If low-income students don’t show up to school, nothing policymakers do will close the opportunity gap.

Leslie Cornfeld, former special advisor to both the Secretary of Education and to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, speaks with Paul E. Peterson in this EdNext Podcast about chronic absenteeism and how data can be used to identify kids who are at risk. Cornfeld discusses how to help students catch up before it’s easier to simply drop out.

The EdNext Podcast is available on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher and here every Wednesday.

– Education Next