Lessons from school attendance

The Free Press editorial Government data shows extent of truancy issue (March 16) notes that “More than 15,000 students were chronically absent in the 2023-2024 school year, a staggering number” which was also broken down by school division and Aboriginal status. An MLA previously expelled from the NDP caucus presented this information from a leaked government briefing note some time after filing an unsuccessful freedom of information request on the topic.

The editorial holds that “Obviously, work should be done immediately to find ways to bring down truancy rates” and posits that “…data exists to be seen and to be used, and to act as clear justification for what should be, in this case, immediate action.”

Education Minister Tracy Schmidt is quoted as saying that “Data in decision-making is very, very important but we have to balance that with our concern about not stigmatizing any particular community or school division” while not conceding to the release of such information in the future.

First, for clarity, it is not data at issue; it is summaries, tabulations and reports — let’s call them STRs — generated from data. STRs are idiosyncratic, specific to a purpose and audience. Data — person-specific in the current context — are collected with the understanding of responsible management, use and confidentiality. Neither exists “to be seen”; they are for specified use and to be handled with care and discretion.

Minister Schmidt’s concern with unintended negative consequences is necessary in her and the government’s roles as stewards of data. This will be appreciated by anybody who has experienced a data breach or been affected by the release of information clumsily interpreted in hands lacking contextual awareness, nuance or productive motivations.

The editorial states that “truancy information from the province…” was denied because “the province didn’t keep those sorts of records.” It suggests a resulting distrust in government for misleading about the existence of the information.

It may be that an STR accurately addressing the information requested does not exist. The leaked briefing note may have been compiled from various sources and may not have accurately aligned with the request, itself. An accusation that the government misled on the matter cannot be made responsibly without the exact wording of the information request and knowing what STRs exist.

The reaction — “staggering”, despite representing a small minority of about eight per cent of students — led to a scattershot demand for action, as if into a vacuum. Questions pertinent to such a demand were unexplored. Is Manitoba an extreme outlier relative to other provinces that would suggest a Manitoba-specific, systemic failure? What is the related Manitoba context? What actions are being taken, now? What is the trend over time?

Here is some information. Manitoba’s child and family poverty rate is over 20 per cent.

Two examples of targeted government action are the universal school nutrition program and the community schools program.

The government document Safe and Caring Schools: A Policy Directive and Action Plan to Enhance Student Presence and Engagement (2023) outlines relevant policies, recommendations, roles and responsibilities along with numerous ways to support student attendance. Importantly, as adroitly pointed out by Brian Timmerman in the Letter Horses and water (March 17), it also addresses student engagement with learning.

The service provided by this leak was the chance for grandstanding. On scant evidence, educators and others, including outside of education, were judged as ineffective or non-existent with respect to supporting school attendance, carrying the risk of creating an inaccurate perception of efforts made to help families and students.

This issue is important, as Sel Burrows explains in his letter of March 18, and it’s disheartening to see it compromised. One lesson is that homework is also important prior to loudly levelling judgements, demands and aspersions. Another is that, be it data or STRs, the holders properly and necessarily include considerations of ownership, misinterpretation and misuse, and threats to confidentiality when deciding on dissemination.

Finally, the government might consider adding public, contextualized, audience-appropriate reports on student attendance to the online K-12 Education Data Dashboard. It has face value and would be an informative marker of community wellbeing.

Ken Clark, retired in Winnipeg, worked for about 28 years in the field of education, including in roles involving confidential data.