There’s a lot of conversation right now about chronic absenteeism. Districts are tracking it, states are reporting it, and schools are being asked to solve it.
But if we’re honest, attendance isn’t the real issue.
We have students sitting in classrooms every day who are just as disconnected as those who are absent. They’re present—but they’re not engaged. And until we address that, no attendance initiative will fix what’s actually broken.
The real issue is relevance.
For years, we’ve focused on getting students in seats. Now, we have to ask a harder question: What are we asking them to do once they get there—and does it matter to them?
In many classrooms, especially in the middle grades, students are still completing tasks that feel disconnected from their lives. Writing prompts that don’t go anywhere. Assignments that are completed for a grade and then forgotten. Activities that prioritize compliance over curiosity.
And students know the difference.
As a former classroom teacher—and now working closely with educators—I’ve seen what happens when students are given meaningful work. When writing is tied to real ideas, real audiences, and real purpose, engagement shifts almost immediately. Students who were quiet start contributing. Students who resisted writing begin to find their voice.
But that kind of shift doesn’t happen by accident. It requires intentional design.
It means moving beyond isolated assignments and toward authentic learning experiences—especially in writing. Not just in ELA classrooms, but across content areas. When students are asked to write in science, in history, in real-world contexts, they begin to see writing as a tool, not just a task.
This is where schools are starting to feel the pressure—and where the opportunity is growing.
Educators know they need to increase engagement, but many lack the time, resources, or support to redesign instruction at scale. That’s where curriculum partners and education vendors have a role to play—not by adding more to teachers’ plates, but by helping make meaningful learning more accessible and sustainable.
The most effective tools and resources aren’t the ones that simply digitize what we’ve always done. They’re the ones that help teachers create relevance—through real-world connections, flexible writing opportunities, and structures that prioritize student thinking.
Because at the end of the day, engagement isn’t something we can mandate.
It’s something we design for.
And if students don’t see themselves in the work, they will eventually remove themselves from it—whether they’re sitting in the classroom or not.
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Meredith Biesinger is a licensed dyslexia therapist, in addition to being an experienced classroom teacher and K-12 administrator. Meredith also works as a consultant, where she bridges the bridge the gap between K-12 school districts and ed-tech organizations. With a passion for literacy, she is also a professional writer and syndicated author. With a M.Ed in Educational Leadership and a B.S. in English Education and Creative Writing, she has had rich and diverse opportunities to teach students and education professionals in different parts of the country as well as overseas.
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