This dissertation in practice, completed by a research group, intended to create a greater awareness and develop an understanding of the impact of attendance on academic performance. Schools are faced with the tasks of ensuring students attend school and keeping them engaged while they are at school. This project encourages the reader to look past school attendance as a mere student record of being present and it also provides a more comprehensive view of attendance as an academic behavior. The project focused on issues that are applicable to all schools, but specifically considered data from schools in Washtenaw and Muskegon Counties in Michigan. School practitioners need to understand the imperative nature with which attendance issues are to be understood, as attendance is a lead indicator of successful school outcomes, as well as successful life outcomes. Students who are frequently absent from school are at a much greater risk of poor self-concept, poor school performance, retention, and dropping out (Picklo & Christenson, 2005). In considering the transition from elementary school to middle school, we looked at quantitative and qualitative data from seventh grade students in both Washtenaw and Muskegon Counties. This grade-level of students face considerable challenges during this formative time, including the sense of belonging and self-efficacy needed for student success, a more challenging curriculum, more freedom, and additional responsibility in the school. A connection to absenteeism being an indicator of engagement and disengagement was also made, as attendance (or lack thereof) is the strongest indicator of disengagement (Pellerin, 2005). We also detailed how the current policies and practices in place in schools do not effectively address, prevent, or curb absenteeism in schools. In this dissertation in practice, we attempted to answer four research questions:1. What is the current state of student attendance in a large county in Michigan? What are the magnitudes of chronic and severely chronic absenteeism within this county?2. Who are the students that are chronically and severely chronically absent in two Michigan counties? Can these students be identified by a set of descriptive characteristics?3. How, if at all, do factors related to the individual, peer group, family life and school policy contribute to chronic absenteeism among middle school students in two Michigan counties?4. What are the current perceptions, policies, and practices of school staff in two Michigan counties concerning student attendance rates? We answered these questions using a three-phase analysis, which included a quantitative analysis of student attendance data, a qualitative analysis of student interview data, and a qualitative analysis of staff focus group data. As products from this research, we will provide a summary of our relevant research to the Washtenaw and Muskegon county schools with recommendations, a protocol to replicate research in other districts, and a three-tiered model of support related to attendance.
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