Wrong Target or Faulty Execution: Improving Progressive Attendance Interventions in a Large Urban District

• In Event: 50604 - Rethinking Educational Reform Across Contexts

Abstract

Chronic absenteeism is a persistent challenge, and many school districts have adopted progressive attendance interventions—multi-tiered systems that provide escalating supports to students based on their attendance patterns. While these approaches aim to foster engagement rather than punishment, they often default to compliance-driven strategies. This study examines why this shift occurs through a research-practice partnership with the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS), focusing on the gaps between how interventions are designed and how they function in practice. Using a multi-level case study approach, we analyze district policies, conduct interviews with administrators and school leaders, and observe how attendance interventions are enacted. Our preliminary findings highlight two key challenges: formulation gaps, in which policies emphasize procedural interventions that are measurable but misaligned with the root causes of absenteeism, and implementation gaps, where accountability pressures, resource limitations, and competing institutional demands push schools toward procedural compliance rather than substantive student engagement. Even when districts promote engagement-oriented strategies, the need for standardization and documentation often leads to an emphasis on attendance plans, automated calls, and other procedural steps over more relational approaches. By explaining how institutional structures shape the enactment of progressive reforms, this study contributes to research on policy implementation and educational accountability. While prior work has examined why students miss school or whether attendance interventions are effective, our study shifts the focus to why engagement-based policies frequently take on a procedural character. As districts work to rebuild attendance post-pandemic, our findings provide practical recommendations for designing attendance interventions that are both effective and feasible, helping schools move beyond compliance toward meaningful student support.

Authors

• David Kalim Diehl, Vanderbilt University

• Joanne Golann, Vanderbilt University

• Kayla Fike, Vanderbilt University