View in EDS

Beyond Chronic Absenteeism: The Dynamics and Disparities of Class Absences in Secondary School. EdWorkingPaper No. 22-562

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Beyond Chronic Absenteeism: The Dynamics and Disparities of Class Absences in Secondary School. EdWorkingPaper No. 22-562
Language: English
Authors: Jing Liu, Monica G. Lee, Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Source: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. 2022.
Availability: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: annenberg@brown.edu; Web site: https://annenberg.brown.edu/
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 69
Publication Date: 2022
Document Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Descriptors: Secondary School Students, Urban Schools, Attendance, Attendance Patterns, Truancy, African American Students, Hispanic American Students, Low Income Students, Intervention, Educational Environment, Student Attitudes, School Culture, Racial Differences, Growth Models, Pupil Personnel Services
Abstract: Student absenteeism is often conceptualized and quantified in a static, uniform manner, providing an incomplete understanding of this important phenomenon. Applying growth curve models to detailed class-attendance data, we document that secondary school students' unexcused absences grow steadily throughout a school year and over grades, while the growth of excused absences remain essentially unchanged. Importantly, students starting the school year with a high number of unexcused absences, Black and Hispanic students, and low-income students accumulate unexcused absences at a significantly faster rate than their counterparts. Lastly, students with higher growth rates in unexcused absences consistently report lower perceptions of all aspects of school culture than their peers. Interventions targeting unexcused absences and/or improving school culture can be crucial to mitigating disengagement.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: ED672039
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:Student absenteeism is often conceptualized and quantified in a static, uniform manner, providing an incomplete understanding of this important phenomenon. Applying growth curve models to detailed class-attendance data, we document that secondary school students' unexcused absences grow steadily throughout a school year and over grades, while the growth of excused absences remain essentially unchanged. Importantly, students starting the school year with a high number of unexcused absences, Black and Hispanic students, and low-income students accumulate unexcused absences at a significantly faster rate than their counterparts. Lastly, students with higher growth rates in unexcused absences consistently report lower perceptions of all aspects of school culture than their peers. Interventions targeting unexcused absences and/or improving school culture can be crucial to mitigating disengagement.