Teacher Absenteeism and Student Outcomes: Evidence from Arkansas

• In Event: Understanding Absenteeism Across the South: Patterns, Policies, and Practice

Abstract

Teacher absenteeism disrupts instructional continuity and may undermine the benefits of teacher quality, yet relatively little is known about how absenteeism has changed following the Covid-19 pandemic or how it relates to student academic growth. This study addresses these gaps using longitudinal administrative data from the Arkansas Department of Education spanning the 2018–19 through 2023–24 school years. We examine three research questions: (1) How has teacher absenteeism changed over time, particularly before and after the Covid-19 pandemic? (2) How does absenteeism vary across teacher and school characteristics? and (3) How is teacher absenteeism associated with student academic growth, as measured by teacher value-added metrics (VAM)?

The analytic sample includes 168,140 teacher-year observations for public school teachers with at least one recorded absence. The dataset includes detailed information on teacher demographics, experience, course assignments, and school characteristics, along with disaggregated absence types (sick/personal, professional development, and school business). For teachers in tested subjects, we link annual value-added measures capturing student growth. We use descriptive analyses to document trends over time and estimate Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression models to examine variation in absenteeism and its association with student outcomes, controlling for a rich set of teacher- and school-level covariates.

Results show that teacher absenteeism increased substantially during the pandemic and remains elevated relative to pre-pandemic levels across the distribution, with the largest increases among teachers in the highest absence percentiles. Increases are observed across all absence types, including sick/personal, professional development, and school business absences. Absenteeism also varies meaningfully across teacher roles and contexts: career and technical education (CTE) teachers average over five additional absence days relative to elementary teachers, and special education teachers have significantly higher absence rates. Female teachers average approximately one additional day of absence overall and substantially more sick and personal leave. Absences are also persistent over time, with prior-year absences strongly predicting current absences. At the school level, absenteeism is higher in larger schools and those serving higher shares of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.

Linking teacher absenteeism to student outcomes, we find a consistent negative association between higher levels of teacher absenteeism and student academic growth. While differences are not statistically significant at low levels of absence (fewer than 10 days), teachers with 10 or more absences exhibit progressively lower value-added scores across subjects. For example, teachers with 20 or more absences have math value-added scores approximately 0.033 standard deviations lower than those with five or fewer absences, with similar but smaller patterns in English language arts and science.

These findings suggest that elevated teacher absenteeism, particularly beyond a 10-day threshold, may have meaningful implications for student learning. Policy responses should focus on managing high absenteeism, considering the dosage of school business-related absences, and strengthening the substitute-teacher workforce to mitigate instructional disruptions.

Author

• Kimberly Shaw, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
  Presenting Author