Completed Projects

Research projects underway are described in 'Current Projects'. As projects reach completion they are summarized here, with links to the publications arising from the projects.

• Anthology (2020-2021)

INSA was delighted to work with founding member Malin Gren Landell, and the Jerring Foundation in Sweden (Jerringfonden), to prepare a research update on school attendance problems. INSA, through its world-wide scope, led the efforts in commissioning scholars of high academic repute for this anthology. The authors of the anthology are all distinguished researchers in the field and represent different disciplines, such as psychology, social work, education, and psychiatry. In their respective articles they outline results and conclusions based on studies conducted in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and the United States. Access the book here. For further information contact Dr Malin Gren Landell.  

• Knowing What Works (2019-2021)

INSA members in the Netherlands collaborated on a study titled 'Knowing What Works' (Weten Wat Werkt), supported by the 'Dutch National Expertise Team for School Refusal' (Landelijk KennisTeam Schoolweigering). This was a national survey of Tier 3 interventions for school refusal, to identify those aspects of intervention which professionals, parents, and youth describe as important and helpful. One of the themes of the study was 'collaboration', especially collaboration between professionals from education and mental health. A short video draws attention to some of the key aspects of collaboration. In the video, Chantal (from education) and Joost (from mental health care) explain how they collaborate when working in an alternative educational program (the Link in Almelo) for adolescents displaying school refusal. They discuss the strengths and difficulties in their collaboration by means of a 'marriage metaphor'. For information about the video or the 'Know What Works' project, contact Marije Brouwer-Borguis at m.brouwer@swv2301.nl. The full report of 'Knowing What Works' can be downloaded here. Scientific journal articles are in peparation. 

• Frontiers in Psychology and Frontiers in Education (2019-2020)

Members of INSA contributed numerous articles to a Research Topic within Frontiers in Psychology and Frontiers in Education. The Research Topic is titled “School Attendance and Problematic School Absenteeism in Youth”, edited by Christopher Kearney, Carolina Gonzálvez, and David Heyne. 

• Letter to the Editor (2020)

INSA's founding members prepared a Letter to the Editor of European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, specifying three key challenges that currently demand INSA’s attention. Click here to read the letter or visit the ‘Journal Articles’ and select 2020. 

• Special issue (2019)

Members of INSA contributed articles to a special issue of the European Journal of Education and Psychology, published in 2019. See 'Special series, issues, and sections’ within ‘Journal Articles’. Contact: Carolina Gonzálvez (carolina.gonzalvez@ua.es).

2022

• Report titled 'Gaining grads: Targeting school-based social supports & adaptations to the school breakfast program to increase high school graduation rates in Cleveland County high schools', prepared by Hannah Archer, Grace Carstens, Hannah Hicks, Ashley Kelley, and Emily Mccormick, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2022. 
• Report titled 'Imperfect Attendance: Toward a fairer measure of student absenteeism', prepared by Jing Liu, 2022. Washington D.C.: Thomas B. Fordham Institute. 
• Report titled 'Lost but not forgotten: The reality of severe absence in schools post-lockdown', prepared by the Centre for Social Justice, UK, January 2022. 

2021

• Report titled 'An empirical examination of the effects of suspension and suspension severity on behavioral and academic outcomes', prepared by Christina LiCalsi, David Osher, and Paul Bailey, American Institutes for Research, August 2021. 
• Report titled 'A systematic, whole-school approach to mental health and well-being in schools in the EU', prepared by Carmel Cefai, Celeste Simões, and Simona Caravita, 2021. 
• Report titled 'Knowing what works: A roadmap for school refusal interventions based on the views of stakeholders', prepared by David Heyne, Marije Brouwer-Borghuis, Jan Vermue, Corine van Halvoirt, and Georgine Aerts, November 2021.
• Report titled 'Does outreach encouraging families to engage with community-based organizations increase engagement and school attendance?', prepared by The Lab @ DC, October 2021. 
• Report titled 'Problematic school absenteeism: Improving systems and tools', prepared by a Nordic collaboration. 
• The KiTeS project stands for 'Kids & Teens at School'. This was a collaboration between Monash University in Australia, Warwick University in the UK, and Leiden University in the Netherlands. The project examined school attendance problems among children and young people with an intellectual disability across mainstream and special schools. The three aims of the study were: (1) To establish the rate of school attendance problems in students with an intellectual disability; (2) To build a profile of the types of school attendance problems (e.g. school refusal, school withdrawal, truancy, school exclusion); and (3) To identify the factors associated with different types of school attendance problems. For further information contact Glenn Melvin.

