The Relation between Absenteeism and Student Learning in a Post-Pandemic Context. Learning Renewal Series
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| Title: | The Relation between Absenteeism and Student Learning in a Post-Pandemic Context. Learning Renewal Series |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Mariana Barragan Torres, Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative (IWERC) |
| Source: | Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative, Discovery Partners Institute. 2025. |
| Availability: | Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, State of Illinois for Discovery Partners Institute. 200 South Wacker Drive, 20th Floor, Chicago, IL 60304. Tel: 217-766-6779; e-mail: IWERC@mx.uillinois.edu; Web site: https://dpi.uillinois.edu/applied-research/iwerc/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 42 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Chicago Community Trust Steans Family Foundation (SFF) Joyce Foundation |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research Numerical/Quantitative Data |
| Education Level: | Elementary Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Attendance, Academic Achievement, COVID-19, Pandemics, Student Characteristics, Test Score Decline, Scores, Elementary Secondary Education, Grade Level Differences, Low Income Students, Racial Differences, English Learners, Rural Urban Differences, School Districts |
| Geographic Terms: | Illinois |
| Abstract: | This report, the last in a series on post-pandemic Learning Renewal in Illinois, focuses on the issue of increased student absenteeism in the wake of the pandemic. Previous reports in the series examined trends in student achievement outcomes, district use of emergency pandemic relief funds, district practices related to learning renewal, and the relationship between districts' strategies and achievement recovery. Throughout these reports, student absenteeism--and district responses to absenteeism--emerged as key issues. This report thus spotlights the issue of absenteeism, looking at trends in absenteeism, the relationship between absenteeism and student achievement outcomes, and whether that relationship has shifted following the pandemic (a key question for policy). This report provides key findings in three areas. First, IWERC explored the student characteristics that correlated with an increase in absenteeism from pre-to-post pandemic. It was found that Black students saw the largest increase in absenteeism from 2018-2019 to 2022-2023 (SY19 to SY23, respectively), followed by Latino students. There were also important differences by grade. Specifically, students in high school increased their absenteeism by more than 5 days between SY19 and SY23. Similarly, students in urban areas, especially in Chicago Public Schools (CPS), greatly increased the number of days they were absent from school from SY19 to SY23. Eligibility for Free or Reduced Priced Lunch (FRPL) was another factor related to the increase in student absenteeism. Second, IWERC explored the relationship between days of absenteeism and student learning, controlling for student characteristics. There was a negative relationship between absenteeism and student learning. In other words, with each additional day students are absent from school, their test scores decline, especially in Math. Increased absenteeism may thus partially explain continued struggles with test scores in the post-pandemic period. Finally, IWERC identified that the relationship between absenteeism and test scores intensified over time, likely as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the irregularities it caused for all students. Controlling for student characteristics, the relationship between test scores and absenteeism remains as strong as, or stronger than, it was pre-pandemic. These findings point to the critical importance of improving attendance, particularly for student groups that have been historically marginalized in K-12 schooling and experienced the poorest outcomes during the pandemic. Attendance is central to continued, strong learning recovery in Illinois K-12 schools. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | ED679344 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 CustomLinks: – Url: https://eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED679344 Name: ERIC Full Text Category: fullText Text: Full Text from ERIC |
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| Header | DbId: eric DbLabel: ERIC An: ED679344 AccessLevel: 3 PubType: Report PubTypeId: report PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: The Relation between Absenteeism and Student Learning in a Post-Pandemic Context. Learning Renewal Series – Name: Language Label: Language Group: Lang Data: English – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mariana+Barragan+Torres%22">Mariana Barragan Torres</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Illinois+Workforce+and+Education+Research+Collaborative+%28IWERC%29%22">Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative (IWERC)</searchLink> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Illinois+Workforce+and+Education+Research+Collaborative%2C+Discovery+Partners+Institute%22"><i>Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative, Discovery Partners Institute</i></searchLink>. 2025. – Name: Avail Label: Availability Group: Avail Data: Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, State of Illinois for Discovery Partners Institute. 