“Teacher Absence as a Leading Indicator of Student Achievement”
The report estimates that teacher absences cost schools “a minimum of $4 billion annually” and cites research linking teacher absences to lower student achievement.
Noting that teacher-absentee rates tend to be greater in schools with high percentages of minority students, the report adds that “it’s plausible that [racial] achievement gaps can be attributed, in part, to a teacher attendance gap.”