TDNet Discover

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine differences in chronic absenteeism based on socioeconomic status and race among students of color in urban public schools in California. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory and critical race theory, the study explored how environmental systems and systemic inequities impact student attendance. The primary research questions addressed differences in chronic absenteeism between socioeconomically disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students, and among African American, Asian, White, and Hispanic or Latino students. The study utilized preexisting data from the California Department of Education’s DataQuest platform for the 2022–2023 school year. The sample included 313,686 students of color across nine Bay Area counties. Data collection included enrollment and chronic absenteeism rates. A Mann-Whitney U test examined differences in absenteeism based on socioeconomic status. In contrast, a Kruskal-Wallis test with post-hoc pairwise comparisons was used to analyze differences among racial and ethnic groups. Results showed statistically significant differences: socioeconomically disadvantaged students and African American students had higher rates of chronic absenteeism compared to their peers. These findings suggest the need for targeted, equity-driven attendance interventions. Future research should include longitudinal analysis and qualitative approaches to understand the root causes of disengagement better.