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The growing number of children with chronic illness in need of school accommodations has not been met with improvements in school training or resources. Faculty remain unsure how to accommodate children with frequent school absences combined with multiple domains of physical and psychosocial impairment (Champaloux & Young, 2015, p.24). Some schools stigmatize children with illnesses because the No Child Left Behind Act holds the school accountable for attendance (Irvin & Elam, 2011, p.67). At best, students receive make-up work from teachers, but they rarely receive the missed instruction. Now the students are required to focus on the make-up work along with keeping up with the current work load. The work load is manifested in secondary schools, with more teachers and courses. Thus, students are required to meet higher organizational demands even though many were at an academic disadvantage from the previous years of missed schooling and from co-occurring psychosocial challenges that inhibited academic and organizational abilities (Balfanz & Byrnes, 2012, p.18). Most of these strategies have been shown to leave families and children feeling stigmatized and abandoned (Irwin & Elam, 2011, p.70) and to increase child and family socioemotional challenges, behavior problems, and risk of academic failure and drop out (Jimerson et al., 2006, p.4). So the purpose of the research is to create and establish best practices that will improve and enhance student achievement for all chronic illness children in the K-12 settings.
References
Balfanz, R., & Byrnes, V. (2012). Chronic Absenteeism: Summarizing What We Know from Nationally Available Data. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins.http//new.every1graduates.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/FinalChronicAbsenteeis, 1-46.
Irwin, M., and Elam, M. (2011). Are We Leaving Children with Chronic Illness Behind? Physical Disabilities: Education and Related Services, v30 n2, 67-80.

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The significance of the research is to support chronic illness children in K-12 schools. To identify best practices and awareness to better serve children in this area. It's important we as educators can place our feet in their shoes, gain empathy and understanding, look at current practices and policies, and begin research for solution. Currently we are treating chronic illness children the same as children with a learning or emotional disabilities. As educators we are expected to raise student and emotional achievement for all children, not those only with good health.
Therefore the significance of the research is to raise the awareness, and begin to close the achievement gap. The goal is to raise student and emotional achievement, and decrease isolation, anxiety, fear, and depression.

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At the classroom level, qualitative and quantitative studies repeatedly showed that educators were unaware of or misunderstood the needs of students with chronic illness (Knauer, Baker, Hebbeker, & Davis-Alldritt, 2015, p.52). The growing number of children with chronic illness in need of school accommodations has not been met with improvements in school training or resource. Faculty remain unsure how to accommodate children with frequent school absences combined with multiple domains of physical and psychosocial impairment (Champaloux & Young, 2015, p.21). According to a new study in the Journal of Adolescent Health, approximately 32 million U.S. children have at least one chronic health condition, which can negatively affect their chances of receiving a high school diploma or its equivalent by age 21.
Reference
United States: Research Brief: Chronic Health Conditions and Academic Achievement (2017). National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov. 1-5

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Closing the Learning Gap
1. The chronically ill child in the school
A. Promoting comprehensive care for children with chronic health conditions and their families
B. Acute Stress Model/Mental Health
C. Chronic Absenteeism
2. Academic Challenges
A. Are we Leaving Children with Chronic Illness Behind?
B. Beyond grade retention and social promotion: Promoting the social and academic competence of students
C. Children with Chronic Health Conditions Less Likely to Graduate from High School
D. Identifying the Educational Implications of Chronic Illness in School Children
3. Well Being in School
A. Financial burden for families of children with special health care needs
B. Emotions and interpersonal relationship
C. The economic costs of childhood disability
D. School reentry for students with a chronic illness

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Purpose of the Research

The growing number of children with chronic illness in need of school accommodations has not been met with improvements in school training or resources. Faculty remain unsure how to accommodate children with frequent school absences combined with multiple domains of physical and psychosocial impairment (Champaloux & Young, 2015, p.24). Some schools stigmatize children with illnesses because the No Child Left Behind Act holds the school accountable for attendance (Irvin & Elam, 2011, p.10). 	At best, students receive make-up work from teachers, but they rarely receive the missed instruction. Now the students are required to focus on the make-up work along with keeping up with the current work load. The work load is manifested in secondary schools, with more teachers and courses. Thus, students are required to meet higher organizational demands even though many were at an academic disadvantage from the previous years of missed schooling and from co-occurring psychosocial challenges that inhibited academic and organizational abilities (Balfanz & Byrnes, 2012, p.18). Most of these strategies have been shown to leave families and children feeling stigmatized and abandoned (Irwin & Elam, 2011, p.15) and to increase child and family socioemotional challenges, behavior problems, and risk of academic failure and drop out (Jimerson et al., 2006, p.4).

