The Post’s July 9 editorial “A radical rethinking of schools to fight student absenteeism” was engaging but scary. I think the most important aspect of the commentary was the idea of finding the root cause of excessive absenteeism by involving social workers or trained advocates who live within the community to address those underlying causes. A one-size-fits-all approach is myopic and does not improve the problem.
An additional point was the concept of making school more fun. Data has shown that children learn in more depth and have greater retention when learning is more experiential and contextual, such as with nature hikes and visits to the Chesapeake Bay when teaching environmental issues, or addressing how to shop when teaching math, etc. Peer-to-peer models in which a child with absenteeism is paired with an older child who is succeeding can be impactful as well.
Finally, many retirees want to pay it forward and should be recruited to mentor these children. Their ability to build trusting relationships can be a game changer.
Former vice president Hubert Humphrey said a nation is only as good as it treats the “weakest” members of society. School absenteeism can lead to economic and job disenfranchisement, the inability to lift oneself out of poverty, drug use, crime and health disparities as children become adults. It is time to fix this.
Larrie Greenberg, Potomac
