Student Attendance: A Persistent Challenge and Leading Indicator for Baltimore’s Community School Strategy

Abstract

This mixed methods study examines the relationship between full-service community schools (FSCSs) and student attendance in Baltimore City Public Schools. We hypothesize the FSCS strategy promotes student attendance by building meaningful partnerships between families and schools via personal relationships and systematic opportunities for school-based involvement. First, we present information collected from local FSCS stakeholders regarding the impetus for FSCSs in Baltimore. Second, we present data collected during interviews with FSCS coordinators about their approaches to maintaining and improving student attendance, and finally, we examine whether years of implementation relate to attendance using mixed linear regression modeling. The results suggest the FSCS strategy has a positive relationship with attendance over time; however, attendance in schools with high poverty has proved more resistant to FSCS approaches than attendance in more economically advantaged contexts.