学进去

The COVID-19 pandemic began in late 2019 and for the best part of two years, children were forced to learn at home, staring at computers. As they start the 2023-24 school year, a terrifying proportion still seem barely to be back.

According to a study published in early August, in the 2021-22 academic year 28% of schoolchildren missed at least three and a half weeks of school. The study, conducted by Thomas Dee, an education professor at Stanford University, found that “chronic (长期的) absenteeism”, defined as when a pupil misses 10% of the school year, almost doubled overall between 2018-19 and 2021-22. In Alaska, nearly half of all pupils missed enough school to be counted.

Explaining this is tricky. Students skip school for many reasons: lack of transport, poverty, the weather. But these are unlikely to have worsened recently. A more reasonable explanation for the lasting rise is that, having experienced remote learning, some students — and perhaps their parents — no longer think it necessary or even worthwhile to sit in a classroom. “It’s the same thing as in the workplace,” says a teacher in New Orleans. “Once you’ve gone down to only being there two or three days a week, coming back all five is hard.”

Attending school in person is important. Studies show that children who skip more school get significantly worse grades. One published by the Institute of Labour Economics by three American academics found that missing ten maths classes reduced the chance of a high school student graduating on time by 8%. Schools also connect pupils to important services. In Baltimore, schoolchildren can get free meals or be fitted for glasses through school, and their parents can be hooked up with social services. Educators can also spot if a child is being ill-treated or neglected. Pupils develop social skills in school, take part in after-school programmes and learn sports.

There are few easy fixes, though some look for them. Chicago Collegiate is encouraging attendance by giving pupils individual rewards and by holding class pizza parties. In Baltimore, Mayor Brandon Scott plans to award the school with the most improved attendance rate. Most teachers, however, are simply trying to adapt. “Our youngsters, the competition for their attention has never been more difficult,” sighs a teacher in a New York City middle school. The challenge, he says, is to “attract kids to school”.