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.
Attendance Counts: How Schools and Local Communities are Reducing Chronic Absence in North Carolina
North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation. September 2019. This report outlines results from a survey of 1,500 NC parents, preschool staff and elementary school staff who shared their impressions of current school-level attendance policies and practices. In addition to analyzing the survey data, the report considers what can be done by schools and in communities to reduce chronic absence in preschool…
Using Chronic Absence Data to Improve Conditions for Learning
Using Chronic Absence Data to Improve Conditions for Learning, by Hedy N. Chang, David Osher, Mara Schanfield, Jane Sundius and Lauren Bauer, describes how chronic absence and conditions for learning are interconnected issues that can have an impact on a child’s educational success. Case studies from the state of Georgia and the Cleveland Metropolitan School District help to illustrate how…
Using Behavioral Insights to Improve Truancy Notifications
Lasky-Fink, Jessica, Carly Robinson, Hedy Chang, and Todd Rogers. Harvard Kennedy School, August 2019. In this working paper, researchers modified a district’s standard notification letter. The modified letters reduced absences in the following month by 2 percent, translating to .07 fewer days of absence, equal to a 40 percent improvement over the estimated effectiveness of the standard truancy notification.
Long-Term Effects of Truancy Diversion on School Attendance: a Quasi-Experimental Study with Linked Administrative Data
Clea A. McNeely, Won Fy Lee, et. al., Prevention Science. Over 60% of US school districts implement court diversion programs to address chronic unexcused absenteeism, yet the effectiveness of these programs is not known. The study evaluated whether the Truancy Intervention Program (TIP) improved school attendance of students in grades 7–10 in a metropolitan county in the US Midwest.
What are the Effects of a Two-Generation Human Capital Program on Children’s Attendance and Chronic Absence in Head Start?
Sommer, Teresa Eckrich, et al. Northwestern University, May 2019. This study evaluates the effects on children’s attendance and chronic absence of Career Advance, a career pathway training program for parents of children enrolled in Head Start. It also examines whether the program is more effective in reducing children’s chronic absence among certain families (i.e., grouped by family, parent, and child…
Engaging Teachers: Measuring the Impact of Teachers on Student Attendance in Secondary School
Liu, Jin and Susanna Loeb, Annenberg Institute at Brown University, EdWorkingPaper No.19-01, April 2019. Teachers’ impact on student long-run success is only partially explained by their contributions to students’ short-run academic performance. For this study, we explore a second dimension of teacher effectiveness by creating measures of teachers’ contributions to student class-attendance. We find systematic variation in teacher effectiveness at…
Achievement and Absenteeism
Jensen, Nate and Gregory King. Center for School and Student Progress. NWEA. A study of elementary students in one district indicates that the effect of chronic absence on academic achievement carries forward year after year. The drag on achievement occurs well before students meet the definition of chronic absence. Policies should target students earlier to prevent their falling behind.