A research scientist at the Center for Social Organization at Johns Hopkins University says that truancy in Baltimore City public schools is every bit systemic as it is problematic, and that unless cultural shifts are averted the situation will only get worse. 

Robert Balfanz, also a co-director of the Talent Development Middle and High School Project, says two thirds of males who were incarcerated by ninth grade and girls who become pregnant in high school had poor attendance in sixth grade. He also says that frequent school absence — even among those as young as sixth grade — is a highly accurate predictor of dropping out. 

“Even in elementary school 15 percent of absent students [were found to be were] to be away from school a month or more,”  said Balfanz, the featured speaker Thursday for the final of four seminars presented by the Open Society Institute-Baltimore that addressed truancy in city schools. 

Tanya Wiliams, an attendance and truancy officer with city schools, said teachers should look for patterns of absenteeism and reach out to parents.

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“Usually if kids miss three days, parents are supposed to be contacted,” she said.

With some 20,000 students chronically absent each year in the city, Balfanz said school administrators must find ways to engage students, as many truants cite boredom with curriculums.

Jane Sundius, OSI-Baltimore’s director of education and youth development, said principals should avoid cultural shifts that hold them more accountable to test scores than enrollment and attendance.

“Obviously the principals are trying to do their jobs and put all their resources into getting up test scores,” she said.

“But there’s not much incentive when it comes to putting resources into attendance workers or programs that will steer kids into attending school.”

drowley@baltimoreexaminer.com