by KYW's Dr. Marciene Mattleman

There have been many reasons suggested on why so many kids are low achieving. Kids from poor families have fewer resources at home—a lack of books and computers. Students in large classes get less attention.

Some recent studies have shed light on yet another problem—teacher absenteeism. An Associated Press article recently reported that because of teacher shortages, substitutes often stay at a school for a whole year.

Although long term subs are usually better trained than those who do short term stays, they’re not often keyed into the curriculum and many times teach subjects for which they might not be well-trained.
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Studies from Duke University showed that there is more teacher absence in schools with poor and minority students and that teacher absence is tied to lower student performance.

Research from the University of Washington found that every 10 teacher absences made a significant loss in math achievement.

What can cut down teacher absences? Barring allowed personal reasons, Miller found that the culture of a school and the relations between teachers and administrators can make the difference.