Seven Frequently Asked Questions About Student Engagement and Attendance - Supporting Positive Attendance Outcomes

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Kyle

Research-based brief examining student engagement and attendance as drivers of positive outcomes and student well-being, with a specific equity focus on historically underserved populations. It addresses seven core questions: chronic absenteeism and truancy definitions, variation across student groups, underlying drivers, data collection and sharing between district and state levels, and how multitiered supports improve attendance. It also outlines essential practices and strategies for engaging families and youth to promote better attendance.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Frequently Asked Questions (Supporting Positive Attendance Outcomes)

1. Chronic absenteeism definitions and variation by student group

2. Truancy definitions and variation by student group

3. Drivers of variation in absenteeism across student groups

4. Collection and sharing of absenteeism data between district and state levels

5. Multitiered systems of supports to improve attendance

6. Essential practices for historically underserved populations with chronic absenteeism

7. Strategies for engaging families and youth to promote better attendance

Authors: Jackson Miller, Lori Nathanson, Tabitha Reynolds Hoang, Tawheedah Abdullah, Max Altman SUPPORTING POSITIVE ATTENDANCE OUTCOMES SEVEN FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND ATTENDANCE TABLE OF CONTENTS SUPPORTING POSITIVE ATTENDANCE OUTCOMES Authors: Jackson Miller, Lori Nathanson, Tabitha Reynolds Hoang, Tawheedah Abdullah, Max Altman Designer: Ernie Salcedo Copy Editor: Shannon Croom 1. What is chronic absenteeism, and does it vary by 4 student group? 2. What is truancy, and how does it vary by student ~~ ~~ 5 group? 3. What are the drivers of variation in absenteeism across 6 student groups? 4. How are absenteeism data collected and shared 7 between district and state levels? 5. How do states and districts use a multitiered system of 8 supports to improve attendance? 6. What specific practices are essential to supporting 10 historically underserved populations with chronic absenteeism? 7. What are the strategies for engaging families and youth 11 to promote better attendance? Suggested Citation: Miller, J., Nathanson, L., Reynolds Hoang, T., Abdullah, T., & Altman, M. (2025). Seven frequently asked questions about student engagement and attendance. Equity Assistance Center-South. Disclaimer: The Equity Assistance Center-South atthe Southern Education Foundation (SEF) advises, assists, and serves our public education systems in addressing educational inequities related to race, national origin, sex, and religion—as required by federal law—and in advancing educational justice for all students. The contents ofthis brief were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education (Grant \#S004D220011). However, these contents do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Education, and no endorsement by the federal government should be assumed. Seven Frequently Asked Questions About Student Engagement and Attendance INTRODUCTION Research finds that consistent attendance at school is linked to positive student outcomes and supports students' well-being and personal development.1 Historically underserved populations like students of color and students from low-income families—in many cases, such policies have simply been designed with little attention to the full range of student contexts. Teachers, school leaders, state and district staff, and many others make choices about attendance processes, policies, and practices that continue to have differential effects on students and families. It is extremely important to ensure that these policies support all students and produce beneficial outcomes, but far too often they reinforce rather than disrupt inequities. This brief addresses a set of essential questions about student engagement and attendance and provides strategies and resources to support the creation of effective policies and approaches to combat chronic absenteeism. The questions derive from attendance challenges that have been shared by representatives from state education agencies (states) and local education agencies (districts) with the first two authors of this brief in their role with the Student Engagement and Attendance Center (SEAC), a technical assistance center that supports states and districts as they address persistent issues related to engagement, absenteeism, and attendance. Chronic absenteeism rates (defined by the U.S. Department of Education asthe proportion of students who miss at least 10 percent of school days, or approximately 18 days in a given year) have risen over the past decade, and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the problem.2 Up to 2.7 times as many students were chronically absent in the 2021–22 school year compared with pre-pandemic counts3 and two-thirds ofall U.S. students that year attended a school in which at least 20% of enrolled students were chronically absent.4 Absenteeism rates for students from lower-income backgrounds have continued to worsen during

FAQs

What is chronic absenteeism, and does it vary by student group?

Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing at least 10% of school days (about 18 days in a year). The brief emphasizes that rates can vary across different student groups.

What is truancy, and how does it vary by student group?

The brief treats truancy as a related but distinct attendance issue from chronic absenteeism and discusses how it can differ among student groups.

How do states and districts use multitiered systems of supports to improve attendance?

The brief describes how states and districts apply multitiered supports to improve attendance, aiming to align approaches with equity considerations and reduce chronic absenteeism.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Kyle