Jeremy Singer

What a bus ride past a zoo says about the future of getting Indy students to school Thousands of students start school in Indianapolis this week, but they’re getting to school in different ways. Some methods could guide how the city rethinks its public school system.

Thousands of students start school in Indianapolis this week, but they’re getting to school in different ways. Some methods could guide how the city rethinks its public school system.

More than 50% of Detroit students regularly miss class – and schools alone can’t solve the problem Detroit has one of the highest chronic absenteeism rates in the nation, which can have devastating effects on student success.

More than 50% of Detroit students regularly miss class – and schools alone can’t solve the problem
@us.theconversation.com
@jeremylsinger.bsky.social
@sarahlenhoff.bsky.social

theconversation.com/more-than-50...

I was glad to speak with @anitawadhwani.bsky.social for this story.

I noted that "this kind of tone and approach to families could end up disrupting or harming the kinds of relationships that schools and districts rely on to try and understand what’s going on" and address barriers to attendance.

Lawrence County school district will no longer excuse students with a doctor’s note • Tennessee Lookout The Lawrence County Board of Education in June adopted a policy to reject doctors’ notes as a valid excuse for a child missing school.

Lawrence County, a rural Tennessee school district will no longer excuse students with a doctor’s note, a move that could accelerate referrals of kids and parents to juvenile court
tennesseelookout.com/2025/07/30/l... @tennesseelookout.com

The Human Toll The US is undergoing rapid social, economic, and policy change. If you've been impacted, we want to hear your story! To participate, visit: https://tinyurl.com/thehumantoll Study sponsored under University of Wisconsin-Madison IRB Protocol #2025-1096. PI: Dr. Jessica Calarco Participants must be at least 18 years of age and reside in the US [image of a person with their face in their hands]

How have you been impacted by the changes we've seen under the current administration? What would you want to say to those in charge?

I'm launching a new research initiative to collect and share anonymous stories of the human toll. And I'd be very grateful for your help.

tinyurl.com/thehumantoll

PACE - Rethinking Chronic Absenteeism in California Abstract: Chronic absenteeism—defined as missing 10 percent or more school days—has surged in California since the pandemic, with 20 percent of students chronically absent in 2023–24. This is not merely an educational issue but rather a symptom of deeper social and economic inequalities. Our research shows that while schools play an important role, they cannot solve the issue of chronic absenteeism alone. Meaningful progress requires coordinated, cross-sector efforts to tackle root causes such as housing instability, transportation challenges, economic insecurity, and limited access to health

"When districts are left to tackle chronic absenteeism without cross-sector support, even well-intentioned strategies fall short." —@sarahlenhoff.bsky.social and @jeremylsinger.bsky.social in their commentary for @edpolicyinca.org‬ https://bit.ly/450LeQb

@jenniferberkshire.bsky.social

Trump Abruptly Unfreezes All of the Education Funds He Had Withheld More than $6.8 billion will flow in the coming days.

Breaking news from @marklieberman.bsky.social on the $5 billion in impounded K-12 funding www.edweek.org/policy-polit...

Detroit teens describe safety fears in school, at home, and on the street “Safety is more of a feeling, like a comfort. It doesn't really involve police or metal detectors,” said Detroit teen Dulce Bravo, a student at Western International High School.

We talked to Detroit’s youth and youth advocates about their thoughts on public safety. This is what they said.

Revealed: Harvard publisher cancels entire journal issue on Palestine shortly before publication As Harvard’s feud with Trump escalated, so did tensions over an ‘education and Palestine’ issue of a prestigious journal. Scholars blame the ‘Palestine exception’ to academic freedom

Harvard Educational Review spent a year preparing a special issue on education in and about Palestine. In June, contributors were notified that the Harvard Education Publishing Group had abruptly canceled the issue's release.

This is censorship and cowardice.

www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Detroit schools have highest cuts to federal funding in Michigan • Michigan Advance Detroit schools are facing some of the deepest cuts to federal funding in the country as The White House withholds $6.2 billion of funds nationwide. The appropriations were already approved by Congres...

Michigan school districts represented in Congress by Democrats stand to be hit hardest as the White House withholds $6.2 billion of funding for school programs nationwide.

