Date of Award

Winter 12-16-2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in School Leadership

Department

Teaching & Educational Leadership

College

College of Education

Committee Chair

Dr. John Freeman

Second Committee Member

Dr. Steve Bounds

Third Committee Member

Dr. Jeff Flanigan

Program Director

Dr. John Freeman

Dean of Graduate College

Dr. Sarah Gordon

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between academic achievement and attendance. Reading proficiency is foundational to overall academic success. In this study, reading proficiency served as the operational definition for the level of student academic success. Out-of-school suspension is a disciplinary consequence as a result of student behavior and correlates to student attendance. This quantitative, correlational study examined the relationship between student engagement, as defined by student attendance and discipline, and reading proficiency, as measured by the 2021-22 ACT Aspire Reading scores for ninth-grade students in one northwest Arkansas junior high school.

Descriptive data analysis was conducted to show the demographic makeup of the school and the frequencies and means of attendance and discipline data. Raw scores for the ACT Aspire Reading Assessment were used as a measure of student academic success. Using Spearman Rho and multiple linear regression analysis, the results of this study revealed the effect of chronic absenteeism on the reading proficiency of these ninth-grade students in one Northwest Arkansas junior high school. Three regression models were formulated using student attendance, gender, and ethnicity as predictor variables, with a combined 11.6% explanation for the variance in the reading scores. While the analysis indicated that attendance, gender, and ethnicity predicted reading scores, student discipline was removed from the regression analysis as a predictor variable.

Conclusions from the research include that out-of-school suspensions have a negative effect on reading proficiency due to their increasing student attendance. Discipline alone did not appear to affect reading proficiency and academic achievement significantly. The results support previous research in this field, indicating that students with higher attendance tend to have better reading proficiency. This research suggests that school leaders must provide alternatives to out-of-school suspensions and find solutions to negative student behavior to increase instructional time. This research contributes to the ongoing dialogue surrounding the negative academic impact of low attendance, exacerbated by out-of-school suspensions and academic achievement.

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