Forth Valley and West Lothian Regional Improvement Collaborative
Attendance Focus: August -October 2022
Research Summary
| Research reference (with link) |
| Engaging Teachers: Measuring the Impact of Teachers on Student Attendance in Secondary School
Jing Liu, Susanna Loeb. Journal of Human Resources, Volume 56, Number 2, Spring 2021, pp. 343-379 |
| Research methodology / Data Collection methods |
| Study focuses on linking secondary teachers to class attendance and create measures of teachers’ contributions to attendance. Promoted by lack of research on teachers’ impact on reducing absence, especially in secondary school, which affects college enrolment. Even more of a lack of research on impact on at risk students.
Looks at unexcused class level attendance and Californian standardised tests data for Maths & ELA from 2003/4 to 2013/14 in America. Focuses on five core subjects – Maths, English language arts (ELA), science, social studies & foreign languages. Correlates with student demographic variables – race/ethnicity, gender, English learner status (EL) special education status and gifted status.
Estimate teachers’ contributions to student class attendance in secondary school. Evaluate statistical properties of their new measure Link this measure with several student long-run outcomes Examine long-run effects of high value-added attendance teachers by students; prior absenteeism & prior achievement Tests variability of multidimensional teacher effects based on several student characteristics. 5 research questions on: variance, stability, similarity, effects |
| Key relevant findings |
Impact of low attendance – less learning, drug & alcohol use and crime Absenteeism among strongest predictors of long-term outcomes – school drop out rate Black, Hispanic and low-income students are more susceptible to absence which aggravates the achievement gaps.
Factors causing absence Individual and family factors – student illness, residential mobility School factors which reduce absenteeism – positive and safe school environment along with effective, supportive and engaging teachers.
Student miss 44% fewer Maths and 54% fewer English classes if have a high value added to attendance teacher. High value added to attendance teacher has stronger effects on a student’s opportunity to graduate from school and meaningful effects on pursuit of higher academic goals. This is particularly strong for students with lower prior achievement, lower prior attendance and high predicted probability of dropping out.
Different ethnic groups have variable attendance patterns. Attendance varies by the timing of the class. – most common to skip first period and then last period. Different grades have variable attendance patterns. Absence varies less by class subject |
| Questions research raises |
| On average, American secondary students are absent three weeks per year. How does this compare to our average?
Are these particular groups of pupils who are more affected by absenteeism than others? |
| Follow up reading suggestions |
| Jackson 2018
Gershenson 2016 – 3 to 5 graders in North Carolina. Doesn’t differentiate between excused and unexcused absence. . |
