A new academic advisory council has been formed to address chronic absenteeism in Iowa schools, the Branstad administration announced today. Plans to create the Chronic Absenteeism Advisory Council were announced at the 2016 Future Ready Iowa Summit, which began a statewide conversation about how to close the skills gap. Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10 percent or more of school days for any reason. In Iowa, that means at least 18 days of school a year, or nearly a month. Chronically absent students are far less likely to be proficient in reading by the end of third grade according to analysis by the Child and Family Policy Center. To view a list of 30-member council and the meeting schedule, click here.