Want to improve student absence? Start with a focus on relationships

Editor’s note: This month’s post is co-authored by Dr. Benjamin Houltberg, president and CEO of Search Institute.

We’ve all seen the statistics regarding an alarming rise in chronic absence, especially at the middle and high school levels. Much was written in 2024 about possible remedies to the problem but despite this coverage, early data from the 2023-2024 school year showed only modest improvements. No single cause or simple solution can address the challenges we face in P-12 regarding chronic school absences. Nor can any single group or institution be to blame or resolve the issue. What is clear from the research is that the only path forward is for families, schools, and students to work together to build the necessary relationships that are fundamental to create meaningful and relevant solutions. 

The strength and bonds established between family–school partnerships has long been recognized as a key lever for change and impact. A recent Aspen Institute report highlights the ways in which a school culture that fosters belonging and connection among students is strongly predictive of positive academic outcomes. However, researchers from the University of Missouri have noted that family–school engagement drops off sharply following elementary school. This decline in engagement has a variety of causes. Chief among them is the belief among many parenting adults and educators that parenting adults no longer need to be active in their children’s learning following the transition to middle school.

Too often, secondary schools only connect with parents when there’s a problem, and parents only reach out to schools when they have concerns. The resulting lack of family–school communication can make it appear as if there are tensions between the two groups. However, multiple studies—including Search Institute’s survey of parents in 2023—show that the vast majority of parents deeply respect and value teachers. It’s just that parents and teachers don’t have strong relationships with one another, which has become a barrier for dealing with chronic absence—when we need parents most as partners for creating a path forward for youth and adolescents.

When schools don’t know families, a first response to absenteeism is typically to find ways to hold families accountable. This may include increasing penalties that hurt both students and parents and accomplish little else. It’s more effective and important to work together to create the kinds of communities where each and every young person—from the time they’re born until they are successfully launched into adulthood—is seen, heard, valued, and thriving. 

NCFL Research Advisory Council member and Howard University professor Dr. Ivory Toldson has written recently about the five factors that most contribute to student absence. Based on research with over 14,000 students and their families, Dr. Toldson’s data underscores the variety of challenges that today’s families face. The majority of these issues, including student health challenges, mental health concerns, and family socioeconomic struggles, were out-of-school problems that had major in-school impact.

Both of us know firsthand–myself as a former assistant superintendent and associate commissioner of education and my colleague, Ben, as a former family support specialist and adolescent counselor—that these challenges cannot be solved by schools alone. However, deep engagement between schools and families allows students and parenting adults to build the trust necessary to share these concerns while also giving schools and educators the chance to connect families to the community resources that can make a difference. By nurturing these partnerships, we can create relationships that become forces of good in schools, families, and communities, enabling each party to cultivate the actions necessary to promote school attendance and engage students and parenting adults differently with schools:

• Learning to care and want the best for the others; 
• Challenging others to grow and keep going, even when they encounter setbacks;
• Supporting others in achieving their goals;
• Sharing power so that each group is able to contribute to solution making; and
• Opening up new possibilities for each other for the future.

A Search Institute review of recent research demonstrates that when families stay engaged in their child’s education through high school, the student is more likely to be motivated and engaged in learning and achieve better grades and test scores. It’s clear that intentional effort on all sides—at home and at school—is necessary to move beyond simple communication to the authentic and substantive family–school partnerships that students need.

NCFL is leading a national collaborative that includes Search Institute to help build capacity within communities to partner with families and advance educational attainment and economic prosperity for all. Our collaborative efforts are designed to support community-based organizations, schools, and local policymakers to redesign experiences for children and families while improving access to services, building family leadership opportunities, and ensuring all families have access to the tools and relationships they need to thrive.

Nurturing relationships between youth, parents, and schools are not optional; they are the essential element needed to reverse the growing problem of chronic absence and deepen the sense of community connection that so many students and families crave. Building these relationships represents a vital investment in young people across the country and requires all of us to step into new ways of being. Both Search Institute and NCFL are prepared to bring our decades of research, resources, and on-the-ground experience to support schools and communities in this important work. Together, we can ensure that we’re creating the bonds that serve as the foundation of success for students everywhere.

About the Authors

As President and CEO of the National Center for Families Learning, Dr. Felicia C. Smith brings decades of valuable experience to advance NCFL’s mission of eradicating poverty through education solutions for families. She is a firm believer in the power of family literacy and family learning for multi-generational impact, transforming the lives of families and communities.

Smith has served in a variety of leadership roles in P-12, higher education, nonprofits, and philanthropy. Her unique vantage point of a learner’s educational trajectory, from preschool to adulthood, is a result of her experience leading across multiple education systems. Recognized as an Aspen-Pahara education fellow, she serves on several local and national boards. She also holds the position of Vice Chair for the Southern Regional Education Board and was appointed by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear to chair the state’s Early Childhood Advisory Council. In 2021, Smith participated in The Equity Lab’s prestigious year-long Nexus Fellowship.

Smith holds an Ed.D. in education leadership and administration from the University of Kentucky, an M.A. in elementary education with an emphasis on K-12 literacy development, and a B.S. in elementary education from the University of Louisville.

Follow Dr. Felicia C. Smith on LinkedIn.

Dr. Benjamin Houltberg, a developmental scientist, former tenured faculty member and experienced marriage and family therapist, has been president and CEO of Search Institute since 2021. He feels strongly about the role of youth development work and has a sense of purpose around investing in a generation that will have tremendous impact not only on the future, but the here and now.

As CEO, he works to amplify the voices of marginalized communities, while also inspiring Search Institute to always have the organization’s vision in mind. He works closely with Search Institute’s many partners and is focused on recruiting a diverse group of talented individuals to address the needs of the communities that the organization serves. He believes that innovation and ideas can change the world, and wants to leverage innovation in nonprofit and historically under-resourced organizations in order to close the gap between science and practice and provide practitioners with the highest quality tools and resources in order to do their work and ensure that young people thrive.…read more