Abstract
ABSTRACT Research Findings: A significant number of children are regularly absent from preschool inhibiting their early learning and development. Yet, there has been little exploration of the conditions under which absenteeism may be lower. One such condition may be teacher and peer racial/ethnic match (REM), which may improve home-school connections and promote better attendance. This study examined the extent to which REM with teachers and peers is associated with absenteeism and whether these associations vary for White, Black, and Latine children. Our descriptive findings confirm that absenteeism rates in preschool are high, and that racial/ethnic match is unequally distributed, with Black and Latine children being less likely to have a match with their teachers than White children. Our inferential findings showed that teacher and peer REM were not associated with preschool absenteeism, and there were no differences for White, Black, and Latine children. Practice and Policy: Although there were no associations between REM and absenteeism, children benefit from diverse teachers in other ways, and it is critical to continue to invest in increasing representation among teachers of color in preschool. Moreover, the fact that over 10% of children were chronically absent from preschool underscores the need to investigate factors that influence attendance.
Published Version
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