Published October 22, 2025
One in four U.S. public-school students is now chronically absent, missing at least ten percent of the school year. This surge in school absenteeism widens learning gaps, limits opportunity, and weakens civic readiness. Confronting the problem requires targeted action—tracking attendance data in real time, diagnosing local causes, engaging parents, and restoring community norms around daily attendance. Each missed day compounds into missed skills and missed opportunities. Reversing this trend is vital to preparing the next generation to sustain America’s prosperity and civic life.
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The opinions expressed in this video are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hoover Institution or Stanford University.
© 2025 by the Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University.
Thomas Dee
Articles
This book features 40 RealClearPolitics columns that I wrote between 2014 and 2025. Each chapter provides a snapshot of the plight of liberal education in America. Together, they form a short history of liberal education’s decline and provide a concise case for, and sketch measures essential to, reclaiming it.*
September 27, 2026
Event
The Hoover Institution in DC hosts Ideas Uncorked: China After Communism: Preparing For What Comes Next on Wednesday, October 14 from 5:00-6:30 pm ET. The event will feature Miles Maochun Yu.
September 13, 2024
Podcasts
Michael Kirst, professor emeritus of education at Stanford University, joins Hoover Institution fellow Paul E. Peterson to discuss a recently passed law that gives California’s governor more power over education in the state.
September 21, 2026