Study reveals how teachers view chronically absent students

Elementary school teachers view chronically absent students less favorably, even if they don’t cause problems in the classroom, according to a new study published in the journal Elementary school teachers. Open AERAa peer-reviewed journal of the American Educational Research Association.

Michael GottfriedStudy conducted by Dr. Michael A. Gottfried and Phil H. Kim of the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Tina Fletcher of the Walton Family Foundation found that teachers report feeling less close to chronically absent students, implying a “cooling” in the relationship between teachers and absent students (those who have missed at least 11 days of school), which may exacerbate their learning challenges.

“Our findings suggest that absenteeism puts students at a double disadvantage,” Gottfried said. “First, by not attending school, they lose basic learning opportunities. And then it worsens teachers’ relationships with them, which can further harm their academic development.”

The study used nationally representative data from the National Center for Education Statistics on 14,370 students in kindergarten, first and second grades. Data were collected through direct child assessments, parent interviews, and education and administrator questionnaires.

Gottfried said the study highlights chronic absenteeism as an individual and classroom issue that deserves attention, given that, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, absenteeism rates nearly doubled between the 2021-22 school year (30%) and 2018–19.

“If we want to solve the absenteeism crisis, we need to pay attention to both,” Gottfried said.