Transformative school-community collaboration as a positive school climate to prevent school absenteeism

Area of Science:

• Education Policy
• Community Engagement
• Student Well-being

Background:

• School absenteeism is a global issue impacting student development and societal progress.
• Existing interventions often lack a comprehensive framework for community involvement.
• The need for effective strategies to combat chronic absenteeism is critical.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of the transformative school-community collaboration (TSCC) framework in reducing school absenteeism.
• To identify specific components of TSCC that are most effective in mitigating absenteeism.
• To provide practical implications for implementing TSCC.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of clustered data from 3428 students across 14 schools.
• Utilized generalized ordered logit analysis with clustered standard errors.
• Examined the impact of school-community collaboration programs on attendance.

Main Results:

• Overall TSCC significantly decreased the likelihood of student school absenteeism.
• Democratic and empowering structures within TSCC showed a significant impact on reducing higher levels of absenteeism.
• The study provides empirical evidence for the positive effects of collaborative frameworks.

Conclusions:

• TSCC is a viable and effective framework for reducing school absenteeism.
• Emphasis on democratic and empowering collaborative structures is crucial for maximum impact.
• The findings offer actionable insights for educational institutions and communities to foster better attendance.