EBP Exchange - UMB School of Social Work

This report draws its evidence-base from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Kindergarten Study [ECLS-K] and shows that the number of maternal and family risks are associated with greater absenteeism and that the cumulative exposure to maternal and  family risks best predicts chronic absenteeism in early schooling. Kindergartners in contact with three or more risks missed, on average, three or more days of school more for children experiencing three or more risks than their peers not facing such risks. Although these differences are not large, as children progress through the elementary grades, the impact of cumulative risk on the average number of days of lost school attendance lessens, only to rise again in the fifth grade.

 Of more utility in designing interventions, children experiencing any risk were more often chronic absentees – that is, they missed 10 percent or more of the school year – than those who did not encounter any risks. This was true at every grade, although the ratio of chronic absentees with risks to those without risk was the highest in kindergarten and decreased from this grade to third grade, but increased again in fifth grade. 

This report also reveals that it is children who are poor or racial/ethnic minorities or suffer from poor health who have the greatest exposure to cumulative risk.

The findings suggest that attendance is not heavily influenced by lower levels of risk and that the likelihood of greatest nonattendance and the development of chronic truancy is among children exposed to high rates of cumulative risk and peaks in the early years of school and, again, starting with grade five.

 http://www.nccp.org/publications/pdf/text_792.pdf  

Romero, M. & Lee, Y-S. (January, 2008).  New York: Columbia University,

National Center for Children in Poverty