School absenteeism in the first decade of education and outcomes in adolescence

This study used a prospective longitudinal sample of American children from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (n = 1326) to consider the educational, social, and behavioral correlates of absenteeism. More specifically, this study examined: (a) the extent to which absenteeism in the early elementary school years is associated with absenteeism in the later school years; (b) the degree to which absenteeism in the first decade of children's education is associated with their academic achievement and social-behavioral outcomes at age 15; (c) whether the timing of absenteeism matters for outcomes at age 15; and (d) whether early absenteeism has indirect effects on outcomes at age 15 via later absenteeism. Results indicated that school absenteeism was fairly stable throughout children's educational careers and although few children were chronically absent, children who had a weaker attendance record in the early years, in turn, had weaker attendance later on. Ultimately, absenteeism during the earliest years of school was linked with less optimal academic and social-behavioral outcomes at age 15 because children were more likely to be absent later on in their educational careers.