Blue Studios and K12 Crypto Join Forces to Tackle Chronic School Absenteeism

Chronic school absenteeism is a growing problem in the education system. Before the pandemic, about 8 million U.S. students were considered chronically absent, according to the research group Attendance Works. By Spring 2022, that number had doubled to around 16 million, according to NPR. Chronic absence is defined as being absent for more than 10% of days enrolled. It differs from truancy in that parents and guardians have excused the absences.

When students miss school frequently, it can negatively impact their learning outcomes and future prospects. Research shows that such students are way more likely to fall behind and, eventually, drop out.

Districts across the country, in rural, suburban, and urban areas are scrambling for solutions, In Utah state legislators passed a bill last week to address the spike. The state of Connecticut put close to $10.7 million of its federal relief aid toward a robust home-visit program to increase attendance. A principal in Grand Rapids, Michigan even created a data-driven program with an 8-foot leaderboard at each school to display monthly attendance data. 

Unfortunately, there is no single reason for chronic absenteeism. It’s not about just “ditching” school. It can be caused by a combination of broader family factors, including learning challenges, childcare challenges, illness, access to transportation, socio-economic factors, homelessness, mental health challenges, poverty, or even parents deciding to go on vacation and believing that it wouldn’t hurt to miss a few days of school. 

But the common thread between each of these issues is around motivation and creating a learning environment where students want to be and have a true sense of belonging. Studies have demonstrated that those who feel driven to learn tend to have higher grades, increased self-esteem, and a more positive outlook on their academic performance.

This is why Blue Studios and K12 Crypto have joined forces to tackle the issue of chronic school absenteeism.

K12 Crypto is a Learn-to-Earn platform for kindergarten to 12th-grade students and school communities that democratizes access to Web3 for the next generation of users safely and securely. Blue Studios builds financial tools to enable families to work together, earn, and learn to reach new levels of success, starting with their flagship product Wallio. Wallio is a family-shared wallet that allows you to invite up to six friends and family members to plan, organize, and manage their banking and digital assets together. 

K12 Crypto and Blue Studios have developed a platform that uses Web3 incentives to track student attendance and learning engagement via a Learn-to-Earn platform. This platform helps teachers and school administrators engage and identify students who are at risk of chronic absenteeism and intervene early to prevent it. Upon graduation from the program, students will transfer their cryptocurrency earnings from their custodial wallet to their own Wallio family-shared wallet upon graduation, under the supervision of their parents.

“The pathway to a better world is through education. Here at K12 Crypto, our mission is to have all K-12 educational institutions value students as creators,” says Principal Rahh, Co-Founder and CEO of K12 Crypto. “I’m doing this because we felt that launching this was the best way to introduce the creator economy to the next generation of creators which are our students.”

Rahh is an award-winning principal and startup founder who built a school with multi-year 100% graduation rates. 

The pilot will begin with 1,600 students across two schools: Garvey Allen Middle School in Compton, California, and Pharos Academy in the South Bronx, New York, with plans to scale to 150,000 students in the fall. The platform will provide incentives for students to learn and attend classes, while also helping them to develop their financial literacy skills and understanding of Web3 technologies.

“This partnership has the potential to positively impact the lives of students and their families by providing a unique opportunity for students to earn cryptocurrency while also addressing chronic absenteeism,” says Kelley Cambry, Co-founder and CEO of Blue Studios. “We look forward to working together to help students succeed and build a better future for all.”

Chronic absenteeism is a major problem in the education system that can have a significant impact on students’ future prospects. The partnership between Blue Studios and K12 Crypto is an innovative solution to tackle this problem. By using technology to track attendance and engagement, schools can better understand the underlying causes of absenteeism and develop targeted interventions to address them. This partnership demonstrates the potential of public-private partnerships to address chronic absenteeism and improve learning outcomes in schools.