Attendance interventions for chronically absent students

There is strong evidence that interventions that assist chronically absent students improve their attendance. On average, such programs increase student attendance by about one week (Campbell-Maynard 2012, Eklund 2022), and reduce overall unexcused absence (i.e., truancy) (Thomas 2017a). However, program components and effects vary. Additional evidence is needed to determine which programmatic elements lead to the greatest improvements (Campbell-Maynard 2012, Ekstrand 2015).

Court-, school-, and community-based programs, and programs run through collaborations of these organizations all improve attendance (Campbell-Maynard 2012, Mallett 2016). Researchers recommend that communities prioritize ease of program implementation over cross-entity collaboration, as multi-modal programs do not appear more effective than programs implemented by a single stakeholder. Truancy is associated with additional delinquency, poor school performance, substance abuse, and school dropout (Campbell-Maynard 2012).

A Los Angeles county-based study suggests that truancy interventions are more effective when they address students’ and families’ physical and mental health needs, increase school-based efforts, and improve coordination across partners (Gase 2015). In East and South Los Angeles, student interviews suggest shaping school environments to support student engagement, improving school responses to truancy, and further involving and engaging parents may increase the effectiveness of attendance interventions (Gase 2016). In an Illinois-based study, high poverty rates and low parental or family (Lenhoff 2018), involvement are associated with higher school truancy rates (McDaniel 2020). Truancy intervention that builds collaborative police-school partnerships that increases the perception of safety and order at school may also present successful implementation in some schools (Mazerolle 2017).

Students with serious emotional disturbance and learning disabilities appear more likely to be chronically absent or become truant (Chen 2016b). Students who are chronically absent may suffer from coexisting chronic conditions like anxiety disorders and disruptive behavior disorders at high rates (Kiana 2018). An Australia-based study that looked at a truancy reduction program indicates that some truancy may be related to bully victimization, also known as bullying. Among young individuals who participated in Ability School Engagement Program (ASEP), there was a significant reduction in bully victimization and missing school because of bullying (Cardwell 2021). Cyberbullying is also an area of concern, as it can play a significant role in whether a student decides to commit truancy or not (Julian-Escario 2022).

U.S. and international research suggests that positive school climates, environment, opportunities to bond with adults, and supports for developing students’ core competencies (e.g., self-esteem, self-control, decision making skills, etc.) may keep kids in school (Ekstrand 2015, Lenhoff 2018). Offering clinical services paired with quality educational services at school may also be effective to reduce truancy (Kiana 2018, Cardwell 2019).

Attendance interventions for chronically absent students are a suggested strategy to decrease disparities in attendance and achievement between racial and ethnic groups, by socio-economic status, gender groups, and mental health conditions (Hong 2020, Rubino 2020). Chronic absenteeism is most prevalent among students from families with low incomes; the highest rates are found among the youngest and oldest students, and seniors in high school often have the highest rates of all; however, gender and ethnic background do not appear to play a role in this (Balfanz 2012). Among youth with a history of pretrial detention, truant youth present more mental health needs than non-truant youth (Hong 2020). Low-income and racial/ethnic minority students often see lower academic performic and low graduation rates due to challenges they may face in attending school regularly (Malika 2021, Lim 2019).

Chronic absenteeism is higher amongst students with disabilities compared to those who do not have disabilities (Cortiella 2018, Gottfried 2019). National data from the 2013-2014 school year indicate that students with physical, emotional, or mental health conditions were 1.5 times as likely to be chronically absent in elementary school than their counterparts without such conditions (Cortiella 2018). Students with learning disabilities and emotional disturbances tend to have higher rates of chronic absenteeism (Gottfried 2019). Behavioral and health conditions, like asthma, are highly associated with chronic absenteeism (Lim 2019).

Since the Common School movement from 1830 to 1872 United States schools have established practices and implemented policies to ensure students attend school (Bauer 2018). Under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, all schools were required to report average daily attendance, however, there were no measures to indicate which students were at risk academically due to their absences (Bauer 2018).

The 2013-2014 school year was the first that schools were federally required to submit all types of chronic absence categories—excused, unexcused, and absences due to disciplinary actions (Bauer 2018). This more detailed data reporting practice explains the apparent surge in chronic absenteeism that can be seen between 2013 and 2016 (Bauer 2018). The COVID-19 pandemic also resulted in a surge in chronic absenteeism as students transitioned back to in-person learning. Large investments in academic recovery have been initiated at federal, state, and local levels, but success of many of these efforts is dependent on in-person attendance (Dee 2024).

While traditional education policies focus on class size, teaching and learning in the classroom, school choice, and leadership changes that impact educational outcomes, they fail to respond to chronic absenteeism which is a complex issue stemming from multiple factors (Childs 2022); researchers are still exploring and learning about the root causes of chronic absenteeism (Childs 2022). State-level truancy policies have an unclear association with chronic absenteeism for certain demographics (Conry 2018).

