Ep. 29, Absenteeism from schools was a major issue before COVID-19...now what? With Todd Rogers Deep Dives

On today's episode of Catalysts for Change, we talk to behavioral scientist and professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, Todd Rogers, Todd has dedicated his career to studying the gap between intention and action, helping families effectively support student success, and improving democracy.
In our second podcast with Todd, we dive deeper into absenteeism through a pre-COVID lense, and also hear about two other initiatives on which Todd is currently focused: contact tracing, and social connectedness for students and families. 
Before COVID-19, absenteeism was a major concern. We know that the more school days that students miss lead to lower graduation rates, standardized test scores and grades, less connectedness with peers, and later in life, lower earnings. The impact of COVID-19 has made it difficult to understand what to measure and optimize. Todd believes that as school restarts in the fall, it will be crucial to assess and develop plans for where students currently are academically. He also believes that inequities that existed before COVID-19 will likely be exacerbated. 
Todd discusses his concerns about the disparity between students who have the family, school and peer support to continue to show up for school versus the kids who don’t. His research shows how physically being in school has a significant impact on student outcomes. 
He also shares his perspective on how schools can be great resources for contact tracing and how his company, EveryDay Labs, has been working on interventions to help students build relationships to support student and family connectedness. Todd continues to work to provide better and more equitable outcomes for students across the country. Learn more about Todd Rogers and his work and the New York Times article about chronic absenteeism referenced in the episode.
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