Tales of Teacher Absence

October 24, 2008, 9:00am - 10:30am

Told that their child's teacher would be absent for two-thirds of the school year, most parents would be very, very concerned, and with good reason. Substitute teachers tend to lack the skills and knowledge needed to foster academic achievement, and researchers have begun to document the negative impact of teacher absence on student achievement. Although few parents have to grapple with this kind of news, the average student's career from kindergarten through 12th grade includes the equivalent of two-thirds of a school year spent in classrooms where the regular teacher is absent. Fractured exposure to teacher absence may allay parents’ concerns, but policymakers should still be concerned about the financial, productivity, and equity dimensions of teacher absence.

Join us for a lively discussion of a new report from the Center for American Progress. The report by Raegen Miller offers new analyses of data on teacher absence as well as policy recommendations for all levels of government. This event will feature comments from experts with important vantage points on the under-discussed issue of teacher absence.