Hotel California: A Salute to the Eagles 4/26 Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain 4/15 Trailblazing Women of Country 4/1 Ladysmith Black Mambazo 3/25 Judy Collins 3/22 Rita Moreno In Conversation 3/16 Gunhild Carling 3/12 Festival Orchestra Week 3/5-3/10 CONCERTS ARE SELLING OUT! BUY TODAY! 480.422.8449 | AZMUSICFEST.ORG OVER 30 CONCERTS IN NORTH SCOTTSDALE LIMITED SEATS REMAINING SOLD OUT!

BY TOM EVANS The Importance of Being Present Organizations join forces to battle chronic absenteeism in Arizona schools S ometimes, simple things in life can cause a chain reaction. For instance, what happens if you’re a student and you don’t show up to school? Simple — you probably miss an assignment, which you can make up later. But what happens if you’re a student and your particular circumstance results in you missing a lot of school? Say your family moves around because they don’t have the money to afford where they live. Someone is sick and needs a caregiver. Or any of a variety of other circumstances keeps you from going to class. Naturally, you would fall behind. And it would be harder to catch up. But if you are early in your academic career, not showing up for math or English makes it harder to complete later grades. Dropout rates are higher for kids who miss a lot of school. And when kids drop out, their path to a brighter future is compromised. There’s a term for this — it’s called chronic absenteeism when, by educational standards, a student misses more than 10 percent of a school year, or about 18 school days. It’s one of the most telling indicators of whether a student is going to be successful and go on to college. And it tends to happen more in underserved communities where economic factors can derail educational pursuits. NEXT DOORS FRONTDOORS MAGAZINE | 43