Concerning Inequities in Student Absenteeism From 2010–2021: Longitudinal Patterns and Predictors Through the Pandemic

• In Event: Academic Outcomes During Times of Crises. Hanging Onto Hope: Studying the Dynamics of Schooling in Times of Crisis

Abstract

Absenteeism can signal that students are disengaging from school or struggling with academic, socioemotional, or health-related challenges. Early evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic indicates that absenteeism has increased considerably in the past year. Using 12 years of longitudinal data in seven school districts in Tennessee, we examine longitudinal patterns in absenteeism and the extent to which student, school, and community factors predict absenteeism over time. We specifically investigate inequities in absenteeism and whether gaps in absence rates across student or school/community characteristics emerged or grew in magnitude during the pandemic. Our preliminary evidence suggests that absenteeism rates increased dramatically for English learners during the pandemic and that absenteeism differences by economic disadvantage and race/ethnicity grew larger during the past year.

Authors

• Susan Kemper Patrick, Vanderbilt University

• S. Colby Woods, Vanderbilt University

• Mason Shero, Vanderbilt University