Present and Accounted for: Improving Student Attendance Through Family and Community Involvement

• Published in: The Journal of educational research (Washington, D.C.) Vol. 95; no. 5; pp. 308 - 318
• Main Authors: Epstein, Joyce L., Sheldon, Steven B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC Taylor & Francis Group 01.05.2002; Heldref Publications; Taylor & Francis Inc
• Subjects: Absenteeism; Attendance; Attendance Patterns; Average daily attendance; Biological and medical sciences; Collaboration; Community life; Educational Environment; Educational psychology; Educational Researchers; Elementary schools; Elementary Secondary Education; Family School Relationship; family-school-community partnerships; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Grade 1; High school students; High schools; improving student attendance; Longitudinal studies; longitudinal study; Parent Participation; Parents; Parents & parenting; Partnerships in Education; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychopedagogics. Didactics; Pupil and student. Academic achievement and failure; School attendance; School Community Relationship; School districts; School dropouts; School truancy; Secondary schools; Student absenteeism; Students; Truancy; Chicago Illinois; United States > US; Maryland; Baltimore Maryland; Human; Reduction; School age; Secondary education; Family environment; Absenteeism; Elementary education; Student; Child; School environment
• ISSN: 0022-0671; 1940-0675
• DOI: 10.1080/00220670209596604

Reducing student absenteeism and truancy is a goal of many schools across the country. Surprisingly little research focuses on what schools can do to increase and sustain students' daily attendance, and even fewer studies explore how family-school-community partnerships may contribute to this goal. In this longitudinal study, data were collected on schools' rates of daily student attendance and chronic absenteeism and on specific partnership practices that were implemented to help increase or sustain student attendance. Results indicate that several family-school-community partnership practices predict an increase in daily attendance, a decrease in chronic absenteeism, or both. The data suggest that schools may be able to increase student attendance in elementary school by implementing specific family and community involvement activities.