Made some visuals for @michiganadvance.com showing which congressional districts would be most affected:

Detroit's @cityofdetroit.bsky.social city government can play a bigger role in improving the conditions for educational success for our city's young people. Detroit PEER has released four fact sheets focused on the areas our next mayor should address. detroitpeer.org/resources/

Not sure if this is what you might have in mind, but one set of research that occurred to me is studies of school closures and voter engagement www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

All four fact sheets (and more) can be found on the Detroit PEER website: detroitpeer.org/resources/

Neighborhoods and Education in Detroit

NEIGHBORHOODS: strengthening neighborhood conditions for families with school-aged children.

detroitpeer.org/wp-content/u...

We hope that these fact sheets can help inform better coordination between municipal and educational policy in the city!

Transportation and Education in Detroit

TRANSPORTATION: strengthening the infrastructure for school transportation and improving the conditions for students on the way to school.

detroitpeer.org/wp-content/u...

Housing and Education in Detroit

Then, we tackle three topics that are central to the experiences and opportunities of students and families.

HOUSING: creating more affordable housing and coordinating with schools to address housing instability.

detroitpeer.org/wp-content/u...

Detroit K-12 Education System Overview

First, an overview of Detroit's K-12 school system. How many students live in Detroit? Where do they go to school? How many schools are there? And how many districts? What is the mayor’s role in education? We answer these questions and more.

detroitpeer.org/wp-content/u...

Detroit is electing a new mayor! While the mayor doesn't directly govern the city's schools, there's a lot the city can do to improve education opportunities for Detroit children and their families. @sarahlenhoff.bsky.social and I have written four fact sheets to inform the future mayor.🧵

Thanks to the folks @edpolicyinca.org for giving us a chance to apply our research findings on chronic absenteeism to the CA context.

PACE - Rethinking Chronic Absenteeism in California Abstract: Chronic absenteeism—defined as missing 10 percent or more school days—has surged in California since the pandemic, with 20 percent of students chronically absent in 2023–24. This is not mere...

In a new PACE commentary, @sarahlenhoff.bsky.social & @jeremylsinger.bsky.social of WSU COE conclude that schools cannot be expected to solve chronic absenteeism alone but need community & state support to address systemic barriers for students and families. edpolicyinca.org/newsroom/ret... (1/3)

As we watch the dismantling of the U.S. Dept of Ed, which will be felt somewhat in funding reductions to states and local districts, it will be felt even more so in a) oversight and enforcement of rights for vulnerable populations and b) access to high quality data & research.

Key findings from this study and more can be found in @sarahlenhoff.bsky.social and my book, Rethinking Chronic Absenteeism: hep.gse.harvard.edu/978168253961...

In their feature article, Drs. @jeremylsinger.bsky.social, Pogodzinski, @sarahlenhoff.bsky.social, and Cook "move beyond a focus on student, family, or school factors, instead examining causes for absenteeism in their broader socioeconomic context." buff.ly/181dL2C @umflintcase.bsky.social

Lifting the District Court’s injunction will unleash untold harm, delaying or denying educational opportunities and leaving students to suffer from discrimination, sexual assault, and other civil rights violations without the federal resources Congress intended. The majority apparently deems it more important to free the Government from paying employees it had no right to fire than to avert these very real harms while the litigation continues. Equity does not support such an inequitable result. * * * The President must take care that the laws are faithfully executed, not set out to dismantle them. That basic rule undergirds our Constitution’s separation of powers. Yet today, the majority rewards clear defiance of that core principle with emergency relief. Because I cannot condone such abuse of our equitable authority, I respectfully dissent.

BREAKING: The Supreme Court allows the Trump administration to move forward with the abolition of the Department of Education. It gives no explanation for its order. All three liberals dissent. www.documentcloud.org/documents/25...

From Sotomayor's dissent:

Latest article from our @nuffieldfoundation.org project: pupil absences particularly harmful during school transition years; unauthorized and authorized absences equally harmful in any year ⬇️

‘Didn’t feel safe anywhere’: How fears of violence shape life for Detroit youth A sense of uncertainty or fear can affect young people in many ways, from mental health and well-being to school attendance and academic performance.

Safety is a serious issue for young people in Detroit.