200 South Wacker Drive, 20th Floor, Chicago, IL 60304. Tel: 217-766-6779; e-mail: IWERC@mx.uillinois.edu; Web site: https://dpi.uillinois.edu/applied-research/iwerc/ – Name: PeerReviewed Label: Peer Reviewed Group: SrcInfo Data: N – Name: Pages Label: Page Count Group: Src Data: 42 – Name: DatePubCY Label: Publication Date Group: Date Data: 2025 – Name: SourceSuprt Label: Sponsoring Agency Group: SrcSuprt Data: Chicago Community Trust<br />Steans Family Foundation (SFF)<br />Joyce Foundation – Name: TypeDocument Label: Document Type Group: TypDoc Data: Reports - Research<br />Numerical/Quantitative Data – Name: Audience Label: Education Level Group: Audnce Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Elementary+Secondary+Education%22">Elementary Secondary Education</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Descriptors Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Attendance%22">Attendance</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Academic+Achievement%22">Academic Achievement</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22COVID-19%22">COVID-19</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Pandemics%22">Pandemics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Characteristics%22">Student Characteristics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Test+Score+Decline%22">Test Score Decline</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Scores%22">Scores</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Elementary+Secondary+Education%22">Elementary Secondary Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Grade+Level+Differences%22">Grade Level Differences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Low+Income+Students%22">Low Income Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Racial+Differences%22">Racial Differences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22English+Learners%22">English Learners</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Rural+Urban+Differences%22">Rural Urban Differences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+Districts%22">School Districts</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Illinois%22">Illinois</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: This report, the last in a series on post-pandemic Learning Renewal in Illinois, focuses on the issue of increased student absenteeism in the wake of the pandemic. Previous reports in the series examined trends in student achievement outcomes, district use of emergency pandemic relief funds, district practices related to learning renewal, and the relationship between districts' strategies and achievement recovery. Throughout these reports, student absenteeism--and district responses to absenteeism--emerged as key issues. This report thus spotlights the issue of absenteeism, looking at trends in absenteeism, the relationship between absenteeism and student achievement outcomes, and whether that relationship has shifted following the pandemic (a key question for policy). This report provides key findings in three areas. First, IWERC explored the student characteristics that correlated with an increase in absenteeism from pre-to-post pandemic. It was found that Black students saw the largest increase in absenteeism from 2018-2019 to 2022-2023 (SY19 to SY23, respectively), followed by Latino students. There were also important differences by grade. Specifically, students in high school increased their absenteeism by more than 5 days between SY19 and SY23. Similarly, students in urban areas, especially in Chicago Public Schools (CPS), greatly increased the number of days they were absent from school from SY19 to SY23. Eligibility for Free or Reduced Priced Lunch (FRPL) was another factor related to the increase in student absenteeism. Second, IWERC explored the relationship between days of absenteeism and student learning, controlling for student characteristics. There was a negative relationship between absenteeism and student learning. In other words, with each additional day students are absent from school, their test scores decline, especially in Math. Increased absenteeism may thus partially explain continued struggles with test scores in the post-pandemic period. Finally, IWERC identified that the relationship between absenteeism and test scores intensified over time, likely as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the irregularities it caused for all students. Controlling for student characteristics, the relationship between test scores and absenteeism remains as strong as, or stronger than, it was pre-pandemic. These findings point to the critical importance of improving attendance, particularly for student groups that have been historically marginalized in K-12 schooling and experienced the poorest outcomes during the pandemic. Attendance is central to continued, strong learning recovery in Illinois K-12 schools. – Name: AbstractInfo Label: Abstractor Group: Ab Data: ERIC – Name: DateEntry Label: Entry Date Group: Date Data: 2026 – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: ED679344 |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=ED679344 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 42 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Attendance Type: general – SubjectFull: Academic Achievement Type: general – SubjectFull: COVID-19 Type: general – SubjectFull: Pandemics Type: general – SubjectFull: Student Characteristics Type: general – SubjectFull: Test Score Decline Type: general – SubjectFull: Scores Type: general – SubjectFull: Elementary Secondary Education Type: general – SubjectFull: Grade Level Differences Type: general – SubjectFull: Low Income Students Type: general – SubjectFull: Racial Differences Type: general – SubjectFull: English Learners Type: general – SubjectFull: Rural Urban Differences Type: general – SubjectFull: School Districts Type: general – SubjectFull: Illinois Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: The Relation between Absenteeism and Student Learning in a Post-Pandemic Context. Learning Renewal Series Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative (IWERC) – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Mariana Barragan Torres IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 10 Type: published Y: 2025 Titles: – TitleFull: Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative, Discovery Partners Institute Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
