Presentation by Andreas Schleicher Tackling the School Absenteeism Crisis 30 April 2024

Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills at the OECD, presents at the webinar
No Child Left Behind: Tackling the School Absenteeism Crisis on 30 April 2024.

1. Tackling the School Absenteeism Crisis Andreas Schleicher, Director 30 April 2024 Directorate for Education and Skills

2. Defining absenteeism Problematic school absenteeism does not refer to a single concept, but to various concepts, as: school refusal (absenteeism due to the child’s emotional distress, especially anxiety and depression), school phobia (fear-based absenteeism), truancy (unexcused, illegal, non-anxiety-based absenteeism), absence from specific lessons.

3. Drivers of absenteeism Student-specific Teenage motherhood, low academic performance and repeating grades, lack of caring relationships with adults, negative peer influence, bullying Family-specific Low family income, low parent involvement, unstable housing, at-home responsibilities, stressful family events conflicting home and school priorities, language differences School-specific Poor conditions or lack of school facilities, low-quality teachers, teacher shortages, poor student-teacher interactions, geographic access to school, less challenging courses and student boredom Community-specific Availability of job opportunities that do not require formal schooling, unsafe neighbourhoods, low compulsory education requirements, lack of social and education support services Factors related to absenteeism Source: REL Pacific (2014) Review of research on student nonenrolment and chronic absenteeism, https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/regions/pacific/pdf/REL_2014054.pdf (accessed 22/04/2024)

4. Absenteeism across the OECD and accession countries Long-term absenteeism: Percentage of students who reported that they had missed school for more than three consecutive months at any education level Source: OECD (2023), PISA 2022 Results

5. Reasons for long-term absenteeism Percentage of students who reported the following reasons for having missed school for more than three consecutive months at any education level (OECD average) Source: OECD (2023), PISA 2022 Results

6. Missing school due to boredom Percentage of students who missed school for more than three consecutive months because they were bored : Note: Figures show OECD average Source: OECD (2023), PISA 2022 Results

7. Truancy in OECD and accession countries Truancy: Percentage of students who skipped a day of school at least once in the two weeks prior to the PISA test Source: OECD (2023), PISA 2022 Results

8. The impact of absenteeism on students, economies and societies (I) Source: OECD (2023), PISA 2022 Results PISA 2022 data suggest that long-term absenteeism is particularly harmful to students’ academic success , especially at higher levels of education While students who missed school for longer in primary education scored 35 points lower in mathematics, students who did so in lower or upper secondary education scored 41 and 59 points lower, respectively, than their peers who did not miss school for such long periods (on average across OECD countries).

9. The impact of absenteeism on students, economies and societies (I) Academic underperformance : Absenteeism leads to missed opportunities for learning, peer interaction, resulting in lower grades, falling behind in school, and potential dropout. In most education systems in PISA 2022, students who attended classes regularly and punctually performed better in mathematics as compared to their peers who skipped school or classes and arrived late for school by 27 points on average. Students also scored lower in mathematics when their schoolmates had skipped school or had arrived late for school, not only when they themselves played truant. A 2024 U.S. study found that each day of school missed rises the likelihood of not getting a qualification by 0.24 percentage points. E.g. missing 5 days (the average) increases the chances of not getting a qualification by 1.20 percentage points. Missing 5 days also reduces the likelihood of getting an undergraduate degree by 1.16 percentage points and a higher degree by 0.79 percentage points.

10. The impact of absenteeism on students, economies and societies (II) Social and emotional development : Absenteeism correlates with risky behaviors, such as substance abuse, while also fostering feelings of alienation and social disengagement among students, impacting their emotional well-being. Long-term socio-economic consequences : Absenteeism is linked to lower chances of school completion, early leaving from education, and poor labor market outcomes, resulting in decreased lifetime earnings, increased unemployment rates and social costs for individuals and society. A Swedish (2022) study found that just 10 annual days of absence in primary school are estimated to decrease lifetime income by 1%–2% for both genders. A 2022 study in Ireland found that the overall lifetime costs associated with male early school leaving are approximately EUR 29 300 in benefits and lost tax revenue, without factoring in expenses related to health or crime.

