What are the causes of chronic absenteeism, and how can we prioritize students’ voices in the solution? Take a look at our actionable insights that can help inform school policies and programs to support students’ wellbeing.

Latest Publication

Addressing Chronic Absence Among Latino Kindergartners in LAUSD: Insights from Latino Parents to Inform Solutions

Kevin Gee in partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District and Families in Schools

Kindergarten students experience chronic absenteeism at a higher rate than their peers, with many missing more than 10% of school each year. This research report identifies sustainable opportunities to decrease absenteeism among kindergartners, leveraging parent feedback to better understand the challenges and barriers to daily school attendance for students’ families.

Additional Resources on Absenteeism

Tackling Chronic Absenteeism—Lessons from California’s Bright Spot Districts. California Collaborative for Educational Excellence.

Ansari, A., Childs, J., Gee, K., Gottfried, M., Hutt, E., Lenhoff, S. Before the Bell: Obstacles Preventing Children from Attending School. Detroit Partnership for Education Equity & Research.

Attendance Achievers: Effective Strategies that Set Bright Spot Districts Apart. California Collaborative for Educational Excellence.

Gee, K.A., Gottfried, M.A., Freeman, J.A., Kim, P. Explaining disparities in absenteeism between kindergarteners with and without disabilities: A decomposition approach. (2024). Early Childhood Research Quarterly. 67(2). 295-306.

Chang, H., McNeely, C., Gee, K. (2023, April 18). Disparities in ‘unexcused absences deepen education inequities. EdSource.

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.