Agenda Item
b. EveryDay Labs Attendance Intervention (Updated 10.10.2023)
Summary: Presented by: Kisha K. Towns, Ph.D., Chief of Wrap Around Services, Division of Equity and Student Empowerment
Contact: Kisha K. Towns, Ph.D., Chief of Wrap Around Services, Division of Equity and Student Empowerment
Reducing Student Absences
at Scale by Targeting Parents’
Misbeliefs: A Summary of
Research
December 2020
A Summary of Research 1
Executive Summary
Rates of student absenteeism are strikingly high in the United States. Yet despite the importance
of attendance, there is a dearth of evidence-based interventions to address absenteeism.
The existing proven interventions, such as mentoring for high-absence students, are costly
and challenging to scale. Dr. Todd Rogers, a behavioral scientist and professor of public
policy at Harvard University, worked alongside a team of researchers to develop a behavioral-
science-informed mail-based intervention called a “nudge” to address absenteeism in a large
urban district. By mailing attendance nudges to the families of high-absence students, they
implemented a scalable, cost-effective intervention that reduced overall absenteeism by 6% and
chronic absenteeism by 10% across all grade levels and demographics.
Research at a Glance
A Large East Coast Urban District
54% Black/African American 28,080
students
75% 19% Hispanic/Latino
free or reduced
price lunch 14% White
13% Other Participating
grades:
This research brief is a summary of original research published in Nature Human
K–12
Behaviour:
Rogers, T., Feller, A. (2018). Reducing student absences at scale by targeting parents’
10% reduction
misbeliefs. Nature Human Behaviour, Vol. 2, pp. 335–342. Strong Evidence
in chronic absenteeism across
under ESSA
grade levels and demographics
A Summary of Research 3
Background Methodology
Chronic absenteeism, defined as missing 10% or more of the school year, is pervasive. Nationwide, The intervention’s impact was evaluated using a randomized controlled trial (RCT), the gold
more than 10% of public school students are chronically absent each year. Absenteeism is a standard evaluation method for Strong Evidence under ESSA. Following RCT protocol, the families
particularly big problem in large, low-income urban districts. Additionally, attendance matters for of 40,326 eligible students were randomly assigned into two statistically equivalent groups. One
everyone. It predicts a variety of outcomes, including: group was assigned to receive five rounds of personalized intervention by mail in addition to the
supports they were already receiving. The other group continued receiving the same supports
with no additional intervention. The intervention group received one of the following:
• Academic performance
• High school graduation rates
• A simple no-data reminder that attendance is important
• Alcohol and drug use
• A report that specified the total number of days the student missed
• Criminality
• A report that specified the total number of days the student missed, and their relative
• Risk of negative outcomes later in life
absences compared to classmates
Students need to attend school regularly to avoid adverse life outcomes, schools and districts
need students to attend school to receive positive evaluations and better funding, and society Each report also contained a piece of information about the importance of attendance and/or the
needs an educated citizenry. role of the family in supporting strong attendance. The goal was to correct family misconceptions
surrounding attendance. Demographically, the majority of students in the partner district were
Though attendance is becoming an increasingly emphasized area of focus for school districts Black/African American, followed by Latino/Hispanic, and then white. Nearly three out of four
around the country, it can be a difficult challenge to address. Students can be absent for a students qualified for free or reduced price lunch.
variety of reasons. This intervention was developed to target two common misbeliefs of families
with high-absence students. The first is that families think their children have missed fewer days of
school than they actually have. The second is that these families believe their children have missed
the same number of days (or fewer) than the average student.
Impact
The research team developed a “personalized information intervention” to target these
misconceptions. They created attendance nudges that informed parents of the total number Students whose families received any of these three attendance nudges experienced
of absences their children had, and in some cases, the number of absences compared to the reduced absenteeism. The personalized nudges—including specific data about the student’s
average classmate. This intervention is potent because families are invested in their children’s attendance—were significantly more effective than the simple reminder letter. There were also
well-being, and they can reward or correct them. Thus, informing families about their children’s notable spillover effects for the families who received the personalized mailings: siblings within a
attendance record can help change student behavior. household that received these nudges about one student also missed fewer days of school.
The impact was determined by comparing the average absences of the group that received
the mailing and those who did not. Based on this comparison, the intervention was effective at
reducing absences across all genders, races, and grade levels. It reduced overall absences by
6% and chronic absenteeism by 10%.
4 Reducing Student Absences at Scale by Targeting Parents’ Misbeliefs A Summary of Research 5
Impact Discussion
Research shows that students with higher rates of absenteeism face worse life outcomes.
Detrimental effects of absenteeism are not limited to school performance, but persist beyond the
K–12 years. Students, schools, districts, and society are harmed by high rates of absenteeism.
This intervention is low-lift for districts, cost effective, and proven to reduce chronic absenteeism
by 10% within a large urban district. Though it is not intended to replace intensive support
for severely absent students, it can provide a foundation of support for all students at risk of or
experiencing high absenteeism rates. Chronic absenteeism is a complex problem that requires
multiple interventions, but informing families about their children’s absences, and empowering
them to take action to support regular attendance, is a critical first step to reducing absenteeism
at scale.
When families are treated as assets to support attendance, outcomes improve for everyone.
Families want their children to succeed in school, and attendance is an area where families
have significant agency. Districts need to empower and partner with families so they can
effectively support their children’s attendance.
To learn more, visit:
everydaylabs.com
For more information about this brief, please contact info@everydaylabs.com.
© 2020 EveryDay Labs
6 Reducing Student Absences at Scale by Targeting Parents’ Misbeliefs
© 2020 EveryDay Labs
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8 Reducing Student Absences at Scale by Targeting Parents’ Misbeliefs