An Analysis of Attendance Policies and High School Attendance Rates

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the relationship between the dependent variable, average daily attendance rate, and the independent variables, socio-economic status, student enrollment, and the type of attendance policy implemented in the 85 public high schools in southwest Missouri. The types of attendance policies were sorted into one of three pre-determined categories: punitive, reward, or affective. Data were collected for each of the independent and dependent variables. A percentage was calculated by dividing the number of policy types within each category by the total number of policy types. Then the data were organized based on the average daily attendance rate, student enrollment, and the socio-economic status. Data were analyzed using inferential statistics, including ANOVA, bivariate correlation, and multiple regression. The Pearson r coefficient was used to determine the significance of the relationship. There was no relationship between average daily attendance and socio-economic status, and no relationship was found between average daily attendance and type of attendance policy. A significant relationship was identified between average daily attendance and student enrollment. Additionally, a significant relationship was found between the independent variables, socio-economic status, and student enrollment. A significant relationship also existed between all three independent variables when compared to average daily attendance rate. Of the 73 school districts participating in the study, 80.8% implemented a punitive attendance policy. The average daily attendance rate of the responding schools was 94.29%. Although a relationship between the punitive type of attendance policy and average daily attendance rate was not established in this study, previous research has found punitive policies have a positive impact on student attendance