As enrollments drop, city after city is facing pressure to close half-empty schools. Fewer kids means fewer dollars. Consolidating two schools saves money because it means paying for one less principal, librarian, nurse, phys ed teacher, counselor, reading coach, clerk, custodian 鈥� you get the idea. Low-enrollment schools end up on the chopping block because they鈥檙e the ones that typically cost more per pupil.

But there is another way to cut costs without closing underenrolled schools.

First, it鈥檚 worth noting that small schools needn鈥檛 cost more per pupil. Our school include examples of small schools all across the country that operate on per-pupil costs comparable to those of their larger peers 鈥� some even delivering solid student outcomes.

But here鈥檚 the catch: These financially viable small schools are staffed very differently than larger schools.

There鈥檚 a 55-student school near Yosemite that spends about $13,000 a student 鈥� well under the California state average. How do they make it work? One teacher teaches grades 2, 3 and 4. There鈥檚 no designated nurse, counselor or PE teacher, and rather than traditional athletics, students learn to ski and hike.

A quick glance at the many different financially viable small schools across different states reveals that staff often wear multiple hats. The principal is also the Spanish teacher, or the counselor also teaches math.

Also common are multi-level classrooms. When my kids attended a small rural high school, physics was combined with Advanced Placement physics, which meant my 10th and 12th graders were in the same class, but with different homework.

Sometimes schools give kids electives via online options, send them to other schools for sports or forgo some of these services altogether. Some have no subs (merging classes in the case of an absence). Sometimes the schools partner with a community group or lean on parents to help in the library or to coach sports.

Done well, smallness can be an asset, even with the more limited services and staff. Whereas a counselor might be critical in a larger school to ensure that a student has someone to talk to, with fewer students in a small school, relationships come easier. Teachers may have more bandwidth to assist a struggling student.

What isn鈥檛 financially viable? A school with the full complement of typical school staff but fewer kids. These aren鈥檛 purposely designed small schools; rather, they鈥檙e underenrolled large schools (sometimes called ). The Los Angeles Unified School District, for instance, has a slew of tiny schools spending over $30,000 per pupil. Such schools vary in performance, but all sustain their higher per-pupil price tag by drawing down funds meant for students in the rest of the district. In the end, no one wins.

With so much aversion from parents to closing schools (witness, for example, , Chicago, San Francisco, , Pittsburgh or Denver), we might expect more districts to adopt these nontraditional staffing models as a way to save costs and keep families happy.

In some cities, it鈥檚 the that are offering just that: smaller, nontraditional programs that make it work without extra subsidies.

Some will argue that nontraditional schools (including charters) won鈥檛 work for every student. Districts must take all comers, including English learners, families needing extra supports, those wanting a full athletics program, specialty autism services and so on. That said, the idea here is that larger districts needn鈥檛 offer those services in every school, provided they鈥檙e available elsewhere in the district.

But it鈥檚 these larger districts that are the most wedded to the uniform staffing structure. It鈥檚 so deeply embedded in job titles and union rules, as well as program specifications and more.

Tolerating small, nontraditional schools would mean letting go of some of that rigidity and accepting the idea that schools can be successful without all those fixed inputs. And it might mean reducing some staff who believe their roles are protected when enshrined in a staffing formula. On the flip side, if the school in question has higher outcomes, and the choice is to close it or redesign its staffing structure to transform it into a more intentionally small school, parents and students may accept that trade if it means preserving the school community.

It would also mean changing budgeting practices so that what gets allocated is a fair share of the dollars per pupil 鈥� in contrast with allocations based on standardized staffing prescriptions.

The last decade saw a big push for inputs-based models, including 鈥渆very school needs a counselor鈥� or 鈥渆very school needs a nurse.鈥� As enrollments continue to fall, these inflexible one-size-fits-all allocations stand in the way of keeping small schools open.

None of this is to say that every school should remain open. Many will inevitably close. But for some of those that deliver solid outcomes for their students, perhaps now is the right time to rethink the typical schooling model. 

Tardiness, absenteeism or 鈥渟ubjective鈥� offenses like defiance or disrespect, should not result in a suspension, the guidance said. And children with disabilities removed from regular classrooms for more serious offenses, or because they could harm themselves or others, must continue to receive special education services. Officials touted the materials, including a Q&A and examples of how to provide behavior support, as the most detailed guidance on students with disabilities the department has released.

鈥淭his work is especially urgent now as our schools and our students and families continue to heal from the pandemic,鈥� said Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. 鈥淭he disruptions of the last two years have led to a sharp increase in students experiencing mental health challenges.鈥�

Recent that despite the drop in suspensions during remote learning 鈥� and recent trends toward restorative practices 鈥� students with disabilities have been disciplined more during the pandemic than their peers without disabilities. At the same time, educators said this past school year was marked by an increase in student misconduct. According to , roughly half of schools surveyed blamed the 鈥減andemic and its lingering effects鈥� for increases in classroom disruptions, rowdiness and disrespectful behavior. Many students with disabilities, however, also missed out on services required by their individualized education program, or IEP, during the pandemic 鈥� services that could have mitigated behavior problems, . 

The guidance also follows a May announcement that the Office for Civil Rights will update Section 504 鈥� a 45-year-old civil rights law meant to protect students with disabilities from discrimination. 

Students with a 504 plan don鈥檛 always qualify for special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. But in their comments, Cardona and Catherine Lhamon, assistant secretary for civil rights, stressed that both are subject to laws preventing discrimination.

鈥淭he department is making a statement that school districts need to provide these protections even if they have not identified students with disabilities,鈥� said Dan Stewart, an attorney with the National Disability Rights Network. 

The documents represent the first of two parts focused on discipline. Later this summer, the department is expected to release guidance focusing on racial disparities in discipline. Some expect it to echo Obama-era guidance that many thought overreached because it threatened schools that ran afoul of the policy with a civil rights investigation. 

