From One Peninsula to Another: What Florida Can Learn From Michigan’s Research on Chronic Absenteeism

From this Report:

Across the country, the US is experiencing a mass exodus from the classroom as large numbers of students have stopped showing up for school. The causes range from responses to COVID-19 and other public health concerns to baseline attendance problems. Even with the spike from the COVID era, there continues to be an elevated chronic attendance problem.

Researchers in Michigan have surveyed their state to discover which practices are being implemented to solve this problem, how well those practices are breaking down the barriers that students are facing, and their ultimate impact on student attendance. 

The instrument that the researchers used surveyed K-12 Public school leaders in Michigan with questions about the attendance practices, beliefs, systems, and perceptions of barriers. To encourage school leaders to respond to the survey, they offered continuing education credits, personalized reports, and small grants. With a response rate of 41%, they reached over 1,100 school leaders, the majority of whom represented rural high schools and economically disadvantaged students. While the school leaders who responded had higher rates of chronic absenteeism than non-responders, they represented a solid cross-section of Michigan public schools. 

The survey showed six areas that MI schools are addressing regarding school absences. One-third of school leaders, particularly in high schools and schools with high absenteeism, ranked attendance as a top-three priority. On average, schools reported using 12 to 13 different attendance practices, with communication-focused methods like letters home, robocalls, and personal calls being the most common. In contrast, solutions addressing structural issues, such as transportation help, home visits, or curriculum changes, were less common. The survey also found that many schools have dedicated systems in place, including data systems, multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) frameworks, and attendance teams, and that schools with more systems tend to use more attendance practices.

In terms of staffing, roles like social workers, homelessness liaisons, and counselors were widespread, while attendance-specific staff were found in only about 30% of schools. Fewer than half of the leaders surveyed reported receiving guidance on attendance strategy from their district, and when they did, it was described as only "somewhat helpful." 

Finally, the most significant barriers to attendance cited by school leaders were:

• Parental motivation and misconceptions
• Student mental health
• Acute illness
• Issues related to poverty and transportation

Low-cost, low-impact attempts to reduce absenteeism are necessary, but growing evidence supports significant actions like improving students' experience and other structural supports as the only sufficient ways to drive consistent change. We ought to ask our leaders to address systemic and school-based barriers.