Reducing Student Absenteeism in the Early Grades by Targeting Parental Beliefs

Carly D. Robinson, Monica G. Lee, Eric Dearing and Todd Rogers
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Carly D. Robinson: Harvard University
Monica G. Lee: Stanford University
Eric Dearing: Boston College
Todd Rogers: Harvard University

Working Paper Series from Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government

Abstract: Attendance in kindergarten and elementary school robustly predicts student outcomes. Despite this well-documented association, there is little experimental research on how to reduce absenteeism in the early grades. This paper presents results from a randomized field experiment in ten school districts evaluating the impact of a low-cost, parent-focused intervention on student attendance in grades K-5. The intervention targeted commonly held parental misbeliefs undervaluing the importance of regular K-5 attendance as well as the number of school days their child had missed. The intervention decreased chronic absenteeism by 15%. This study presents the first experimental evidence on how to improve student attendance in grades K-5 at scale, and has implications for increasing parental involvement in education.

Date: 2017-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cbe, nep-edu, nep-exp and nep-ure
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ecl:harjfk:rwp17-011

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