Tuesday鈥檚 release notes that states, under the law, must measure whether there is significant disproportionality in discipline, based on race and ethnicity, of students with disabilities, and  raises the possibility that districts could be subject to a civil rights investigation 鈥渋f there is question regarding whether school districts are imposing discipline in discriminatory ways.鈥�

Michael Petrilli, president of the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute and a vocal critic of the earlier guidance, said there are students who are identified as having an 鈥渆motional disturbance鈥� because of their behavior.

鈥淲e shouldn’t be surprised if they continue to misbehave, and get suspended or expelled at higher rates,鈥� he said, adding that any civil rights investigation of a district is a 鈥渇orm of punishment鈥� and that districts might 鈥渦nder-discipline their students with disabilities 鈥� especially those with emotional disturbance 鈥� in order to make their statistics look better.鈥�

But he acknowledged the new document takes a more balanced approach. 鈥淸The Office for Civil Rights] is trying to be clear that it doesn’t want schools to be hamstrung in terms of dealing with safety issues, or kids that are disrupting the learning of others.鈥�

Selene Almazan, legal director for the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, agreed, noting that the guidance doesn鈥檛 鈥渦ndercut鈥� schools鈥� ability to remove a student with disabilities for disciplinary reasons. 

鈥淪chools have always had at their disposal the ability to discipline students who present an immediate danger,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think this ties their hands.鈥�

Daniel Losen, director of the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at the University of California Los Angeles, argued that the earlier guidance, which former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos rescinded, was not an overreach. Critics, he said, 鈥渃omplained that any disparity would be regarded as discriminatory.鈥�

鈥楧idn鈥檛 have a full understanding鈥�

Katy Neas, deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, noted that over the past year of and holding listening sessions with educators and parents that staff turnover was resulting in an increase in discipline that removed students from school.

鈥淭here are so many new people in new roles that didn鈥檛 have a full understanding of what the law required,鈥� she said, adding that the guidance should help families and schools work toward appropriate services. 鈥淏ehavior is often a sign of communication when something鈥檚 not right.鈥�

The guidance, for the first time, addresses what are known as 鈥�,鈥� such as shortening a student鈥檚 school day, even when parents haven鈥檛 agreed to a change in the student鈥檚 special education services. A normal school day for a student with disabilities shouldn鈥檛 be any longer or shorter than it is for those without disabilities, the guidance said.

鈥淚nformal removals have been lurking in the shadows for quite some time,鈥� Stewart said, adding that the department鈥檚 attention to the issue is a monumental step forward鈥� and 鈥減uts districts on notice that the department is going to take these things more seriously.鈥�

The guidance also notes that students who have been removed from school while awaiting a threat or risk assessment 鈥� a practice that schools are increasingly using to prevent violence 鈥� are still protected under IDEA. 

鈥淪ometimes districts say, 鈥榊ou can’t come back until you get a letter from a doctor or a psychologist that says you鈥檙e OK to return,鈥� 鈥� Stewart said. 鈥淭hat places the burden on the parent. That鈥檚 a removal. That鈥檚 an expulsion.鈥�

Advocates also praised the guidance for making a strong statement against restraint and seclusion of students, saying that the department is 鈥渘ot aware of any evidence-based support for the view that the use of restraint or seclusion is an effective strategy in modifying a child鈥檚 behaviors that are related to their disability.鈥�

And while the controversy surrounding the issue hasn鈥檛 changed, the pandemic offers up a troubling new context: Districts are reporting spikes in , violent attacks on school employees and blatant disregard for school rules.

鈥淭here is certainly a much higher level of dysregulation in our kids,鈥� said Rico Munn, superintendent of the Aurora Public Schools in Colorado. He added that educators usually expect students to fall into a routine and follow rules by September. 鈥淲e weren鈥檛 hitting that until spring break.鈥�

The education department is expected to update its policy in two parts. One will focus on students with disabilities, who are significantly to be suspended and expelled than non-disabled students. The other will address racial gaps in discipline 鈥� a reality that persists in many districts despite over the past decade to keep students from being removed from school and often referred to police.

Advocates for students鈥� educational rights are eager for the department to make a strong statement against discipline that keeps students out of the classroom.

鈥淒iscipline is inherently an authoritative tool used to punish students for being what an adult has decided is disobedient,鈥� said Denise Stile Marshall, president of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, which focuses on the rights of students with disabilities. 鈥淭here is a lot of research on this, but simply put, punitive school discipline does not improve student behavior or academic achievement.鈥�

If that sounds familiar, it鈥檚 not accidental. The person leading the department鈥檚 effort is Catherine Lhamon, assistant secretary at the Office for Civil Rights, the same position she held under President Barack Obama. Seth Galanter, who worked with Lhamon during the Obama years, has also returned to the civil rights office after four years at the National Center for Youth Law.

In 2014, the Obama administration issued a saying that schools where Black and Hispanic students were disproportionately removed for disciplinary reasons could be in violation of federal civil rights laws 鈥� even if those students misbehaved at higher rates. 

Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos rescinded that guidance in 2018, siding with those who called the move and said it misinterpreted meant to prevent discrimination.

The Biden administration comes to the issue not only more sympathetic to the idea of restorative justice, but in the midst of a pandemic that has seen an increase in student misbehavior. One said student behavior was so 鈥渁bysmal鈥� that educators were afraid for their safety.

鈥楢 year of disrupted schooling鈥� 

That鈥檚 one reason why Michael Petrilli, president of the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute, that the department should hold off on new guidance, arguing that districts shouldn鈥檛 have to fear a federal investigation for removing disruptive students from the classroom. 

The pandemic, he noted, was worse for low-income Black and Hispanic students, who were more likely to attend schools that had been closed longer. 

