Skipping school harms future

Teens skipping even several days of school can have a deleterious effect on learning and graduating, a Get Schooled Foundation report said Wednesday. Student achievement suffers after only five absences, the report called "Skipping to Nowhere" says. The report points out students who miss more than 10 days of school in a semester are 20 percent less likely to graduate from high school and 25 percent less likely to enroll in college. "We are hearing from young people, no matter what their community or background, that have high aspirations but too often they are not aware the path to success starts with consistent attendance," said Get Schooled Foundation executive director Marie Groark in a statement. The mission of the Foundation, based in Seattle, is to use media, technology and popular culture to improve school attendance, its Web site says.