Musical Chairs and Empty Desks: How School Staff Manage Student Mobility and Chronic Absenteeism

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 2:15 pm - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: The Cost of Movement: Chronic Absenteeism, Mobility, and Educational Futures

Abstract

Student mobility and chronic absenteeism contribute to enrollment instability that challenges both student learning and school operations. While prior research emphasizes student outcomes, this study centers schools as organizations navigating these disruptions. Drawing on 48 interviews with K–8 principals, teachers, and staff in two Indiana public school districts, I examine how educators manage mobility and attendance issues, especially amid new policy mandates to address chronic absenteeism. Participants described organizational strain, including logistics around record-keeping and disruptions to instruction. Staff imagined creative responses, but often faced obstacles to implementation due to external factors like attendance policy changes. By highlighting practitioner perspectives, this study underscores the need for policy and organizational supports that acknowledge the structural roots of school instability.

Author

• Bridget M. Curry, University of Notre Dame