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Purpose of the Research

The growing number of children with chronic illness in need of school accommodations has not been met with improvements in school training or resources. Faculty remain unsure how to accommodate children with frequent school absences combined with multiple domains of physical and psychosocial impairment (Champaloux & Young, 2015, p.24). Some schools stigmatize children with illnesses because the No Child Left Behind Act holds the school accountable for attendance (Irvin & Elam, 2011, p.10). 	At best, students receive make-up work from teachers, but they rarely receive the missed instruction. Now the students are required to focus on the make-up work along with keeping up with the current work load. The work load is manifested in secondary schools, with more teachers and courses. Thus, students are required to meet higher organizational demands even though many were at an academic disadvantage from the previous years of missed schooling and from co-occurring psychosocial challenges that inhibited academic and organizational abilities (Balfanz & Byrnes, 2012, p.18). Most of these strategies have been shown to leave families and children feeling stigmatized and abandoned (Irwin & Elam, 2011, p.15) and to increase child and family socioemotional challenges, behavior problems, and risk of academic failure and drop out (Jimerson et al., 2006, p.4).

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The research topic description is to focus the lens on chronic illness children in K-12 settings. According to the Journal of Adolescent Health, approximately 32 million U. S. children have at least one chronic health condition, which can negatively affect their chances of receiving a high school diploma or its equivalent by age 21. Without processes in place in this area, schools usually create plans and hope they work. This may create educational barriers, which in turn may compound the situation. While federal legislation guarantees children with disabilities a free and appropriate public education (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004), children with chronic illness do not immediately fit into any pre-established program in schools (Thies, 1999).
Additionally, the report topic will focus on current laws in this area, and examine why these laws were created in the first place.  The research will examine roles in the school such as school counselors and nurses to assist and support children and classroom teachers in this area. Schools face challenges incorporating children with different illnesses into the classroom. Most children spend nearly half their waking hours with their teacher and school personnel. Yet most educators have had little training about the needs of children with medical conditions in the classroom (Olson, Seidler, Goodman, Gaelic, & Nordgren, 2004, p.53).
The research topic will also focus on technology and the role it may or can play. With the invention of virtual technology, facetime, sykpe, hangout, and more, this maybe an area where chronic illness may benefit with some us of direct instruction.
Reference
Irwin, M., and Elam, M. (2011). Are We Leaving Children with Chronic Illness Behind? Physical Disabilities: Education and Related Services, v30 n2, 67-80.

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1. What are the barriers and challenges of educating children with a chronic illness with chronic attendance issues due to health?
2. What protocol can we create to support missed instruction every time due to health school absences?
3. How can we increase and maintain promotion and high school graduation rate of chronic illness children compared to children without health conditions?
4. How can the undergraduate education program help train future educators in this area?

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The gaps in the literature is how school policy can guide schools in working with children in K-12. Other Health Impaired (OHI) is a catch all under (IDEA), yet it does not fully address chronic illness population. Hospital/Homebound (HHB) services may need to be a focus. Under present policy, children need to miss school three consecutive days before intermittent service start. However, if the child returns to school on day four, no HHB is given. For full-time HHB, the child has to miss schools for ten consecutive days. Lastly reentry back to school needs to be re-visited as well, so that an effective consistent protocol is established.

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Next Steps/Future Direction of the Research

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Next Steps/Future Direction of the Research

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The future direction is to continue review the literature. The next step is to create focus groups to get additional information from chronic illness children and families, and to interview 504 coordinators, school counselors and nurses. Furthermore to review the policy and procedure of hospital/homebound services.