The Impact of a Homicide in the Classroom on Schoolwide Student Attendance

• In Event: Division H Graduate Student Structured Poster Session

Abstract

A recent nationwide study of fatal shootings in high schools found that shootings significantly decreased enrollment and test scores, but not attendance. This was unexpected given the burgeoning literature linking student absence to violent crime and perceptions of safety. The present study estimates the proximal causal effect of a homicide in a classroom on schoolwide student attendance using synthetic control methods. A significant increase in absence is observed for the three-week period after the murder which is equivalent to a doubling of daily absence on average. This transient impact, however, only contributes a 1.2% increase to the school’s average daily attendance. The study highlights the importance of comparative case study methodologies for close quantitative examinations of school phenomena.

Authors

• Nathaniel Dewey

• Marc L. Stein, Johns Hopkins University