• Which groups of students experience chronic absenteeism in your schools?
• What barriers or challenges to school attendance (e.g., transportation issue, economic hardship, health issues, bullying, etc.) do students experience? What supports are needed to address and overcome the barriers?

The U.S. Departments of Education (U.S. ED), Health and Human Services (U.S. DHHS), Housing and Urban Development (U.S. HUD), and Justice (U.S. DOJ) “Every Student, Every Day” initiative helps coordinate systems of support among state and local education, health, housing, and justice systems to generate and act on absenteeism data, create and deploy positive messages and measures, and launch local initiatives to address chronic absenteeism (US ED-ESED toolkit 2015).

Oregon (Oregon-Statewide chronic absenteeism plan) and Washington (WA HB 2449) are two states that have passed legislation to develop and implement plans to reduce chronic absenteeism. Other states have developed training modules, early warning systems, data collection efforts and resources to support interagency and cross-sector collaboration, as in Virginia (VA DOE-Attendance) and New York (NY-Chronic absence). New York City has seen significant improvements in attendance and reduction in chronic absenteeism, particularly amongst students from high-poverty backgrounds, since implementing their Success Mentors program (Balfanz 2018). Hawaii’s Truancy Reduction Demonstration Project includes a series of public service announcements to inspire kids to stay in school (UHI-Education PSAs). Connecticut has developed the Perfect Attendance Wins Stuff (PAWS) program that is a multilevel approach with involvement of students, their parents/guardians, school staff, and community providers (Young 2020).

Many local municipalities also support multi-sector, multi-agency partnerships to reduce chronic absenteeism. For example, in Washington, D.C., the Truancy Taskforce, the Graduation Pathways Project, and the Youth Re-Engagement Center are examples of collaborations to provide comprehensive supports for chronically absent students (DC-Absenteeism).

Attendance Works - Attendance Works. Advancing student success by reducing chronic absence: What works, take action, and resources.

Bauer 2018 - Bauer, L., Liu, P., Schanzenbach, D. W., & Shambaugh, J. (2018). Reducing chronic absenteeism under Every Student Succeeds Act. Brookings Institution.

Check and Connect - University of Minnesota. Check & Connect: A comprehensive student engagement intervention.

US ED-Chronic absenteeism - U.S. Department of Education (U.S. ED). Chronic absenteeism in the nation’s schools: An unprecedented look at a hidden educational crisis.

US ED-ESED toolkit 2015 - U.S. Department of Education (U.S. ED), U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Every student, every day (ESED): A community toolkit to address and eliminate chronic absenteeism. Washington, D.C.; 2015.

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Balfanz 2012 - Balfanz R, Byrnes V. The importance of being in school: A report on absenteeism in the nation’s public schools. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Center for Social Organization of Schools; 2012.

Balfanz 2018* - Balfanz, R., & Byrnes, V. (2018). Using data and the human touch: Evaluating the NYC inter-agency campaign to reduce chronic absenteeism. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR), 23(1–2), 107–121.

Bauer 2018 - Bauer, L., Liu, P., Schanzenbach, D. W., & Shambaugh, J. (2018). Reducing chronic absenteeism under Every Student Succeeds Act. Brookings Institution.

Campbell-Maynard 2012 - Maynard BR, McCrea KT, Kelly MS. Indicated truancy interventions: Effects on school attendance among chronic truant students. Campbell Systematic Reviews. 2012:10.

Cardwell 2019* - Cardwell, S. M., Mazerolle, L., & Piquero, A. R. (2019). Truancy intervention and violent offending: Evidence from a randomized controlled trial. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 49, 101308.

Cardwell 2021* - Cardwell, S. M., Bennett, S., & Mazerolle, L. (2021). Bully Victimization, Truancy, and Violent Offending: Evidence From the ASEP Truancy Reduction Experiment. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 19(1), 5–26.

Chen 2016b* - Chen CC, Culhane DP, Metraux S, Park JM, Venable JC. The heterogeneity of truancy among urban middle school students: A latent class growth analysis. Journal of Child and Family Studies. 2016;25(4):1066–1075.

Childs 2022* - Childs, J., & Lofton, R. (2021). Masking attendance: How education policy distracts from the wicked problem(s) of chronic absenteeism. Educational Policy, 35(2), 213–234.

Conry 2018* - Conry, J. M., & Richards, M. P. (2018). The severity of state truancy policies and chronic absenteeism. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR), 23(1–2), 187–203.

Cortiella 2018 - Cortiella, C., & Boundy, K. B. (2018). Students with disabilities and chronic absenteeism (NCEO Brief No. 15). National Center on Educational Outcomes.

DC-Absenteeism - Washington, D.C., Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education. Reducing absenteeism and reconnecting youth to educational opportunities.

Dee 2024 - Dee, T. S. (2024). Higher chronic absenteeism threatens academic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(3), e2312249121.

