Ansari co-authors school absenteeism brief, participates in White House meetings

Arya Ansari Crane faculty associate Dr. Arya Ansari has co-authored a brief outlining nine obstacles that prevent children from attending school. Researchers who developed the brief met with White House officials during the past year seeking ways to address the challenges of chronic absenteeism among U.S. students.

“Before the Bell: Obstacles Preventing Children From Attending School” discusses factors — most of which occur outside the classroom — that contribute to chronic absenteeism. The authors of the brief define those factors as housing instability, food insecurity, wellness and health, family logistics, income instability, transportation, neighborhood and social networks, family crises, and student disengagement.

Cover of the brief Before the Bell: Obstacles Preventing Children From Attending School, showing an illustration of two children starting to walk on a path to a school building. Along the path are steps with various terms naming the obstacles discussed in the brief.“There often isn’t one single cause of why students miss so much school. We need to address the various factors that make it more difficult for a child to show up at school,” Ansari said.

Neighborhood and social networks are one such factor. When families are able to develop strong social bonds with neighbors, their children are less likely to be absent from school. A sense of community belonging encourages children to attend school because they want to see their friends and participate in shared activities. If there is a disruption to family routines, such as if the family car breaks down, neighbors are willing to step in to help. In neighborhoods where social connections are weak, day-to-day challenges may overwhelm families who lack such support, preventing children from making it to school.

The brief is the result of consultations by nationally prominent experts from six universities who held meetings at the White House organized by Jessica Cardichon of President Joe Biden’s White House Domestic Policy Council. Cardichon, the special assistant to the president for education, brought in Ansari and the other researchers to examine ways to combat chronic absenteeism.

You can download a PDF of the brief at the link below.

Also check out more Crane resources on the challenge of chronic absenteeism by visiting our School Attendance Matters page.