Planning to deliver: A mixed-methods study of what contributes to absenteeism intervention delivery

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 1:45 pm - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Mixed Methods Approaches to Identifying Policy Solutions to Absenteeism

Abstract

Using district administrative data, interviews with district and school level staff, and observations of attendance-focused meetings, we explore what contributes to the likelihood that high school students receive absenteeism interventions in a large southeastern urban school district. In our preliminary analyses, the quantitative and qualitative evidence diverged. While the quantitative results suggest that community school status and student-staff ratio are related to intervention delivery, staff discussions of intervention delivery centered on the challenges that out-of-zone students present to intervention and a data-driven approach to absenteeism. Many eligible students did not receive attendance interventions, and we highlight the importance of adequately staffing attendance work to avoid an emphasis on compliance and reduce uneven implementation.

Authors

• Kayla Fike, Vanderbilt University

• Changhee Lee, Vanderbilt University

• Hannah Morris, Vanderbilt University

• Eli Rolfes, Vanderbilt University

• Ryan Anthony La Barrie, Vanderbilt University

• David K. Diehl, Vanderbilt University