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MPR News with Angela Davis
Angela Davis and Cari Dwyer

How to reduce chronic absenteeism

two men posing for a portrait
Jim Davnie (left), executive director of Minnesota Alliance With Youth, and Kent Pekel (right), superintendent of Rochester Public Schools, pose for a portrait in the Kling Public Media Center in St. Paul on Tuesday.
Nikhil Kumaran | MPR News

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More than a quarter of Minnesota’s middle and high school students miss at least ten percent of the school year — which is about 18 days.

MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talk about chronic absenteeism — why it matters, who it impacts and what we can do to boost school attendance.

three people sitting in a broadcast studio
MPR News host Angela Davis (left) talks with Jim Davnie (center), executive director of Minnesota Alliance With Youth and Kent Pekel (right), superintendent of Rochester Public Schools in an MPR News studio in St. Paul on Tuesday.
Nikhil Kumaran | MPR News

Guests:

  • Kent Pekel, superintendent of Rochester Public Schools. He is also the former president and CEO of the Search Institute, a nonprofit that promotes positive youth development and advances equity through research and practical solutions.

  • Jim Davnie, executive director of Minnesota Alliance With Youth, a statewide nonprofit that provides AmeriCorps programs focused on youth mentoring and support. He served in the Minnesota House of Representatives for 22 years and is a former middle school social studies teacher.

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.  

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.