鈥淭he very same students that have more catching up to do after a year of disrupted schooling are also facing the prospect of a more challenging learning environment if schools are hesitant to remove problem students,鈥� he wrote. 

Others say the pandemic shouldn鈥檛 interrupt the administration鈥檚 efforts to revisit the issue of bias in school discipline.

鈥淚t is always a good time to say that racial discrimination is wrong [and] that children with disabilities have the right to be alongside their non-disabled peers,鈥� said Liz King, the senior program director for education at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. 

She thinks the guidance should reflect showing police in schools don鈥檛 reduce gun violence but do increase suspensions, expulsion and arrests of students 鈥� especially for Black students. She wants the department to take a stand against seclusion and restraint of students and 鈥渓ean in” to the rights of Black and Hispanic girls and LGBTQ students.

Black girls are five times more likely than white girls to be suspended from school at least once and four times more likely to be arrested at school. A 2016 from advocacy group GLSEN found that LGBTQ students are suspended at higher rates than non-LGBTQ students. 

鈥楢bsolutely a dance鈥�

The Obama-era guidance embraced so-called restorative justice practices that aim to give students a chance to build stronger relationships, work out their grievances and make amends for their actions in lieu of suspension. Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have passed laws supporting the model, according to the at Georgetown Law School. 

on such programs was mixed, but a more from California showed restorative practices can shrink Black-white discipline disparities and are associated with higher grade point averages in high school.

But 鈥済ood discipline is very expensive鈥� and hard to implement with the 鈥渞egular teacher allocation in the school,鈥� said Elliott Duchon, former superintendent of the Jurupa Unified School District, near Los Angeles. 

His district launched a multi-year effort to reduce suspensions and expulsions after federal officials found that Hispanic students were more likely to be suspended than white students.

Los Angeles Unified鈥檚 restorative justice program costs $13 million a year, according to the district, and funding for the Oakland district鈥檚 program 鈥� considered 鈥� was almost cut until the city and private funders stepped in to pick up the cost. 

Critics of alternative discipline practices argue the Obama-era guidance created tension between teachers who make discipline referrals and administrators who send students back to class without any consequences.

鈥淚t鈥檚 absolutely a dance,鈥� said Jacqueline Shirey, at-risk coordinator for the Beaumont Independent School District in Texas. 鈥淚f we are going to say that students can鈥檛 leave, what are we doing to help the teachers?鈥�

With that in mind, Shirey began training teachers last fall to set up 鈥渄e-escalation鈥� spaces in their classrooms 鈥� a desk with a box that includes stress balls, 500-piece puzzles and writing materials. 

鈥淚 saw a way for students to learn how to manage their own emotions before it became disruptive, and I didn鈥檛 want students to leave my classroom to do that,鈥� she said, but added that ground rules are necessary. 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 implement it with a purpose, then it really does become supplies in a corner that students can play with.鈥�

When students returned last fall, some administrators decided it was important to take a business-as-usual approach to discipline. 

In Nashville, Hunters Lane High School Principal Susan Kessler said her teachers 鈥渆nforce dress code this year and every year鈥� and that it helps in 鈥渕aintaining school culture, enforcing building security and reducing distractions in the classroom.鈥�

Other school leaders factored in the impact of school closures on students鈥� behavior.

Aaron Eyler, principal at Matawan Regional High School in Aberdeen, New Jersey, brought his staff together in September for a frank conversation about what to expect when students returned. 

He told them not to worry about trying to 鈥渨in the battle鈥� against students wearing hoodies and hats. And he wasn鈥檛 surprised to see more of what he referred to as insubordination, like students wearing Airpods and being late to class. The point, he said, was to keep students from missing even more instruction.

鈥淲ith 鈥� what happened last year and the lack of consistent structure,鈥� he said, 鈥渢here was no way we weren鈥檛 going to have greater instances of discipline than what we鈥檙e accustomed to in school.鈥�

Ronn Nozoe, executive director of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, said any guidance from the department is likely to 鈥渞uffle feathers,鈥� but he added, 鈥淵ou never want to tie the hands of folks who are actually doing the work.鈥�

Between 2016 and 2021, the average GPA for students taking the test increased from 3.22 to 3.39. But scores on the ACT I 鈥� reflecting performance in English, math, reading and science 鈥� declined slightly, from 20.8 to 20.3. The trend was especially noticeable among Black students and those from low- to moderate-income homes.

The results, based on a sample of over 4 million students in almost 4,800 schools, reflect 鈥減ersistent, systemic,鈥� grade inflation, wrote the authors, both researchers at ACT. Following a recent from the National Assessment of Educational Progress 鈥� or NAEP 鈥� the ACT analysis provides further evidence that grades, which often include points for effort and class participation, don鈥檛 reflect objective measures of academic achievement.

The study found more grade inflation in higher-poverty schools. Edgar Sanchez, a lead research scientist at ACT, said it鈥檚 unclear why that鈥檚 the case and called the study 鈥渁 starting point.鈥�

But Seth Gershenson, an American University researcher who has the issue, attributed the problem to what President George W. Bush 鈥渢he soft bigotry of low expectations.鈥� Schools, Gershenson said, award passing grades 鈥渁nd let someone else deal with the lack of learning later on.鈥�

His research also showed growing grade inflation over time in wealthier schools, where 鈥渕ore entitled parents and students鈥� are putting pressure on teachers to give A鈥檚 so students can get into top colleges.

It鈥檚 unclear to what extent the relaxation of grading standards during the pandemic affected the study鈥檚 outcome, wrote the ACT researchers. California students, for example, were allowed to change their lowest grades. And reduced how much scores on end-of-course tests counted in students鈥� final grades. The authors noted that students who tested in the middle of a pandemic, especially the spring after schools shut down, 鈥渃ould be different from typical tested students鈥� and also from those who didn鈥檛 test until 2021.  

