Absenteeism and Child Poverty

Education is often considered a major factor that aids impoverished children and youth to exit poverty as adults. Impoverished students, however, miss an inordinate number of school days when compared to their peers, resulting in poor academic outcomes and higher risk for dropout. This often places children and youth experiencing poverty at a disadvantage as adults. Understanding why children may miss school, especially in the context of poverty, is important in order to address how to improve school attendance. Since the advent of compulsory education, school absenteeism has been a concern for educators, families, and children. However, the body of knowledge examining the importance and impact of absenteeism did not emerge until the mid-20th century. Generally, absenteeism and truancy refer to unauthorized absence from school, ...