Below is a list of research related to attendance
The reports on this page are listed chronologically and examine the issue of chronic absence nationwide and in selected communities. Use the search box to find research using the first few words of the paper title. See the early education, elementary, secondary and other research categories on the right. To submit new research, please contact us.
Unpacking Unexcused Absences in Maryland: A Working Paper
Unpacking Unexcused Absences in Maryland: A Working Paper by Attendance Works and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville School of Nursing, April 2025. This report examines how policies and practices of the truancy system—the application of the unexcused absence code–could be hindering efforts to improve attendance, particularly for the student groups with high rates of chronic absence.
Stemming the Surge in Chronic Absence: What States Can Do, A Fourth Annual Review of State Attendance Policy and Practice
Stemming the Surge in Chronic Absence: What States Can Do, A Fourth Annual Review of State Attendance Policy and Practice by Attendance Works, June 2024. This brief is our fourth annual review of how states are and could make a difference in school attendance with new policies and practices. Reversing today’s chronic absenteeism requires state leaders to make reducing chronic…
Attendance Practices in High-Absenteeism Districts
Singer, Jeremy. Annenberg Institute at Brown University, EdWorking Paper No.24-932. This working paper inventories attendance practices 47 high-absenteeism districts in Michigan implemented in the 2022-2023 school year. The results reveal which strategies, infrastructures and approaches were popular within these school districts, along with their potential and limitations.
Absent Peers, Present Challenges: The Differential Impact of In-Person and Virtual Classmate Absences on Future Attendance
Kirksey JJ, Gottfried MA, Ansari A, Lansford T. Texas Tech University; College of Education. This working paper examines role classmate interactions play within larger chronic absence trends. Examining 2020-22 data in four Texas districts, researchers found that in-person classmate absences were influential in shaping the absences of individual students, with effects lasting 3 subsequent days, regardless of the student’s achievement…
Turning Back the Tide: The Critical Role of States In Reducing Chronic Absence
Turning Back the Tide: The Critical Role of States In Reducing Chronic Absenteeism, by Attendance Works and the Everyone Graduates Center, Johns Hopkins University. The unprecedented levels of post-pandemic chronic absenteeism compels action from state education agencies and policymakers. This analysis recommends states lead a comprehensive, data-informed approach that equips districts to take local action