If you think kindergarten attendance doesn't matter, think again.
The DataHUB research shows that absenteeism among kindergartners has surprisingly lasting effects. The HUB allows us to follow a cohort of kindergartners from the School Year 2004-05 through their subsequent schooling, only in RI public schools, for 7 subsequent years. As you'll see, some of the results are jaw-dropping. The HUB research revealed that, for example:
Compared with children who attend regularly, chronically absent kindergartners:
- Scored roughly 20 percentage points lower in reading
- Scored 25 percentage points lower in math.
- Were twice as likely to be retained in grade.
- Were more than twice as likely to be suspended by the end of 7th grade.
- Were likely to continue being chronically absent.
It matters.