Eklund 2022* - Eklund, K., Burns, M. K., Oyen, K., DeMarchena, S., & McCollom, E. M. (2022). Addressing Chronic Absenteeism in Schools: A Meta-Analysis of Evidence-Based Interventions. School Psychology Review, 51(1), 95–111.

Ekstrand 2015* - Ekstrand B. What it takes to keep children in school: A research review. Educational Review. 2015;67(4):459–482.

Gase 2015* - Gase LN, Butler K, Kuo T. The current state of truancy reduction programs and opportunities for enhancement in Los Angeles County. Children and Youth Services Review. 2015;52:17–25.

Gase 2016 - Gase LN, DeFosset A, Perry R, Kuo T. Youths’ perspectives on the reasons underlying school truancy and opportunities to improve school attendance. The Qualitative Report. 2016;21(2):299–320.

Gottfried 2019* - Gottfried, M. A., Stiefel, L., Schwartz, A. E., & Hopkins, B. (2019). Showing up: Disparities in chronic absenteeism between students with and without disabilities in traditional public schools. Teachers College Record, 121(8), 1–34.

Hong 2020* - Hong, J. H., Hein, S., Slaughter, A. M., Foley Geib, C., Gopalakrishnan, A., & Grigorenko, E. L. (2020). The roles of race, ethnicity, gender, and mental health in predicting truancy recidivism. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 47(6), 649–667.

Julian-Escario 2022 - Escario, J.-J., Giménez-Nadal, J. I., & Wilkinson, A. V. (2022). Predictors of adolescent truancy: The importance of cyberbullying, peer behavior, and parenting style. Children and Youth Services Review, 143, 106692.

Kiana 2018 - Kiani, C., Otero, K., Taufique, S., & Ivanov, I. (2018). Chronic absenteeism: A brief review of causes, course, and treatment. Adolescent Psychiatry, 8(3), 214–230.

Lenhoff 2018* - Lenhoff, S. W., & Pogodzinski, B. (2018). School Organizational Effectiveness and Chronic Absenteeism: Implications for Accountability. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR), 23(1–2), 153–169.

Lim 2019 - Lim, E., Davis, J., Choi, S. Y., & Chen, J. J. (2019). Effect of sociodemographic, health-related problems, and family structure on chronic absenteeism among children. Journal of School Health, 89(4), 308–318.

Malika 2021 - Malika, N., Granillo, C., Irani, C., Montgomery, S., & Belliard, J. C. (2021). Chronic absenteeism: Risks and protective factors among low-income, minority children and adolescents. Journal of School Health, 91(12), 1046–1054.

Mallett 2016* - Mallett CA. Truancy: It’s not about skipping school. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal. 2016;33(4):337-347.

Mazerolle 2017* - Mazerolle, L., Antrobus, E., Bennett, S., & Eggins, E. (2017). Reducing truancy and fostering a willingness to attend school: Results from a randomized trial of a police-school partnership program. Prevention Science, 18(4), 469–480.

McDaniel 2020* - McDaniel SC, Bruhn AL, Peshak George H. Establishing the literature base of SWPBIS research in schools with large populations of underrepresented students. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth. 2020;64(4):290-300.

NY-Chronic absence - New York State (NY). Every student present! Solving chronic absence: Information and resources for educators and community coalitions.

Oregon-Statewide chronic absenteeism plan - Oregon Department of Education. (n.d.). Attendance, Belonging & Engagement: Attendance/Chronic Absenteeism: State of Oregon. Retrieved December 9, 2024.

Patnode 2018 - Patnode, H., & Patnode, A. H. (n.d.). Research, Development and Engagement to Improve Education.

Rubino 2020* - Rubino, L. L., Anderson, V. R., & Campbell, C. A. (2020). An examination of racial/ethnic disparities in truancy court. Crime & Delinquency, 66(1), 33–58.

Thomas 2017a* - Thomas, J. M. (2017). Early truancy evaluation: Replication of an evaluation using a regression discontinuity design. Children and Youth Services Review, 78, 150–160.

UHI-Education PSAs - College of Education, University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHI). Education public service announcements (PSAs): Sending better messages.

US ED-Chronic absenteeism - U.S. Department of Education (U.S. ED). Chronic absenteeism in the nation’s schools: An unprecedented look at a hidden educational crisis.

US ED-ESED toolkit 2015 - U.S. Department of Education (U.S. ED), U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Every student, every day (ESED): A community toolkit to address and eliminate chronic absenteeism. Washington, D.C.; 2015.

VA DOE-Attendance - Virginia Department of Education (VA DOE). Prevention strategies & programs: Attendance & truancy.

WA HB 2449 - Washington State 64th Legislature. An act relating to court-based and school-based intervention and prevention efforts to promote attendance and reduce truancy. 2016 Regular Session: House Bill 2449; 2016: 1-26.

WI DPI-Attendance - Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (WI DPI). School attendance.

Young 2020* - Young, S., Connolly Sollose, L., & Carey, J. P. (2020). Addressing chronic absenteeism in middle school: A cost-effective approach. Children & Schools, 42(2), 131–138.