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... "Thousands of students have returned to schools, which means that states are putting in the work," said Carl Felton, III, a policy analyst at EdTrust, a nonprofit that advocates for underrepresented students.

Felton is the author of a new report that looks at how policies in 22 states plus Washington, D.C., have helped improve student attendance. He said there are several things states are doing right, including collecting and publishing reliable data, and investing in early interventions and outreach programs instead of punitive practices.

"The things that we want to see happen are happening," he said. ...

Changing punitive practices and investing in more support

One of the areas Felton looked at was punitive practices. He said states need to ban corporal punishment entirely and ban harsh penalties like suspensions for minor infractions because they can harm the relationship between students and educators, and they can make students feel unsafe or unmotivated to come to class.

Several states, including many in the South, still allow corporal punishment in schools, and according to federal data, more than 69,000 K-12 public school students received corporal punishment during the 2017-18 school year.

"In order for a student to want to be in the school environment they need to know that they are cared for and that the adults in the building have their best interests at heart," Felton said. "You can hold students accountable without harming them."

He said research-backed services like after-school programs and mental health supports help to create a positive school climate: "These are the practices that we know can reduce chronic absenteeism because they address root causes." ...