Monitor and publicly report chronic absence data early, disaggregated by student group¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 2 studies (1 review, 1 associational), q2 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

This strategy directs advocates and leaders to track chronic absence data in real time and respond early in the school year. The brief advises: "Encourage monitoring chronic absence data in real time and respond as early as possible in the school year," starting ideally in preschool and no later than kindergarten. At the state level, it asks that chronic absence data be publicly available, reported by grade and student groups for each school and districtwide, to highlight systemic inequities and target resources.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Chronic absenteeism data available and used as a distinct metric from average daily attendance and truancy

Constraints¶

• When shown only in aggregate, inequities for certain groups of students are easily hidden

Target Learners¶

• Preschool through K-12 students
• Student groups at elevated absence risk

Target Learning Goals¶

• Early identification of attendance barriers
• Equitable allocation of support resources

Claims¶

• Race is more strongly associated with preschool chronic absenteeism than neighborhood poverty; African American students are about twice as likely to be chronically absent [+W]
• In Western states during 2022–23, multilingual learners' chronic absence averaged 34.3 percent versus 28.9 percent for all students [+W]

Related Strategies¶

• Five actions for school and district leaders to improve family engagement with young learners
• Use disaggregated attainment data with an aspiration benchmark to identify where students face barriers and hold institutions responsible for change

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• EdTrust. (2023). 5 Things for Advocates to Know About Chronic Absenteeism. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED627994