As I document in Fordham's newest study, Teacher Absenteeism in Charter and Traditional Public Schools, data from the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Education show that 28.3 percent of
teachers in traditional public schools miss eleven or more days of school for illness or personal reasons.
Judging from the steady stream of news reports
about teachers in traditional public schools sleeping with students, it appears that no amount of background checks or government oversight can eliminate rare but regular instances of misconduct.
Teachers in traditional public schools enjoy a suite of protections that is not mandated for charter school teachers — including, for the most part, year - long contracts that grant teachers due process rights, Exter said.
Worse, the study shows that 28.3 percent
of teachers in traditional public schools (TPS) are chronically absent, which is defined as missing 11 or more days of school per year due to illness or personal reasons.
It finds that
teachers in traditional public schools are three times as likely to be «chronically absent» from school as charter teachers, meaning they are absent more than ten days per year.
The latter is likely a consequence of the relative inexperience of many charter school teachers, who are substantially younger than
teachers in traditional public schools.