Coordinating the Mesosystem: An Ecological Approach to Addressing Chronic Absenteeism

ABSTRACT

To reduce the number of chronically absent students in schools annually, cities and municipalities across the United States have implemented programs, initiatives, and invested resources into educational reforms that would lead to improvement in school attendance. Drawing on ecological systems theory and interview data, we examined how organizations within Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania directly worked with students, collaborated with each other, and facilitated opportunities to reduce the impact of chronic absenteeism in the local school district. Interview data revealed how organizations leveraged resources to train key personnel, communicate the importance of daily school attendance, and work directly with students on improving school attendance. Our findings highlight how community approaches to absenteeism require various levels of support from organizations.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Joshua Childs

Joshua Childs is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Texas at Austin. His research examines the role of cross-sector collaborations and networks to address complex educational issues. He also investigates collaborative approaches involving organizations that have the potential to improve academic achievement and opportunities for students in urban and rural schools.

Christina L. Scanlon

Christina L. Scanlon, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral associate in the University of Pittsburgh’s Learning, Research and Development Center. Her research interests include developmental influences on child and adolescent mental health, coping, and emotion regulation as well as developing ecologically valid interventions to promote cultural and socioemotional competence.