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Beyond Chronic Absenteeism: The Dynamics and Disparities of Class Absences in Secondary School

Author

Listed:
  • Liu, Jing

    (University of Maryland)

  • Lee, Monica

    (Brown University)

Abstract

Student absenteeism is often conceptualized and quantied 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 signicantly 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.

Suggested Citation

  • Liu, Jing & Lee, Monica, 2022. "Beyond Chronic Absenteeism: The Dynamics and Disparities of Class Absences in Secondary School," IZA Discussion Papers 15664, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp15664
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Seth Gershenson & Alison Jacknowitz & Andrew Brannegan, 2017. "Are Student Absences Worth the Worry in U.S. Primary Schools?," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 12(2), pages 137-165, Spring.
    2. Todd Rogers & Avi Feller, 2018. "Reducing student absences at scale by targeting parents’ misbeliefs," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 2(5), pages 335-342, May.
    3. Joshua Goodman, 2014. "Flaking Out: Student Absences and Snow Days as Disruptions of Instructional Time," NBER Working Papers 20221, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Liu, Jing & Lee, Monica & Gershenson, Seth, 2021. "The short- and long-run impacts of secondary school absences," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    5. Seth Gershenson & Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, 2016. "Linking Teacher Quality, Student Attendance, and Student Achievement," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 11(2), pages 125-149, Spring.
    6. Jing Liu & Susanna Loeb, 2021. "Engaging Teachers: Measuring the Impact of Teachers on Student Attendance in Secondary School," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 56(2), pages 343-379.
    7. Peter Bergman & Eric W. Chan, 2021. "Leveraging Parents through Low-Cost Technology: The Impact of High-Frequency Information on Student Achievement," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 56(1), pages 125-158.
    8. C. Kirabo Jackson, 2018. "What Do Test Scores Miss? The Importance of Teacher Effects on Non–Test Score Outcomes," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 126(5), pages 2072-2107.
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    JEL classification:

    • I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education

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