Reducing chronic absence and developing conditions for learning are instrumental to improving outcomes for students and can be improved through policy reform and leadership. Schools and educators have the power to improve both student attendance and conditions for learning.
A new Hamilton Project data interactive, “Chronic Absence: School and Community Factors,” examines the factors that affect learning at local elementary, middle, and high schools across the United States. The interactive provides a range of information for every school in the nation, including:
- Student Chronic Absence (2015-16): the share of students at a school who missed more than 15 days;
- Exclusionary Discipline/Week (2015-16): the frequency of in- and out-of-school suspensions;
- English and Math Proficient (2016-17; 2017-18): the share of students who were proficient in English/Language Arts or Math by state-determined standards;
- Student:Teacher Ratio (2015-16): the ratio of students to full-time equivalent classroom teachers;
- Student:Support Staff Ratio (2015-16): the ratio of students to nurses, psychologists, social workers, and counselors; and,
- Teacher Attendance (2015-16): the share of full-time equivalent classroom teachers who were absent more than 10 days.
The interactive allows users to search by zip code or school name and click on schools to discover more information. The interactive also shows whether a school is in the top or bottom quintile of a given measure, so users can see how a school compares to others throughout the nation.
For more, see: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2019/09/10/what-are-the-factors-that-affect-learning-at-your-school/
