A little effort can go a long way to reducing student absenteeism, finds a federal study: Even a single postcard can get students back to school.
Researchers from the Regional Educational Laboratory Mid-Atlantic randomly sent parents in Philadelphia one of two attendance messages on a postcard; one generally encouraged parents to improve their student’s attendance, while the other added specific details about each student’s attendance history. Both postcards were equally effective, boosting student attendance in grades 1-8 and 9-12 by 2.4 percent, compared with students whose parents did not receive the messages.
