American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said there is "an overall 94 percent attendance rate showing the extraordinary dedication of teachers across the country who come to school each day ready and excited to teach."

Yet a study conducted by the National Council on Teacher Quality showed there is an attendance issue in big cities throughout the nation. 

Cities with attendance challenges included Cleveland, Buffalo, Columbus, Nashville, Jacksonville, New Orleans, San Antonio and Sacramento.

In the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, where two-thirds of teachers missed more than 10 days during the school year, officials said they have started cracking down on absences.

Across the 40 districts studied, 28% of teachers were "frequently absent," and 16% were "chronically absent."

"Teacher absences are unavoidable," said Segun Eubanks, NEA Director of teacher quality. "There will be illnesses, professional development opportunities and other avoidable, but legitimate reasons for teacher absence."

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Article by Navindra Persaud, EducationWorld Contributor