We've all heard the phrase "the clothes make the man." Is it possible that the clothes make the student as well?

The public school system is no stranger to using incentives to encourage students in low-income areas to regularly attend class. In the past, free meals and transportation have shown increases in attendance, especially among those living in areas of lower socioeconomic status. However, Whirlpool had another idea- would simply the pretense of a washing machine be enough to increase attendance? The idea was simple- having no clean clothes is embarrassing, and perhaps if students could wash their clothes for free at school, they'd have more of a reason to stick around.

In 2015, Whirlpool launched their Care Counts initiative, which provided washing machines and laundry supplies to 17 schools in areas of low socioeconomic status and considered high risk for drop outs and skipping class. The results so far have been noticeable- attendance improved within most classrooms in as little as a month. Those students considered to be at the greatest risk for dropping out averaged an increase of a previously unheard of two weeks of classroom attendance. Students taking advantage of these programs come from disadvantaged backgrounds. They might be homeless, they might be living with parents who are financially struggling, or they might be struggling with the choice between food, rent, or a trip to the laundromat when the end of the month comes around.

"People don’t talk about not having clean clothes because it makes you want to cry or go home or run away or something," said Logan, an 8th grade student taking advantage of Whirlpool's Care Counts program. "It doesn't feel good."

With over a million students dropping out every year, there's still a lot of work to be done. However, if something as simple as a clean shirt and pair of pants can help to break the cycle of poverty and inequality, a little bit of laundry might be worth it.