How to Lower Chronic Absenteeism Rates in Kindergarten Through Fifth-Grade Students

Chronic absenteeism is typically defined as missing 10 percent or more of the school year (Chang \u26 Romero, 2008). These absences are typically due to three main factors: family responsibilities, the school environment, and being unaware of education’s value (Sahin, Arseven, \u26 Kihc, 2016; Sugrue, Zuel, \u26 LaLiberte, 2016; Van Eck, Johnson, Bettencourt, \u26 Linstrom Johnson, 2017). Many studies have been conducted on reducing chronic absenteeism rates in elementary schools (Cook, Dodge, Gifford, \u26 Schulting, 2017; Nauer, 2016; Rappaport, Daskalaskis, \u26 Andrel, 2011). While interventions varied among studies, each intervention can be categorized into one or both of the following categories: strategies within the school or strategies within the community and the child’s home. The purpose of this study is to identify the different factors that may be affecting chronic absenteeism rates in elementary students, as well as programs and strategies that have been implemented to reduce and prevent chronic absenteeism. Ultimately, the goal of this paper is to identify how schools may work to lower the chronic absenteeism rate of elementary (i.e., kindergarten through fifth-grade) students. After analyzing the data, it is evident that there are a number of strategies that schools can implement in an effort to reduce chronic absenteeism. However, the most effective strategies are those that look at the child’s life holistically and change school policies in order to accurately reflect chronic absenteeism rates