At a time when more colleges and universities are making both the ACT and SAT for admission, ACT CEO Janet Godwin acknowledged the risk that the paper鈥檚 argument in support of standardized testing might seem self-serving, 

But she said the company has 鈥渁 responsibility鈥� to contribute to the conversation.

鈥淲e have the means and the data to do this kind of research,鈥� she said.

Michael Petrilli, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a conservative think tank that has published Gershenson鈥檚 work, agreed that ACT has 鈥渁 big dog in that fight.鈥� Regardless, he agreed that current trends in grading are leaving students less prepared for higher education.

鈥淭he heart of the problem is that there aren’t any standards or guidelines for grading in most places,鈥� Petrilli said. 鈥淭eachers are on their own, and don’t get much, if any, guidance. Nor do they get much training in [education] schools.鈥�

鈥業n the dark鈥�

Parents rely on grades to give them an accurate portrait of their children鈥檚 performance 鈥� especially since they are given more frequently than annual state tests, said Bibb Hubbard, founder and president of Learning Heroes, a nonprofit that helps parents become better informed about their children鈥檚 progress. 

But many parents might not understand that grades are sometimes more about effort than knowledge, she said. 

鈥淲hen we ask teachers why they don’t share more with parents about student achievement, they report it is fear-based 鈥� fear of not being believed, of being blamed and of their principals not having their back,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he system is designed to keep parents in the dark about their child’s grade-level performance.鈥�

In recent years, some districts have adopted an approach known as 鈥渟tandards-based grading鈥� that educators say offers a more accurate measure of whether students are meeting expectations. It takes the emphasis off non-academic factors like turning in assignments early and attendance 鈥� practices that can vary from teacher to teacher.

The 3,000-student Pewaukee School District in Wisconsin, outside Milwaukee, implemented such a model in 2015. Students are graded on a one-to-four system, with one representing below expectations and four indicating advanced performance. 

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 want students鈥� grades dependent on whether they brought in a box of Kleenex,鈥� said Danielle Bosanec, the district鈥檚 chief academic officer. 鈥淲e wanted kids to stop chasing grades and start chasing learning.鈥�

Parents bought into the plan because it allows students more than one chance at a passing grade on an assignment or test so long as they can demonstrate the additional work they did after their first try. The district agreed to convert final scores into letter grades for transcripts.

Bosanec also conducted her own research to test the connection between the new grading model and ACT scores. In general, she found that in a standards-based model, 鈥渁s students鈥� grades go up or down, the impact on ACT scores follows suit.鈥�

Despite the studies pointing to grade inflation, there鈥檚 no 鈥渨idespread evidence that institutions have lost trust in GPAs,鈥� said David Hawkins, chief education and policy officer at the National Association for College Admission Counseling. What colleges crave, he said, is more context. 

In the future, he thinks, like research projects or class presentations 鈥� used widely in some states like New Hampshire in lieu of tests 鈥� could become part of the admissions process.

鈥淭here is more to be mined from the student鈥檚 high school record than we鈥檙e currently getting,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e missing a lot of data about what students can do.鈥�

But the upbeat mood belies the more serious reason that brings many of them here: They鈥檙e missing too much school. A short distance from southern California鈥檚 famous theme parks, the bright blue stucco building has become an extension of the Buena Park School District鈥檚 response to soaring absenteeism. The club is a place to make friends and for many, offers the only stability they鈥檝e had during the pandemic.

鈥淲e are serving a need that the school hasn鈥檛 been able to fill,鈥� said Luz Valenzuela-Trout, director of operations.

The district鈥檚 partnership with the club is an example of the extensive steps many educators nationally are taking to track down students missing school and reverse unprecedented levels of disengagement. But those efforts are rubbing up against the sheer scope of the problem. Chronic absenteeism has hit 40% in, New York City and Los Angeles, and is reaching dangerously high numbers in many districts in between.

鈥淭he pandemic radically changed norms about going to school,鈥� said Emily Bailard, CEO of , a company that partners with school districts to improve attendance.

It has compounded issues that have always contributed to absenteeism, from lack of food at home to bullying in school, she said. Many teens began working or added more hours at their jobs to help out their families. Now educators 鈥渉ave to be able to address four or five things instead of one or two.鈥�

Elsie Brise帽o Simonovski, the Buena Park district鈥檚 director of student and community services, sometimes scours apartment complexes with granola bars in her pockets to round up children who might otherwise not make it to class. She escorts families to gas stations to fill up their cars 鈥� courtesy of a state grant that covers fuel costs if parents show they鈥檙e taking their kids to school.

Yvette Cantu, the district鈥檚 chief academic officer, said even high-achieving students have racked up more absences than usual during the pandemic. Such students often thrive on positive feedback from adults, she said, something they missed during closures and quarantine.

鈥楩or no reason鈥� 

In some districts, chronic absenteeism far exceeds the 10% a year that typically defines the problem. In March, the U.S. Government Accountability Office showing that over a million teachers 鈥� nearly half 鈥� had at least one student during the 2020-21 school year that never showed up for class. 

Some educators say they haven鈥檛 seen any improvement since then.

Jenevieve Jackson, a digital photography and video teacher in the Orange County Public Schools in Florida, has some students who have only been in class twice the entire year. Others have racked up over 80 absences. 

鈥淢any of the absences are for no reason. The students who were not that excited about school in the first place are even less motivated,鈥� Jackson said. The district hired 鈥渋ntervention teachers鈥� to help struggling students, she said, but 鈥渢hey鈥檙e often used to cover the massive teacher and sub shortage and to proctor exams.鈥�

Schools are under pressure to reduce chronic absenteeism because most states track it for federal accountability purposes. Those rates, however, offer little information about what schools are doing to improve attendance, according to Jing Liu, an education professor at the University of Maryland. 

