The purpose of this study is to assess how the use of therapy dogs affect elementary students' anxiety levels and attendance. This study adds to the existing research base on the impacts of therapy dogs and the association between anxiety and attendance. Specifically, children who have frequent absences often have challenges in multiple areas, as…

This quantitative study examined the impact school mentors have on the attendance of 15 male fourth and fifth grade students. Student attendance data were collected to compare the students' absences in the 2021-2022 school year versus the 2022-2023 school year. This data was analyzed to determine whether there was a difference in the attendance…

Literacy is a prevailing challenge of student achievement within urban schools. Capitol City Intermediate School's Extended Day Program, also known as the Real World Learning Program, is an academic after-school program that focuses on literacy. The incoming 4th grade students who have underperformed on the NJSLA 3 assessment are the target…

Substance use disorder (SUD) among adolescents has a significant impact on families and communities. It can lead to criminality, poor school performance, chronic use over a lifetime, high risk behaviors, and even premature death. Recovery from SUD is more than physical abstinence from alcohol and other drugs. Mental health and emotional well-being…

This quantitative quality improvement study examined the impact of Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) on African American students in a Southeastern school district. A review of the current literature highlighted the chronic absenteeism, low levels of achievement, and high discipline referrals of African American…

Kindergarten through 12th grade school administrators and educators are tasked with the challenge of ensuring every student is consistently attending school. Balfanz and Byrnes (2012) and Henderson et al. (2014) stated that either students cannot attend school because of multiple factors, students will not attend, or students do not attend because…

Education researchers and the US Department of Education interpret chronic absentee data as supporting a causal relationship between absenteeism and negative outcomes later in life (Frydenlund, 2022; Berkowitz et al., 2017; Hopson & Lee, 2011; Thapa et al., 2013). As school absence rates continue to reflect disparities among students of color…

Teacher absenteeism is a problem that needs a solution. It is imperative that teachers come to work each day to prepare their students for academic achievement. If teachers are chronically absent from work, the students' academic achievement suffers. There needs to be a way to minimize teacher absences. School districts must track data that shows…

Since 2012, the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Justice and the Supportive School Discipline Initiative (SSDI) collaborated in helping schools move toward a more restorative way of engaging students, and using suspensions and expulsions only as a last resort. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there is a…

This dissertation aims to elucidate the complexities of chronic absenteeism in Head Start Programs post-COVID-19 to enhance early childhood education practices and policies. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the study investigates the causes of absenteeism by surveying and interviewing 50 participants from a Head Start Program in the New York…

The South Carolina laws that mandate regular school attendance place the responsibility on parents to ensure compliance. South Carolina still uses punitive measures to address chronic absenteeism, meaning schools can refer students to law enforcement to face criminal truancy charges and jail time. Their parent(s) can also face criminal…

Student athletes are constantly facing scrutiny over whether they should be characterized as athlete students or student athletes. As a result, student athlete academic support has evolved, driven by the NCAA metrics for student athletes, and finding new ways to support student athletes is more important than ever. This study examined the effect…

The United States is facing a high school dropout crisis. One of the early warning indicators of high school dropout is chronic absenteeism. This mixed-methods, post-hoc, hermeneutic, descriptive design study seeks to investigate the reported and self-reported attendance barriers for overage, under-credited (OU), at-risk, urban high school youth…

Regular student attendance is one of the most important factors in determining a student's academic success. In this qualitative action research study, the researcher sought to identify the reasons behind an increase in chronic absenteeism at Mid-Atlantic Elementary School. Additionally, the question of what impact teacher self-efficacy had on…

Chronic absenteeism continues to be an ongoing problem for schools in the southern Illinois region. This project aims to examine how schools meet the basic needs of chronically absent students, and if there are systems in place to track how student's basic needs are met. Basic needs were defined by the theory and work of Abraham Maslow. The data…