CHRONICALLY ABSENT STUDENTS NEED AN ALTERNATIVE In the 1830s, Horace Mann saw public schools as a “crucible of democracy.” His goal was to have the state take over schools and increase taxes to pay for them.
It’s no secret that chronic absenteeism has skyrocketed since the pandemic. As The 74s Linda Jacobson writes, a new analysis of federal data released in late 2023 shows the problem may be even worse than previously understood.