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.
Using Behavioral Insights to Improve School Administrative Communications: The Case of Truancy Notifications
Lasky-Fink, Jessica, Carly D. Robinson, Hedy Nai-Lin Chang and Todd Rodgers. Harvard Kennedy School, March 2018. Truancy notifications often use long passages of punitive legal jargon that are confusing and threatening to families. By randomly assigning parents to receive a modified truancy notification with simplified language and constructive information, the researchers saw a reduction in absenteeism.
The Grade-Level and Cumulative Outcomes of Absenteeism
Gottfried, M. and Ansari, A., Child Development. This study examined the grade-level and cumulative outcomes of school absenteeism between kindergarten and fifth grade for students’ school performance in the U.S. Researchers found that students who were more frequently absent in any year of elementary school demonstrated lower academic, executive function and socioemotional outcomes.
Learning from the “Reducing Barriers to School Attendance” initiative
Torres, K., Rooney, K., Gandi, E. and Holmgren, M. Education Northwest, December 2020. In 2017, KPNW contracted with Education Northwest to conduct a three-year external evaluation of the Reducing Barriers to Attendance initiative. This report summarizes changes to KPNW grantee activities, capacities, and partnerships in the third and final year of the project. It aims to provide insight on efforts…
Why Do Detroit Students Miss School? Implications for Returning to School After COVID-19
Cook, W., Lenhoff, S. W., Pogodzinski, B., and Singer, J. Detroit Education Research Partnership (DERP), Wayne State University, February 2021. This report contains in-depth interviews with Detroit parents and high school students, along with observations and interviews with Detroit school staff to document attendance trends and outline the major causes of student absenteeism in Detroit.
Using Chronic Absence to Map Interrupted Schooling, Instructional Loss and Educational Inequity
Using Chronic Absence to Map Interrupted Schooling, Instructional Loss, and Educational Inequity: Insights from School Year 2017-18 Data, by Attendance Works and the Everyone Graduates Center, February 2021. This report provides a national and state analysis of how many schools face high levels of chronic absence and shows how chronic absence data reported prior to the coronavirus pandemic can help…
The Effect of Serving “Breakfast After-the-Bell” Meals on School Absenteeism: Comparing Results From Regression Discontinuity Designs
Kirskey, J. Jacob and Michael A. Gottfried. The University of California, Santa Barbara, No Kid Hungry Campaign, February 2021. An analysis of longitudinal statewide datasets in Colorado and Nevada containing school breakfast information and national data on chronic absenteeism rates finds that schools serving ‘Breakfast After the Bell’ reported declines in chronic absenteeism.
Are Students Present and Accounted For? An Examination of State Attendance Policies During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Are Students Present and Accounted For? An Examination of State Attendance Policies During the Covid-19 Pandemic, by Attendance Works, discusses how the coronavirus pandemic impacted attendance data. It presents a summary of state attendance guidance developed since spring 2020, and examines the extent to which recent state guidance guarantees the availability of consistent, reliable data taken on a daily basis.