Take a look at some of the actionable insights from SPARC’s research on students experiencing absenteeism, bullying, and maltreatment that can help inform school policies and programs to support students’ wellbeing.

School Absenteeism Among Children with Disabilities

What Our Research is About: We delve into the reasons why kindergarteners with disabilities are absent. We also explain what drives the gap in rates of absenteeism between kindergarteners with and without disabilities.

The Issue and Why It’s Important: Nationwide, children with disabilities have chronic absence rates—missing 10% or more of the school year—that are 1.5 times higher than their peers without disabilities. When children with disabilities miss school, they may miss out on vital school support services. They also can miss out on interactions with their teachers and peers that can contribute to their wellbeing, engagement and success.

This issue is important because there are school policies, practices and programs that could better promote attendance among children with disabilities and help reduce the attendance gap. But given the complex reasons for absences, what can schools focus on to potentially reduce absences among children with disabilities?

Our Insights: We found that internalizing behaviors (e.g., feeling withdrawn) in students with disabilities and their parents’ health are significantly associated with chronic absenteeism as well as help explain the absenteeism gap.

Implications for School Policies and Programs: Reducing gaps in early absenteeism may require schools to diagnose and address internalizing problem behaviors in young children with disabilities and provide appropriate behavioral supports to reduce those behaviors. Beyond the role of schools, our work highlights the need to support the health and wellbeing of adults caring for children with disabilities through investments in the determinants of their health, such as access to high quality health care.

Additional Studies on Absenteeism

Kim, C., Gee, K. A., Byrd, R. (2019). Excessive absenteeism due to asthma in California schoolchildren. Academic Pediatrics. 20(7). 950-957.

Gee, K. A. (2018). Minding the Gaps in Absenteeism: Disparities in Absenteeism by Race/Ethnicity, Poverty and Disability. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk. 23(1-2): 204-208.

Gottfried, M. A., Gee, K. A. (2017). Identifying the Determinants of Chronic Absenteeism: A Bioecological Systems Approach. Teachers College Record. 119(7).

Gee, K. A. (2019). Variation in chronic absenteeism: The role of children, classrooms and schools. In M. Gottfried and E. Hutt (Eds.), Absent from School: Understanding and Addressing Student Absenteeism. (pp. 35-52). Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

Chang, H. N., Gee, K. A., Hennessy, B., Alexandro, D, Gopalakrishnan, A. (2021). Chronic absence patterns and prediction: Insights from Connecticut. Attendance Works.

Gee, K. A. & Kim, C. (2019). Chronic absence in California: What new dashboard data reveals about school performance. Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) Policy Brief, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California.

School Bullying and School Climate

What Our Research is About: We investigate the role that school climate plays in reducing the negative aftereffects of being bullied.

The Issue: While all schools have anti-bullying policies and programs, students continue to be victimized and bullied at school—nationwide, nearly 1 in 5 students were bullied during the school year. Given this, what can schools do to lessen the impact that bullying has on students’ wellbeing? Our research helps inform what schools can do to better support students in the wake of being victimized.

Our Insights: Our results show a strong link between school climate—the overarching learning and social conditions of schools that can help make students feel welcome, respected, and engaged—and reductions in negative feelings after students were victimized. In particular, stronger adult-student relationships alongside policies that promote strict, yet fair school rules were related to reductions in the negative aftereffects of being bullied.  

Implications for School Policy and Practice: Policies and programs that focus on strengthening school climates hold considerable promise for reducing the aftereffects of being bullied.

Additional Studies on School Bullying

Gee, K. A. & Cooc, N. (2019). Will I be victimized at school today? How schools influence the victimization experiences of Asian American teenagers. Asian American Journal of Psychology. 10(4), 316–325.

Cooc, N., Gee, K. A. (2014). National Trends in School Victimization Among Asian American Adolescents. Journal of Adolescence. 37 (6): 839–849.

Gee, K. A., & Cho, R. (2014). The Effects of Single-Sex versus Coeducational Schooling on Adolescent Peer Victimization and Perpetration. Journal of Adolescence. 37(8): 1237-1251.

Maltreated Youth and Access to Special Education Services

What Our Research is About: I look at factors that determine whether a child in the child welfare system will receive special education services.

The Issue: Estimates show that as many as 25% of maltreated children receive special education, double the rate for children, overall. However, many children who have experienced maltreatment and are involved in child welfare system continue to be underserved by the special education system. Given this, what determines whether child welfare involved youth will receive special education services?

Our Insights: Our results show that children’s prior involvement in special education services and whether children have cognitive challenges helps predict receipt of special education. Beyond these individual factors, children in foster care versus those cared for by a biological parent are more likely to receive special education services.

Implications for School Policy and Practice: The link between foster care and special education services underscores the importance of supports and resources that foster families may need to promote the educational wellbeing of children with disabilities under their care. Empowering foster families with the know-how to advocate for educational services could be beneficial.

Additional Studies on Maltreated Youth and Educational Services

Gee, K. A., (2019). Maltreatment profiles of child welfare-involved children in special education: Classification and behavioral consequences. Exceptional Children. 86(3): 237-254.