Teacher Absences a Bigger Problem in Traditional Public Schools than Charter Schools, Study Finds | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post is Lindsay Marchello, who is an associate editor for the Carolina Journal, John Hood Publisher.

North Carolina among 12 states where the rate of teacher absences is more than double in traditional schools compared to charter schools

    Chronic absences are a problem in North Carolina's traditional public schools. Among teachers, not students.

    The Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a conservative education policy think tank, released a study finding rates of chronic absenteeism by teachers in traditional public schools is nearly three times more than those of public charter-school teachers.

    The study, Teacher Absenteeism in Charter and Traditional Public Schools, compiled data on teacher absences from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. OCR defines chronic absenteeism as missing more than 10 days in a year for sick or personal leave.

    "We begrudge no teacher for taking a 'mental health day' now and again, or needing to be home to care for a sick child of her own," David Griffith, a senior research and policy associate at the institute, wrote in the report. "Yet we also know that teachers are the single most powerful instrument that schools have to boost student learning. When teachers miss school, students miss out on education."

    North Carolina is one of 12 states where chronic absenteeism at traditional public schools is at least double the rate of charter schools. Specifically, 34.6 percent of traditional public school teachers are chronically absent in North Carolina, compared with 12.8 percent of charter school teachers.

    According to the report, the chronic absenteeism gap between charter schools and traditional public schools is largest in states where school districts must engage in collective bargaining. Furthermore, absenteeism rates in unionized charter schools are double those of non-unionized charters.

    Several factors contribute to chronic teacher absenteeism, including:

    whether a teacher must notify their principal of future absences;

• if teachers can cash in or sell back unused sick days at the end of the school year, and;
• whether teachers have tenure.

    Griffith said school district policies and state laws may also have an effect.

    "Although this study is descriptive, the patterns it highlights certainly suggest that the high chronic absenteeism rates we observe for teachers in traditional public schools are at least partly attributable to the generous leave policies and myriad job protections enshrined in state laws and local collective bargaining agreements," Griffith argued.

    The N.C. Association of Educators did not take kindly to the study.

    "Fordham is a biased organization that is driven by an anti-student agenda with anti-public education funders," Mark Jewell, president of NCAE, said to The News & Observer. "The funders are the same organizations trying to dismantle public education in North Carolina through private school voucher schemes and for-profit management organizations."

    Griffith pointed out in an email to Carolina Journal the data used in the study is publicly available and has not been manipulated in any way.

    "As a former teacher, I find it deeply concerning that 35 percent of teachers in North Carolina's traditional public schools miss more than two weeks of school per year," Griffith said. "North Carolina parents can draw their own conclusions about who is 'anti-student' and who is standing up for kids."

    Rhonda Dillingham, executive director of the N.C. Association for Public Charter Schools, said the study results were not surprising.

    "When schools employ professionals who understand and buy in to the school's mission, students are the ultimate beneficiaries of a rich educational environment," Dillingham said. "These teachers tend to be invested wholeheartedly in the success of their schools, so they want to be there every day to do their part in fulfilling the school's vision."