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Evaluating the Relationship Between Student Attendance and Achievement in Urban Elementary and Middle Schools: An Instrumental Variables Approach
Abstract
Researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and parents have assumed a positive relationship between school attendance and academic success. And yet, among the vast body of empirical research examining how input factors relate to academic outcomes, few investigations have honed in on the precision of the relationship between individual attendance and student achievement. The purpose of this article is to provide insight into this relationship. Specifically, this study has evaluated the hypothesis that the number of days a student was present in school positively affected learning outcomes. To assess this, a unique empirical approach was taken in order to evaluate a comprehensive dataset of elementary and middle school students in the Philadelphia School District. Employing a fixed effects framework and instrumental variables strategy, this study provides evidence from a quasi-experimental design geared at estimating the causal impact of attendance on multiple measures of achievement, including GPA and standardized reading and math test performance. The results consistently indicate positive and statistically significant relationships between student attendance and academic achievement for both elementary and middle school students.
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“Chronic absenteeism has been linked to a number of negative outcomes for students, including lower achievement, course failure, and ultimately student disengagement and increased risk of dropping out of high school (Allensworth and Easton 2007;Allensworth et al. 2014; Balfanz and Byrnes 2012; Balfanz, Herzog, and Mac Iver 2007; Gottfried 2010; Mac Iver and Mac Iver 2010; Ready 2010).”
From Danger on the way to school: exposure to violent crime, public transportation, and absenteeism (2019) · cites this paper as Gottfried 2010
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Metadata
- Authors
- Gottfried, M. A.
- Affiliations
- University of Pennsylvania (US)
- Corresponding author
- Gottfried, Michael A.
- Venue
- American Educational Research Journal
- Published
- 2010-06
- Volume
- 47
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 434-465
- ISSN
- 0002-8312 (ISSN-L)
- 1935-1011
- OpenAlex
- W2113436206
- Cited by
- 342
- References
- 79
- Citations by year
- 2026: 19 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 26 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 33 · 2020: 37 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 27 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 27 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 17 · 2013: 17 · 2012: 11
- FWCI
- 25.45
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Educational Research Journal (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Education › Youth Substance Use and School Attendance
- Social Sciences › Education › School Choice and Performance
- Social Sciences › Education › Innovations in Educational Methods
- Keywords
- school attendance, academic performance, urban elementary schools, urban middle schools, grade point average, standardized test performance, reading achievement, mathematics achievement, School District of Philadelphia
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