Creating Welcoming Schools: The Role of Positive Climates in Reducing Absenteeism
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| Title: | Creating Welcoming Schools: The Role of Positive Climates in Reducing Absenteeism |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Jerome Graham (ORCID |
| Source: | American Educational Research Journal. 2026 63(2):421-465. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 45 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Junior High Schools Middle Schools Secondary Education High Schools Elementary Education Grade 6 Intermediate Grades Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 Grade 12 |
| Descriptors: | Educational Environment, Attendance, Attendance Patterns, Middle School Students, High School Students, Student Characteristics, Race, Student Attitudes, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8, Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12 |
| Geographic Terms: | Georgia |
| DOI: | 10.3102/00028312261417687 |
| ISSN: | 0002-8312 1935-1011 |
| Abstract: | Chronic absenteeism has risen significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic, and while attempts to redress absenteeism can target drivers at multiple ecological levels, this study focuses on a within-school factor: student perceptions of school climate. Using statewide data from middle and high school students in Georgia, we examine how aggregated student-reported climate measures relate to absenteeism. We find that students' perceptions of climate significantly predict school-level absenteeism rates, with the relationship most pronounced for Black and White students. The association between worsening climate perceptions and absenteeism is stronger than the association for improving ones, and connectedness and safety are the climate elements most related to absenteeism. Our results position school climate as a within-school lever that stakeholders can target to combat absenteeism. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1499559 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Chronic absenteeism has risen significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic, and while attempts to redress absenteeism can target drivers at multiple ecological levels, this study focuses on a within-school factor: student perceptions of school climate. Using statewide data from middle and high school students in Georgia, we examine how aggregated student-reported climate measures relate to absenteeism. We find that students' perceptions of climate significantly predict school-level absenteeism rates, with the relationship most pronounced for Black and White students. The association between worsening climate perceptions and absenteeism is stronger than the association for improving ones, and connectedness and safety are the climate elements most related to absenteeism. Our results position school climate as a within-school lever that stakeholders can target to combat absenteeism. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0002-8312 1935-1011 |
| DOI: | 10.3102/00028312261417687 |
