UC Davis

Across the early elementary years, chronic absenteeism patterns can vary considerably between different schools as well as between children within the same schools. However, to date, we have limited knowledge of the extent to where variability in chronic absenteeism lies (e.g., how much variability is between children versus schools?) as well as how much of that variability can be explained by ecological factors associated with chronic absenteeism such as children’s health status (Gottfried & Gee, 2017). This knowledge is critical as it can serve as a useful benchmark to gauge the relative importance and influence of particular factors. This chapter presents evidence that quantifies the extent to which variation in kindergarteners’ chronic absenteeism can be attributable to schools, classrooms, and children and analyzes how certain ecological factors play a role in explaining the variation. It draws upon data from the Early Child Longitudinal Survey, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K: 2011).