He thinks that needs to change. In published by the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute, he recommended reporting attendance in a way that goes beyond chronic absenteeism. He proposed an 鈥渁ttendance value-added鈥� measure that would reveal schools鈥� contributions to reducing absenteeism and offer 鈥渁 much fairer鈥� comparison.

Focusing on ninth graders, Liu analyzed 16 years of attendance data from a diverse, urban school district in California with 60,000 students. On average, students in the sample 鈥� he would not identify the district 鈥� missed 79 class periods each year, or roughly 11 school days. 

But when he disregarded characteristics that schools can鈥檛 control 鈥� like race, gender and poverty level 鈥� attendance rates leaped by 28 class periods, or about four days, in schools with a strong value-added result. In some schools, the average rates increased as much as eight days. 

Todd Rogers, a public policy professor at Harvard University who studied absenteeism and launched , said the concept 鈥渟eems like an amazing idea.鈥� Nudging parents to get their children to school and showing them how absences add up 鈥� Rogers studied 鈥� only reduces chronic absenteeism by 10% to 15%. 

鈥淭here’s no silver bullet, so the goal is to do everything you can that works,鈥� he said.

But for the time being, schools are struggling to address the problem in front of them.

鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be really hard in the short term until behaviors and school norms stabilize,鈥� Rogers said.

鈥楾he heavy lift鈥�

In the Metro Nashville Public Schools 鈥� with a 30% chronic absenteeism rate this year 鈥� Carol Lampkin, the district鈥檚 director of attendance services, said students are less likely to come to school if their teachers are absent, a problem that has intensified with staff members out because of COVID.

The issue has fueled creative approaches to reminding parents of the importance of keeping their children in school. Staff members recently gathered at a local Baptist church as part of their newest strategy 鈥� offering information on COVID vaccines, housing and transportation assistance in hopes of pinpointing the reasons children miss school.

Families whose children have at least half a dozen absences were more likely to get an invitation or a knock on the door, urging them to attend the event.

鈥淭he idea was to take the heavy lift off of the schools,鈥� Lampkin said. 鈥淥ur schools, our teachers, our principals 鈥� are dealing with so much.鈥�

Lampkin thought grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, served while DJs spun family-friendly tunes, would be more effective at getting frequently absent students back in class than stern warnings about truancy. 

Sonya Thomas, executive director of Nashville PROPEL, a parent advocacy organization, said she appreciates what the district is trying to do, but thinks officials could be overlooking important reasons students are absent. 

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it has anything to do with affordable housing,鈥� she said. She urged educators to ask themselves, 鈥淲hat does the school culture look like when [students] enter the building?鈥� 

She鈥檚 worked with families whose children have been suspended multiple times this year for dress code violations, and she recently held a to draw attention to a Black student who reported being called the N-word by a paraprofessional. (A spokesman for the district said the employee has been placed on administrative leave and will 鈥渇ace appropriate disciplinary action鈥� if the report is substantiated.)

鈥淲e鈥檝e got to dig deeper. Is that child being bullied at school?鈥� Thomas asked. 鈥淚s that child feeling like they鈥檙e not doing well?鈥�

Liu鈥檚 research backs up Thomas鈥檚 concerns. Examining three years of survey responses from students, he found that the most likely way to improve the value-added measure was to increase their sense of safety at school.

Meanwhile, Simonovski in Buena Park developed her own method of recognizing schools for reducing absenteeism. Instead of just giving awards to those with the highest attendance 鈥� which meant a lot of repeat winners 鈥� she highlights schools showing the most improvement.

Winners get what she described as a sort of 鈥淧ublishers Clearinghouse鈥� ceremony 鈥� balloons, certificates and trays of treats. 

That tells schools, 鈥渨e鈥檙e paying attention,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd we鈥檙e celebrating these checkpoints with you.”

Lead Image: Boys did their homework in the teen room at the Boys and Girls Club of Buena Park. The local school district鈥檚 partnership with the club is addressing chronic absenteeism. (Linda Jacobson)

The High School Transcript Study, from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, shows that high school graduates鈥� overall scores in math declined between 2009 and 2019, while science scores remained flat. 

Only students taking the most rigorous math courses 鈥� including precalculus or higher 鈥� scored at the proficient level. But even their average score declined from 189 to 184 over the 10-year period. During that same decade, the typical high school senior鈥檚 graduating GPA rose .11 points to 3.11, or roughly a B average.

Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, which administers the NAEP program, suggested that the content of high school courses is not always 鈥渁s advertised.鈥�

鈥淎lgebra I is not Algebra I just because it鈥檚 labeled Algebra I,鈥� she said during a Tuesday call with reporters, but noted that the reasons behind the mismatch are complex. During a separate interview with 社区黑料, she added, 鈥淲e do have evidence from prior investigations that these courses may say they’re doing one thing, but they鈥檙e suspect about the rigor.鈥�

The good news, she said, is that more students of all backgrounds are taking higher-level courses 鈥� often because schools require them for graduation. She also noted that the average scores of Black students taking calculus have increased, from 161 to 177.

The lack of alignment between NAEP results and student performance in high school is not a new phenomenon. Officials reported the same trend in 2009, Carr said.

GPAs have increased for all racial groups over time, but since 1990, the gaps between Black and white students and Hispanic and white students have increased. The study also shows that students are earning their highest GPAs in career and technical courses or in those described as 鈥渙ther鈥� 鈥� not in the core academic courses measured by NAEP. 

