Using Chronic Absence to Improve Educational Outcomes

Using Chronic Absence to Improve Educational Outcomes

A new analysis of state data shows that while chronic absence affects nearly all schools in California, it is also heavily concentrated.  Nearly one out of ten traditional public schools in California, or 822 schools, had high levels of chronic absence that affect 20 percent or more of their students.  At such high levels, all students in the classroom are potentially affected when teachers have to deal with the churn of sporadic attendance.

Seize the Data Opportunity in California: Using Chronic Absence to Improve Educational Outcomes, a report by Attendance Works, Children Now, and the UC Davis Center for Regional Change, shows which schools and counties are heavily affected by chronic absence and offers insights into how to target support to help families and students have an equal opportunity to learn.

"At the end of the day if our children and youth are unable, unsupported, or unwilling to attend school regularly, none of our other investments in student learning will really matter," says Nancy Erbstein, Department of Human Ecology and faculty affiliate for the UC Davis Center for Regional Change.

Download the Report
View the Chronic Absence Story Map