11. How do education system respond to these challenges?

12. Education for Inclusive Societies 2023 survey on COVID-19: an introduction 2 modules 1) identify practices developed and retained during and after the pandemic, which have shown promise in fostering equity and inclusion in education. 2) gather information on changes in student engagement and truancy post COVID-19, addressing the impact on their educational participation. 27 responses Australia, Austria, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia*, Czech Republic, England (United Kingdom), Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland (United Kingdom), Norway, Nova Scotia (Canada) , Portugal, Romania*, Saskatchewan (Canada), Scotland (United Kingdom), Spain (Min. of Education & Vocational Training), Spain (Min. of Universities), Sweden, Türkiye

13. Reported changes in drop-outs and truancy Note: 27 education systems replied to the survey; 22 and 23 systems provided valid responses on drop-outs and truancy, respectively. Source: Education for Inclusive Societies, short COVID-19 survey (2023)

14. A breakdown across education levels   Primary Lower secondary Upper secondary Other Drop-outs 1 6 8 Truancy 6 6 6 5 The increase in drop-outs appeared to be concentrated in upper secondary education and in other levels, such as: Higher education Vocational education Special education Adult education The increase in truancy seems more frequent across levels, as it is distributed across all educational levels , from primary education onwards A limitation : some education systems flagged that they do not collect precise data on absences at the national level, or have delayed collections and analyses

15. The reported increases are not universal across countries, nevertheless.. Country Was any policy adopted to respond to drop-outs or absenteeism? Australia Yes Austria No Chile Yes Colombia Yes Costa Rica Yes Croatia No Czech Republic Yes England (United Kingdom) Yes Estonia Yes Finland Yes Ireland Yes Korea No Lithuania No Luxembourg Yes Netherlands Yes New Zealand Yes Northern Ireland (United Kingdom) No Norway Yes Nova Scotia (Canada) No Portugal Yes Romania Yes Saskatchewan (Canada) Yes Scotland (United Kingdom) No Spain (Ministry of Education and Vocational Training) Yes Spain (Ministry of Higher Education) Yes Sweden Yes Türkiye Yes TOTAL YES 20 TOTAL NO 7 Most education systems do have policies to respond to these phenomena Source: Education for Inclusive Societies, short COVID-19 survey (2023)

16. What do these policies focus on? Provision of services such as mental health support and well-being initiatives (e.g., Australia) Strengthening data collection and early warning systems (e.g., Chile, Finland, Norway) Funding to schools or local entities for targeted approaches (e.g., England, New Zealand) Changing the compulsory schooling age (e.g., Estonia, Luxembourg) Engaging communities (e.g., Finland) Conducting positive messaging campaigns and building capacity (e.g., Ireland) Started research activities or working groups on the topic (e.g., Spain, Sweden) Higher education specific measures : student support, funding, scholarships, reduced fees, etc. (e.g., Saskatchewan (Canada), Spain) These policies cover a variety of policy areas and target different student outcomes

17. The OECD peer-learning project on school absenteeism III

18. Peer-learning discussions Structured exchange : Informal yet structured discussions, focusing on specific policy questions or challenges related to school absence and disengagement. Sessions, format and duration to be chosen with participating education systems. Short policy briefs Concise summary of data, policies and practices regarding school absence, emphasising insights from peer-learning discussions. Can be also brief country case studies on attendance policies, showcasing successful strategies and data utilisation for understanding absence and disengagement. Comparative report In-depth analysis and practical pointers . This can be a report comparing approaches to addressing school absence across various OECD education systems. Can also include surveys to gather comparative data from participating and additional systems to enhance the report’s depth and breadth. School attendance is a priority in many OECD and accession countries. Therefore, the OECD is planning a new peer-learning project for education systems, to be funded by Voluntary Contributions. So far, we have a few systems signed up to take part, including Ireland and Norway who are participating in the webinar today. . Context Open to new participants.

19. Definitions of different forms of absenteeism (truancy, justified school absenteeism, school refusal, school withdrawal, pre-planned truancy) Early-warning systems and responses Data lags and obtaining current data Self-reported data to monitor student motivations Data issues Drivers Thematic focuses on various drivers and recent research in post-COVID times such as: Parental attitudes  Gender gaps in engagement in education Mental health and anxiety Group specific challenges – SEN, immigrants, socio-economic status Peer-effects Extension of compulsory education Mental health services  Early warning systems Targeted funding (breakfast clubs, lunches, etc.) Group specific interventions (disadvantaged areas, etc.) Family engagement  Policy responses Results Early results from selected policy options Evidence-based interventions Potential subtopics to be addressed in project

20. Tentative timeline J uly – December 2024 Short policy briefs Short publication with case studies. Topic 1 – July 2024 Topic 2 – October 2024 Topic 3 – December 2024 January – June 2025 Comparative report on school absence Draft comparative report January – April 2025. Final report with case studies – May/June 2025. June - November 2024 Peer-learning discussions Topic 1 – June 2024 Topic 2 – September 2024 Topic 3 – November 2024 May 2024 on topics and organisation of peer-learning discussions Preliminary discussions