The findings, based on a sample of 14,300 graduates from 1,400 public and private schools, follow a series of NAEP results that point to sagging academic performance for the nation鈥檚 students. Data released last fall showed disturbing declines among 13-year-olds in both reading and math between 2012 and 2020. And the gaps between the highest- and lowest-scoring students have grown over time. More students, however, are taking tougher courses in high school. The percentage taking 鈥渕id-level鈥� or rigorous courses, including Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses, has climbed since 2000 from 46 percent to 63 percent.

Some say the mismatch between students鈥� grades and NAEP performance reflects that students earn credit for tasks that don鈥檛 necessarily reflect learning. Others argue the traditional A-F grading system is and that grade inflation is rampant: Higher grades might boost students鈥� confidence and increase graduation rates, some experts say, but leave them less prepared for college.

Seth Gershenson, an associate professor of public policy at American University, who studied in 2018, said the pandemic has probably exacerbated grade inflation, but added he hasn鈥檛 seen any recent data on the issue. 

鈥淟earning decreased, but a variety of pressures likely kept grades from dipping too hard,鈥� he said. The current NAEP study only reflects scores and GPAs prior to the pandemic.

Carr said her team is already considering what adjustments they鈥檒l have to make when they conduct the next transcript study in 2024, since it will focus on students whose education was disrupted by the pandemic, when many students completed courses online. Most districts across the country shifted to policies that kept grades from slipping below what they were when schools shut down in March, 2020. Some students also had opportunities during the 2020-21 school year to raise their lowest grades. 

In Ohio鈥檚 Oberlin City Schools, near Cleveland, high school history teacher Kurt Russell said there was some pushback from teachers at his school when administrators decided to give all students an A or a C on the work they submitted once schools shut down. 

But even before the pandemic, he said he noticed a shift toward allowing students to make up assignments that were significantly past due. 

鈥淚n the past, it was a 0 in the gradebook. Now I see a lot of teachers giving full credit for assignments that are very tardy,鈥� said Russell, one of four current finalists for National Teacher of the Year. His policy is to knock off a letter grade for each day an assignment is late. 

鈥淚 think we still need to hold our students accountable,鈥� he said.

Gershenson also studied teachers鈥� in 2020 and found that students learn more when teachers are tougher. 

鈥淭eachers who set a higher bar for a good grade had students who went on to learn more, even after they left that teachers’ class,鈥� said Michael Petrilli, president of the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute, which published the study. 鈥淪tudents learned to exert more effort. They inferred that their teacher held high expectations for them. Teachers face a ton of pressure to give easy A’s. Those that don’t are real heroes.鈥�

Non-achievement factors 

Some experts who study grading policy note that teachers traditionally consider a lot more than a student鈥檚 academic work when assigning final grades.

Matthew Townsley, an assistant professor of educational leadership at the University of Northern Iowa, said there鈥檚 a 鈥渨idening disconnect鈥� between GPAs and standardized assessments because course grades reflect a lot of non-achievement factors, such as attendance and assignment completion 鈥� regardless of the quality of student performance on  assignments.

The NAEP study, he said, could help strengthen the case for a movement called 鈥� giving students credit for what they actually learn and often more than one chance to learn it.

Some educators consider the practice more equitable because submitting assignments early or racking up extra credit points might be easier for students with high-speed Wi-Fi at home and access to private tutors, but can be an ongoing struggle for those in lower-income families. 

While were moving toward such a grading system before the pandemic, interest has spread as educators look for methods that don鈥檛 unfairly disadvantage students in poverty. 

鈥淚 believe schools seeking to separate achievement from non-achievement factors in their grading were not only well positioned to assess and communicate learning during the pandemic,鈥� Townsley said, 鈥渂ut also to communicate learning in the future that better aligns with NAEP and other external measures.鈥�

Quality of schools in the region, which encompasses Boise, could be a factor, according to a from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation that identifies the nation鈥檚 best and worst metro areas for educational effectiveness.聽

鈥淟iterally, you see the houses springing up like mushrooms,鈥� said Terry Ryan, CEO of Bluum, a nonprofit supporting charter and district schools in the area. 

The region is among those where schools made above-average academic progress prior to COVID-19, the report shows. With the pandemic now accelerating toward suburbs and smaller metro areas 鈥� and often away from high-priced coastal cities 鈥� the authors say families and business leaders looking to relocate should factor in school quality when deciding where to settle down.

Michael Petrilli, president of the Institute, cautioned that there鈥檚 no guarantee the pandemic hasn鈥檛 stalled progress in areas where student performance once trended upward. Some experts, for example, have called recent 鈥渟taggering.鈥� But he said the message to districts and charter schools that were effective before the pandemic is to stay the course, and those that are ineffective 鈥渃annot just go back to normal.鈥�

鈥淚 would assume that school districts and charter schools that were doing well by kids before the pandemic are probably largely the same ones doing well by them during the pandemic,鈥� he said.

Using the 鈥� a national database of student performance 鈥� and graduation data from the U.S. Department of Education, the Fordham-Chamber project focuses on 100 large and mid-sized metro areas. The top locales include Miami, which recently received back-to-back from the state; Memphis, where Black, Hispanic and low-income students have shown above-average academic growth; and the Atlanta region, which ranks fourth in the study.

Atlanta has been ranked among the best places to start a new business, attracting tech leaders like . Collaboration among districts across the metro area is one reason why students were making progress before the pandemic and are 鈥渨ell-positioned to return to growth,鈥� said Kenneth Zeff, executive director of Learn4Life, a nonprofit working to improve education outcomes across the metro Atlanta area. 鈥淪ubstantial inequities still exist, but the gap in several key indicators has been slowly eroding.鈥�

Smaller metro areas, such as Jackson, Mississippi, and Brownsville, Texas, also emerged as places where schools performed better than expected based on demographics.

Those on the lower end of the spectrum include the Salt Lake City area, Las Vegas and Tulsa. Average achievement in math and English language arts has improved over the past six to 10 years in the Las Vegas metro area 鈥� essentially the Clark County School District 鈥� but schools still perform below average nationally, according to the report. 

