Learning My Way: A Real Fix for Absenteeism
By: Somia Mohamed, EC Oakland Fellow-Cohort 6
Chronic absenteeism continues to be a serious issue in Oakland public schools. I believe one of the best ways to address it is through personalized learning. When students are either falling behind or feeling bored in class, it becomes easier to disengage and stop showing up. Personalized learning helps solve this by tailoring lessons to each student’s pace and needs, keeping students more interested and involved.
What the Energy Convertors Survey Data Shows
Based on the Scholar Voice Survey data, 45% of students said they missed school because they didn’t feel motivated to go. Another 36% said they didn’t see the point of going if they weren’t learning anything new. These numbers highlight the importance of making learning meaningful and engaging. Personalized learning speaks directly to this issue — when students feel like school is actually helping them grow and that it fits their learning style, they’re more likely to attend consistently.
Who Is Affected by Chronic Absenteeism?
Chronic absenteeism doesn’t just affect the student who’s missing class — it affects everyone. Teachers have to spend time helping students catch up, and group projects or discussions don’t work as well when classmates are missing. It also disrupts learning for others and puts more pressure on teachers.
Why Personalized Learning Helps
From my own experience, I’ve noticed that the pace of learning makes a huge difference. In math, I sometimes finish my work quickly and end up bored. In other classes, like history, I feel like things move too fast for me to really understand everything. When learning is too easy or too hard, it’s hard to stay focused. Personalized learning allows students to move at their own pace and access resources that match their skill level. This could help prevent students from feeling discouraged, and as a result, reduce absenteeism.
Impact on Average Daily Attendance
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Improving attendance isn’t just good for students — it helps the whole school. Higher Average Daily Attendance (ADA) means more funding and more support for student programs. If personalized learning helps students stay engaged and actually want to come to school, it can raise ADA and benefit the entire school community.
Agentic Solutions
Even if schools haven’t fully adopted personalized learning, students can still take the initiative. We can use tools like Khan Academy or IXL to work at our own pace outside of class. We can also speak to our teachers and ask for extra help or extensions when needed. I asked my English teacher for more time on a writing assignment, and she was really understanding — it helped me do better and feel less stressed. If more students advocate for their needs, teachers might be more open to adjusting how they teach.
Policy Solutions
Schools and districts have a big role to play, too. They can invest in adaptive learning technology and provide training for teachers to use it effectively. According to the RAND Corporation, students in schools that adopted personalized learning models showed gains in both math and reading. The Christensen Institute also found that when students feel supported through personalized learning, they are more likely to attend school regularly.
How We Can Make Change Happen
For personalized learning to work, schools need to invest in the right tools and give teachers the time and training to use them. At the same time, students need to take responsibility for their learning by speaking up and using the resources available. Change won’t happen overnight, but combining student voice with school support can lead to a better learning experience for everyone.
A Path Forward
To start making a difference now, students should explore personalized learning tools and advocate for their needs in the classroom. Schools should focus on training and resources that support individualized learning. The data shows that many students feel unmotivated or disconnected from learning — and personalized learning could be the key to turning that around.
Question for Other Students
What do you think? Have you ever felt like the pace of your class was too fast or too slow? Do you think personalized learning would help you stay more engaged in school?
