Below is a list of research related to attendance

The reports on this page are listed alphabetically and examine the issue of chronic absence nationwide and in selected communities. Use the search box to find research using the author name. See the early education, elementary, secondary and other research categories on the right. To submit new research, please contact us.
The Connection Between Missing School and Health: A Review of Chronic Absenteeism and Student Health in Oregon
Henderson, Tia. Upstream Public Health, October 2014. Upstream Public Health looks “upstream” at factors in communities, at home, and at schools that lead to chronic absenteeism. The report reviews data and research on student absences — finding that unexpected factors such as unstable housing, fear of bullying, and punitive school discipline policies as well as health conditions such as hunger,…
Effects of the FITKids Randomized Controlled Trial on Executive Control and Brain Function
Hillman, Charles H. Pediatrics, September 29, 2014. This study found significant differences between students in the afterschool program and those on the wait list. Students in the intervention group improved two-fold when tested on accuracy and cognitive tasks compared to the students who did not participate in the afterschool program. Researchers found widespread changes in brain function, meaning greater amounts…
The Effects of Maternal Depression on Child Outcomes during the First Years of Formal Schooling
Claessens, Amy, Mimi Engel, F. Chris Curran. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 3rd quarter, 2015. Using a nationally representative sample of nearly 17,000 children, researchers examine the association between the timing, persistence, and severity of maternal depression, measured in kindergarten and third grade, and children’s school behaviors, academic achievement, and school absences in third and fifth grades. Results indicate that persistent…
In School and On Track 2014: Attorney General’s 2014 report on California’s elementary school truancy and absenteeism crisis
Office of Attorney General, California Department of Justice, September 2014. In School + On Track 2013 highlighted the unacceptable rates of elementary school truancy using attendance records from the 2011-2012 school year. This year’s report indicates that those rates were not isolated or unique — truancy rates are persistent in California. In the 2012-2013 school year, the school year immediately…
Attendance and the Early Grades: A Two-Generation Approach
Voices for Utah Children. The statewide policy and advocate group, Voices for Utah Children, released this brief detailing how policies affecting parents and children can influence school attendance.
Absences Add Up: How School Attendance Influences Student Success
Ginsburg, Alan, Phyllis Jordan and Hedy Chang. Attendance Works, August 2014. This state-by-state analysis of national testing data demonstrates that students who miss more school than their peers consistently score lower on standardized tests, a result that holds true at every age, in every demographic group, and in every state and city tested. The analysis is based on the results…
Why September Matters: Improving Student Attendance
Olson, Linda S. Baltimore Education Research Consortium, July 2014. Absenteeism in the first month of school can predict poor attendance patterns throughout the year, providing an early warning sign for parents and educators to intervene and put students back on track, according to this brief which examines attendance in the Baltimore City Public Schools for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students…