books as prizes at the end. Ever since, students ask me when the next family night will be held.

I hope that when the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Chronic Absenteeism Task Force begins to think about its recommendations for Gov. Sarah Sanders and other policymakers that it considers some of these ideas.

I’ve started a new tradition in my classroom: board games on Fridays, a fun, competitive experience that spurs my students to practice what they’ve learned. I’ve noticed that Dalton hasn’t missed a Friday for a while. It’s a small step that I hope will lead to more days in school. 

It takes a village to help students like Dalton. With more ideas on the table, initiatives, and resources, we can make sure that Dalton and every student like him comes to school again and again.

Editor’s note: Jessica Wiley is a special education literacy inclusion teacher and Dyslexia Interventionist at Morrilton Intermediate School in Morrilton. She is a 2025-26 Teach Plus Arkansas Senior Policy Fellow. The opinions expressed are those of the author.