Attendance STILL matters: The relation between absenteeism and learning in a post pandemic context

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Friday 3:45pm
  In Poster Session: Educational Equity and the Impact of Structural Bias

Abstract

Using student fixed effects and panel data, we explored the relationship between days absent and student learning. We found a negative relationship between absenteeism and test scores--with each additional day students are absent from school, their test scores decline, especially in Math. Increased absenteeism may thus partially explain continued struggles with learning recovery post-pandemic. We identified that the relationship between absenteeism and test scores intensified over time: the relationship between test scores and absenteeism remains as strong as, or stronger than, it was pre-pandemic. These findings point to the critical importance of improving attendance, particularly for student groups that have been historically marginalized in K-12 schooling and experienced the poorest outcomes during the pandemic.

Author

• Mariana Barragan Torres, University of Illinois System