This quantitative study examined the impact school mentors have on the attendance of 15 male fourth and fifth grade students. Student attendance data were collected to compare the students' absences in the 2021-2022 school year versus the 2022-2023 school year. This data was analyzed to determine whether there was a difference in the attendance…

This study investigates the impact of various types of absenteeism--excused, unexcused, and suspensions--on 2024 English I and II EOC scores among 9th and 10th graders at a suburban North Texas high school. This quantitative analysis aimed to understand whether different absence types influence academic achievement when controlling for ethnicity…

The idea that we ought to help young people with underlying issues, rather than simply pressure them back to school has gained traction in the literature on absence from school. However, this discussion has not considered how help and control are intertwined. The following is a Foucault inspired qualitative study of absence interventions in a…

Background: Since returning to in-person instruction after the emergence of COVID-19 schools have seen a dramatic increase in the number of students chronically absent, with data indicating a greater increase for low-income, Black, and Hispanic students. Given the role of school attendance in both promoting positive educational outcomes as well as…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to assess the effect of implementing the restorative practices framework (RPF) on chronic absenteeism and the overall culture at a diverse, suburban middle school in New Jersey from 2017 through 2020. Chronic absenteeism and its impact on students' achievement, success, and sense of belonging are visible…

Previous studies suggest that students who attend school consistently are more likely to perceive a connection to their school, teacher, and peers. This mixed-methods study was set in a public middle school in the Pacific Northwest. Extant attendance data and responses to a researcher-generated survey of students who met the state's definition for…

This article reports findings from a quasi-experimental study of the impact of a summer robotics program for urban middle-grade students. The study focuses on student engagement, measured by school attendance rate the year following the program. Program students, who were nearly all low-income minority students, were matched to comparison students…

Policies aiming to improve educational outcomes are typically based on academic testing data. However, such data only reflect the performance of students who completed the tests. It is possible that students who were absent have shared characteristics. The proportion of students absent out of all eligible school students and whether they have…

The After-School Corporation (TASC) works to build education enrichment into an expanded school day because extra time spent in engaging learning activities leads to better outcomes in school and beyond. There's one month, however, when students in many schools lose learning time: June. In 2013, NYC elementary and middle schools saw their average…

In the current study, we examine patterns of school attendance across middle and high school with a diverse sample of 8,908 students (48% female; 54% Latino, 31% White, 13% African American, 2% Asian American). Attendance declined from middle through high school, but this overall pattern masked important variations. In total, 44% of students…

Working while ill (presenteeism) with symptoms of influenza-like illness can contribute to outbreaks, but little is known about school nurse presenteeism. Missouri Association of School Nurses members (N = 396) were sent a survey in 2013/2014. A chi square test was conducted to compare having a school culture that encourages presenteeism versus…

This study evaluated the efficacy of an intentionally brief school-based mentoring program. This academic goal-focused mentoring program was developed through a series of iterative randomized controlled trials, and is informed by research in social cognitive theory, cognitive dissonance theory, motivational interviewing, and research in academic…

This study tracks initial effects of a philanthropic effort, while disentangling its effects from a major concurrently administrated school improvement initiative. Significant positive effects attributable to both efforts were noted in a middle school student sample. The full impact of the philanthropic and school improvement initiatives will…

Understanding excessive absenteeism is important to ameliorating the negative outcomes associated with the behavior. The present study examined behavioral reinforcement profiles of school refusal behavior: negative reinforcement (avoidance) and positive reinforcement (gaining parental attention or receiving tangible benefits from not attending…