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.
Danger on the Way to School: Exposure to Violent Crime, Public Transportation, and Absenteeism
Burdick-Will, Julia, Marc L. Stein, et.al., Sociological Science, February 2019. Researchers from John Hopkins University tested a new mechanism for the effect of neighborhood on school outcomes: absenteeism that results from a dangerous commute to school. The study found that students whose estimated routes required walking to and waiting at transit stops along streets with higher violent crime rates have…
Missing School, Missing A Home: The Link Between Chronic Absenteeism, Economic Instability and Homelessness in Michigan
Erb-Downward, Jennifer, and Payton Watt, Poverty Solutions, University of Michigan, November 2018. Data shows that homeless students have the highest rates of chronic absence in Michigan. Homelessness occurs in all community types throughout the state. This brief explores chronic absenteeism and makes policy recommendations especially including a greater focus on the educational impact of housing instability in Michigan.
Review: The association between anxiety and poor attendance at school – a systematic review
Finning, Katie, et. al., Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, February 2019. In this review 4930 articles, researchers found that anxiety may be associated with poor attendance at school which can lead to a range of adverse academic, social and economic outcomes. The authors conclude that clinicians should consider the possibility of anxiety in children and adolescents with poor…
Absent from School: Understanding and Addressing Student Absenteeism
Gottfried, Michael A. and Ethan L. Hutt, Harvard Education Press, February 2019. A collection of chapters written by researchers from across the country, the book focuses on measuring attendance, policies and programs that can improve attendance, and interventions designed to encourage students to be in school every day.
Risk and Resilience: Differences in Risk Factors and Health Outcomes Between Homeless and Non-Homeless Students In 2017 YRBS Data
Brown, Katie, Barbara Duffield and Caitlyn R. Owens, SchoolHouse Connection, November 2018. This report has data on the impact of homelessness on chronic absence and offers some helpful recommendations for schools and districts on supports. The authors found that students experiencing homelessness were 5.23 times more likely to miss school due to safety concerns compared to students not characterized as…
Better Together? Social Networks in Truancy and the Targeting of Treatment
Bennett, Magdalena and Peter Bergman, Columbia University, October 2018. Teachers who send text messages to parents of students who were chronically absent also boosted attendance among that student’s friend network. The research shows that the “spillover effects” of family or student intervention onto their peers can help reduce the cost of school or district interventions designed to improve attendance.
Evaluation of Ramsey County’s Truancy Intervention Programs: Policy Implications for Court Diversion Programs
McNeely, C., Lee, W. F., Alemu, et.al., Minn-LInK, Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare. The brief, based on four years of research, indicated a potential racial disparity in truancy enforcement. A disproportionately larger number of absences of minority students were marked unexcused when compared with the absences of their classmates.
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