Eighty percent of the population

The researchers focused on the nation鈥檚 metro areas because that鈥檚 where 80 percent of the U.S. population lives and where economic activity and labor market trends tend to have the most impact. Issues such as school choice and racial segregation also affect multiple districts. 

In addition to identifying areas with above- and below-average academic growth, the researchers factored in progress among Black, Hispanic and disadvantaged students, a region鈥檚 improvement over the past six to 10 years, and high school graduation rates. They combined these indicators into a measure they call 鈥渟tudent learning accelerating metros鈥� 鈥� or SLAM. The report includes interactive features so users can isolate results for specific indicators, subject areas or demographic groups.

The authors stressed that while achievement scores might seem to be an obvious indicator of high-quality schools, achievement alone often reflects students鈥� family backgrounds instead of a school鈥檚 effectiveness.

That鈥檚 why 鈥淏est Places to Live鈥� lists should provide families a more comprehensive view of school quality instead of relying on standardized test scores, the authors wrote.

The SLAM rankings show that a metro area in which students have high achievement scores overall might not perform as well on the other measures. 

In North Carolina, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools, in the state鈥檚 Research Triangle region, has among the highest ACT scores in the state, but also large in achievement between Black and white students. 

That hasn鈥檛 stopped the region from attracting Google, Apple and Nike, which are in the area.

And the Raleigh area ranks fourth in raw achievement scores, but falls to 48th in the report when the other indicators are considered. On the other hand, the McAllen, Texas, area 鈥� which includes the Sharyland, Edinburg and Hidalgo school districts 鈥� ranks 41st in raw achievement, but third based on the report鈥檚 SLAM measure.

Brenda Berg, president and CEO of BEST NC, a nonprofit organization of business leaders in North Carolina, praised the report for providing relevant data for her state, where countywide districts include both urban centers and higher-performing suburbs. 

She said in an email that she鈥檚 鈥渕ost concerned鈥� about Wake County, which includes Raleigh, and is 鈥渕ost eager鈥� to see where the Guilford and Charlotte-Mecklenburg districts go in the years to come.Those two districts, she said 鈥渉ave some really interesting promising practices emerging鈥� around literacy and teacher recruitment in high-needs schools.

The authors note that while charter growth and district reform efforts have often focused on the cities at the heart of a metro area, the 鈥渟uburbs are where many of the kids 鈥� and much of the action 鈥� are at, and they often explain a metro鈥檚 grade.鈥�

Looking at broad trends across metro areas, however, can hide 鈥渕eaningful variation鈥� from one district to the next, said Alex Spurrier, associate partner at Bellwether Education Partners. In October, the think tank released a report showing how a lack of affordable housing in some of the nation鈥檚 most sought-after districts limits educational opportunity. 

鈥淓ven if families decide to move to a metro area with higher-performing public schools,鈥� Spurrier said, 鈥渢heir access to specific public school systems may be limited based on where they can afford housing,鈥� Spurrier said.

Citing the pandemic鈥檚 disproportionate impact on Black, Latino and low-income students 鈥� and reports that charters were quicker than traditional schools to provide virtual instruction during school shutdowns 鈥� Bloomberg鈥檚 statement said, 鈥淐harter schools can help spread opportunity more equitably to students of all backgrounds nationwide.鈥�

With plans to add 150,000 new seats for students, Bloomberg Philanthropies will award grants to new and existing nonprofit, non-virtual charter schools in 20 metro areas, provide funding to launch new models, and support efforts to create more racial diversity among charter teachers and leaders. Grants can also be used to build and upgrade facilities. 

Michael Petrilli, president of the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute, which published on the charter sector鈥檚 response during the early months of the pandemic, called the news encouraging and 鈥減otentially transformative.鈥�

鈥淭he evidence base continues to build showing that urban charter schools are highly effective, and that their growth has positive impacts on students in nearby traditional public schools as well,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the closest thing we have in education to a win-win proposition. Thank you, Mayor Mike.鈥�

As New York mayor from 2002 to 2013, Bloomberg supported exponential growth in the city鈥檚 charter sector, opening more than 150 charter schools. The foundation鈥檚 announcement follows recent data showing that during the pandemic, the charter sector has seen its highest period of growth since 2015. Charter schools, however, continue to face criticism from Democrats, who argue they drain resources 鈥� and students 鈥� from district schools. The Biden administration recommended no increase in funding for the $440 million federal Charter School Program for fiscal year 2022, while the House proposed a $40 million cut from the budget for charters. The Senate has not yet acted on the budget. Some states, such as California, have also taken steps to limit charter growth in recent years. 

Aside from the New York City region, the foundation is not yet confirming the other sites slated to receive grants. But according to the announcement, the cities chosen 鈥渙ffer a strong opportunity for serving the most in-need children coupled with conditions that could facilitate charter growth.鈥� 

James Merriman, CEO of the New York City Charter School Center, which supports new and existing schools, said Bloomberg鈥檚 policies, such as allowing charters to co-locate in public school buildings, allowed the sector to flourish. 

鈥淚鈥檓 thrilled to see that their focus will be on high quality,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about having more great schools 鈥� not just having charters for the sake of charters.鈥�

In cities such as Los Angeles, however, co-location arrangements have and are among the reasons teachers unions have lobbied against charter growth.

In his , which ran Wednesday, Bloomberg took shots at teachers unions, recalling United Teachers Los Angeles President Cecily Myart-Cruz鈥檚 that 鈥渒ids didn鈥檛 lose anything鈥� because of remote learning. 

