Across the country, more than 8 million students are missing so many days of school that they are academically at risk. Chronic absence—missing 10 percent or more of school days due to absence for any reason, whether excused, unexcused, or as a result of suspensions—can translate into third-graders being unable to master reading, sixth-graders failing subjects and ninth-graders dropping out of high school. In this episode we speak with Hedy Chang, executive director of Attendance Works, about the causes of chronic absence, its impact on student success, and what policies and practices can fix it.