January 30, 2025

January 2025 Research Rundown

By Madie Spartz

In honor of our current political gridlock, we’re focusing January’s Research Rundown—our curated list of recent, relevant research we think is worth adding to the education equity conversation—on the one topic legislators seem to agree on: chronic absenteeism. Read on for articles about:

  • Effects of high-impact tutoring programs on student attendance
  • How student absenteeism affects teacher job satisfaction
  • The gap between student and parent opinions on school engagement
Effects of High-Impact Tutoring on Student Attendance: Evidence from the OSSE HIT Initiative in the District of Columbia

Annenberg Institute at Brown University, December 2024

This study is one of the first to examine the impact of high-impact tutoring (HIT) on student attendance. Although HIT programs have the express goal of improving academic achievement, the researchers hypothesized that having regular touchpoints with a caring adult (via multiple in-person tutoring sessions weekly) could improve student attendance as well, given that past research has shown such effects. Using data from a HIT program implemented in Washington D.C. in the 2022-23 school year, the researchers compared students’ attendance on scheduled tutoring days to those where no tutoring was scheduled.

On average, tutoring provided a modest increase in student attendance, but some students benefitted more than others. The researchers found that students who were absent more often the previous year saw the largest increase in their attendance. Additionally, the effects were more pronounced for middle school students than high schoolers. Another important observation is that the specifics of the tutoring programs mattered: the largest effect size occurred in programs that were embedded in the school day, as well as those with smaller student-to-tutor ratios.

Why This Matters in Minnesota

The findings of this study are especially promising because they suggest a two-for-one return on investment: improved academic outcomes and attendance with the same program. We’ve written about the importance of high-dosage tutoring in both pandemic recovery and opportunity gap closure, and this study suggests improved attendance could be yet another benefit. It also underscores the important fact that not all tutoring programs are equally beneficial. To be the most impactful, they must be thoughtfully designed with appropriate curriculum, small student-to-teacher ratios, and, ideally, embedded in the school day. Policymakers should consider these findings when identifying solutions for both chronic absenteeism and continued pandemic recovery.

READ THE STUDY

Do Teachers with Absent Students Feel Less Job Satisfaction?

Educational Researcher, November 2024

This study explores the effect chronic absenteeism has on teachers, a topic that has been previously unexplored in research. Specifically, the authors explored whether higher rates of absenteeism in a teacher’s classroom correlate with lower job satisfaction. Using survey data, they found that student absenteeism correlates to lower rates of job satisfaction for both novice and experienced teachers.

While this study explores a new research question and should be a basis for continued research, it does have limitations: mainly, it is not causal. This means that while it does show an association between student absenteeism and teacher job satisfaction, it’s only predictive; the study does not definitively tell us that student absenteeism is the specific cause of lower teacher satisfaction. The authors suggest that this is an important starting point for further research–  it stands to reason that teachers with lower student engagement face more challenging work environments, “diminishing the richness of interactions and instruction.” It also looks exclusively at kindergarten teachers, so we should be cautious about extending these findings to teachers of older children.

Why This Matters in Minnesota

While the effects of absenteeism should be mainly focused on students, we can’t ignore the ripple effects it may have on other members of the education ecosystem. Teacher retention is an important issue that does ultimately impact students and schools through high turnover and less stability—which trickle down to both academic outcomes and school climate. Though the study has limitations, it provides an important starting point for future research. Furthermore, it highlights the importance for policymakers to consider the full effects of chronic absenteeism when designing solutions. Absenteeism affects students primarily, but not exclusively, and it doesn’t exist in a vacuum. To fully address the issue of chronic absenteeism, all of its impacts must be considered.

READ THE STUDY

The Disengagement Gap: Why Student Engagement Isn’t What Parents Expect

The Brookings Institution, January 2025

This report analyzes survey data to understand students’ own experiences of their time in school and compares that to parents’ perceptions of the same metrics. This is based on the assumption that student engagement with school is directly correlated with positive educational outcomes, as is parent understanding of and involvement in their child’s education. The authors report four major findings, all of which reveal a gap between how students and their parents are experiencing public education.

First, less than 10% of students report deep student engagement: regularly feeling like they belong at school, feeling “very supported” in their learning, or strongly feeling like what they’re learning is relevant to their lives. Second, as students get older, their enjoyment of school decreases. Similarly, they report less learning the older they get (86% of 3rd graders say they “learn a lot in school” vs 44% of 10th graders). Third, parents overestimate the quality of students’ schooling experiences. Parents across demographics and age groups greatly overestimate both how much their children enjoy school and how much they feel they are learning. Finally, the authors found meaningful differences in survey responses based on geography; students in suburban areas report higher engagement and learning than students in rural or urban areas.

Why This Matters in Minnesota

There is no single solution to Minnesota’s high absenteeism rates, and student engagement, though critical, is perhaps the most challenging area to address. Legislators can funnel more money into attendance liaisons or increased transportation options, but improving how students feel about their education is a much more daunting task. Similarly, there isn’t a simple legislative fix for the phenomena of parents’ skewed perception of their children’s experiences. However, despite the challenges inherent in improving these factors, we can’t shy away from them. Whether it’s implementing Minnesota Student Survey results into school plans or providing more resources for parents to stay more informed in their child’s education, solutions need to be explored at both the local and statewide level.

READ THE REPORT

Reading the Fine Print: What Governor Walz’s Budget Could Mean for Schools

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