The effects of pay incentives on teacher absence rates were examined. The records of 292 teachers revealed that absence declined significantly and perfect attendance rose from 8 to 34 percent during an attendance incentive plan. Reduction in sick leave was accompanied by a significant increase in the use of personal days. (Author/CH)

Econometric analysis of data from over 700 New York state school districts found that (1) policies governing use of teacher leave days clearly influence their use; (2) higher student absenteeism correlated with poorer test performance; and (3) teacher absence was not largely associated with student test performance. Changes in leave policy were…

A large literature examines the link between shocks to households and the educational attainment of children. We use new panel data to estimate the impact of shocks to teachers on student learning in Mathematics and English. Using absenteeism in the 30 days preceding the survey as a measure of these shocks, we find no impact for the full sample,…