鈥淲hat nonsense. How about reading, writing and arithmetic, the critical skills we are funding schools to teach?鈥� Bloomberg wrote, adding that because charter schools generally don鈥檛 have union contracts, they have more flexibility and can 鈥渃reate a culture of accountability for student progress week to week that many traditional public schools are missing.鈥�

Carol Burris, executive director of the Network for Public Education and a leading critic of charters, countered Bloomberg鈥檚 praise of the charter sector, noting that Success Academy, New York鈥檚 largest charter network, last school year. Her two grandchildren, she said, were able to return to in-person learning in district schools.

鈥淚 am deeply disappointed that Mr. Bloomberg would take the tragedy of COVID and use it as an excuse to undermine public schools,鈥� she said.

United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew added his concerns that charter schools 鈥減ick and choose their students, rather than … take the responsibility to educate children.” He that few students who enrolled in Success Academy in 2007 as first graders remained at the school to be part of its first graduating class.

While the announcement doesn鈥檛 mention charter authorizers, it does mention partnering with local and national organizations. Karega Rausch, president and CEO of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, said there鈥檚 room for improvement in the way authorizers evaluate new applications so the process isn鈥檛 so “burdensome and bureaucratic鈥� but also ensures a school has a 鈥渉igh chance of doing great things.鈥�

Nina Rees, president and CEO for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, said Bloomberg鈥檚 announcement is timely, not only because of increasing parent demand, but also due to efforts in many states to limit growth and the federal government鈥檚 flat funding of the charter program for the past five years.

But Merriman said whether the federal government is supportive of charters is less important than the climate at state and local levels. 

When former President Barack Obama was in office, and John King and Arne Duncan were education secretaries, that 鈥渄idn鈥檛 make a difference to Democrats in statehouses,鈥� he said. 

鈥淐harter policy has always been at the state and local level. That鈥檚 what has mattered.鈥�

But suggests that access to educational opportunity is also unequally distributed among children at the top of the academic heap, and that even some of the brightest young students are at a high risk of being overlooked within their schools and districts.

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The study, commissioned by the reform-oriented Thomas B. Fordham Institute, points to clear disparities in the prospects of high-achieving students along lines of race and class. Black and low-income elementary schoolers in Ohio who scored well on state exams were less likely to be classified as gifted and talented than comparable white and high-income children. Into middle and high school, they achieved at lower levels on standardized tests, Advanced Placement exams, and college entrance exams, and they were less likely to enroll in college.

Scott Imberman, the report鈥檚 author and an economist at Michigan State University, said that it wasn鈥檛 certain whether the lower rates of gifted identification exacerbated the performance gaps between student populations. Beginning in 2017, Ohio mandated more comprehensive screening for gifted status in the early grades, but historically, even some students who received that status have gone without gifted services.

“The main thing here is that there was, and probably still is, a problem with these gaps,鈥� Imberman said. 鈥淭hese higher-achieving minority and disadvantaged students were not performing as well, over time, as high-achieving students who were advantaged, and they were also less likely to be enrolled in gifted programs.鈥�

To study the long-term trajectories of academically promising students, Imberman sought student-level records from the Ohio Longitudinal Data Archive, which included third-grade performance on Ohio鈥檚 state standardized test for over 900,000 participants between the 2005-06 and 2011-12 academic years. Imberman focused on students of all backgrounds who scored in the top 20 percent statewide 鈥� a sample of roughly 180,000 鈥� and matched those results with scores on the ACT and SAT, as well as college enrollment figures from the National Student Clearinghouse.

In terms of both short- and long-term academic performance, poor and African American students who scored in the top 20 percent fell behind their peers. Subsequent standardized test scores from grades 4-8 revealed that high-achieving students generally lost ground to their classmates in the bottom 80 percent, principally due to improvement among lower-performing students in late childhood and early adolescence. But in both reading and math, the relative performance of high-achievers who were white, Hispanic, Asian American, and higher-income held up significantly better than their economically disadvantaged and African American classmates.

High school assessments showed evidence of the same persistent differences. Black and disadvantaged students who were high-achievers in the third grade were less likely to take the ACT test and AP tests, and scored lower than other high-achievers when they did. The average AP scores for more affluent students (3.2 on a five-point scale) and white students (3.1) were notably higher than less affluent students (2.6) and African Americans (2.3).

Finally, 57 percent of white high-achievers later enrolled in a four-year college, compared with 53 percent of Asian Americans, 30 percent of Hispanics, and 26 percent of African Americans; among students who weren鈥檛 classified as economically disadvantaged, 58 percent later enrolled in a four-year college, compared with 35 percent of high-achievers who did receive that classification.

In a separate set of conclusions that may offer a partial explanation for those sharp divergences, Imberman found that students from different demographics were identified for gifted and talented services at vastly different rates. Black and low-income high-achievers are less likely to be identified in the third grade than other student groups, and the gaps substantially grow by the time they鈥檝e reached the eighth grade.

In fact, the report finds that simply being identified as gifted may carry some achievement benefits: Receiving the gifted classification in math led to a modest increase in reading scores of .02 standard deviations and a boost to math scores of .03 standard deviations 鈥� equivalent to a performance boost of roughly one percentile annually. What鈥檚 more, those effects were relatively larger for African American and Hispanic students than white ones.

The findings echo those of published by economists David Card and Laura Giuliano, which found that when a large urban school district adopted universal gifted screening for second graders, it led to large increases in the number of minority and low-income students who were classified. A from Fordham found that just 61.5 percent of K-12 schools in Ohio offered gifted programming, and less than 8 percent of students enrolled at those schools received access to them.

Imberman called the effects on achievement 鈥減lausibly causal,鈥� noting that social factors other than gifted identification might play some part in explaining the effects.

鈥淚’d say that this provides some prima facie, suggestive evidence that expanding access to gifted education among minorities, in particular, could be a way to help reduce these gaps among high-achievers,” he told 社区黑料.