2020

• Report titled 'Are students present and accounted for? An examination of state attendance policies during the Covid-19 pandemic', prepared by Attendance Works, December 2020. 
• Report titled 'Seeking a balance: Conversations with policy makers and influencers about intervening upstream to prevent school exclusions in the context of Covid-19 and beyond: Insights from the Excluded Lives 'Policy Conversations'', prepared by Alice Tawell, Hilary Emery, Harry Daniels, Ian Thompson and Jill Porter, University of Oxford, October 2020. 
• Report titled 'Building a grad nation: Progress and challenge in raising high school graduation rates', Civic Enterprises, Everyone Graduates Center at the School of Education at Johns Hopkins University. 
• Repot titled 'Out-of-School and Out-of-Data? Out-of-School Learners in the European Agency Statistics on Inclusive Education (EASIE) – Conceptual Working Paper', prepared by A. Watkins and A. Lenárt, European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education.

2019

• Report titled 'Working with young people to understand bullying and self-exclusion from school: Final report', prepared by Niamh O'Brien and Anna Dadswell, Anglia Ruskin University Chelmsford, October 2019. 

2018

• Report titled 'A review of educational provisions for children unable to attend school for medical reasons', UCL Institute of Education. 
• Report titled 'Building a grad nation: Progress and challenge in raising high school graduation rates', Civic Enterprises, Everyone Graduates Center at the School of Education at Johns Hopkins University. 
• Report titled 'Data matters: Using chronic absence to accelerate action for student success', Attendance Works and the Everyone Graduates Center. 
• Report titled 'School-based interventions for reducing disciplinary school exclusion: A systematic review' by Sara Valdebenito, Manuel Eisner, David Farrington, Maria Ttofi, and Alex Sutherland, The Campbell Collaboration. 

2017

• Report titled 'Showing up: Disparities in chronic absenteeism between students with and without disabilities in traditional public schools', by M. A., Gottfried, L. Stiefel, A. E. Schwartz, and B. Hopkins.

2016

• Report titled 'Monitoring education participation: Framework for monitoring children and adolescents who are out of school or at risk of dropping out'. UNICEF Series on Education Participation and Dropout Prevention (Vol 1). Geneva: UNICEF Regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

2015

• Report titled 'Building a grad nation: Progress and challenge in ending the high school dropout epidemic', Civic Enterprises, Everyone Graduates Center at the School of Education at Johns Hopkins University. 
• Report titled 'Interventions for improving learning outcomes and access to education in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review', which includes attendance as an outcome. 

2014

• Report by Attendance Works titled 'Absences add up: How school attendance influences student success'. "This state-by-state analysis of national testing data demonstrates that students who miss more school than their peers consistently score lower on standardized tests, a result that holds true at every age, in every demographic group, and in every state and city tested." 
• OECD report on the PISA test, titled ‘Who are the school truants?’  PISA is the Programme for International Student Assessment, “a triennial international survey which aims to evaluate education systems worldwide by testing the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students.”

2013

• Report titled 'Student attendance and educational outcomes: Every day counts'. A report prepared for the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, by Kirsten J. Hancock, Carrington C.J. Shepherd, David Lawrence and Stephen R. Zubrick. 
• Final Report Summary for WE-STAY (Work Together to Stop Truancy Among Youth)

2005

• Report titled 'Parents’/carers’ attitudes towards school attendance'. A report prepared for the Department for Education and Skills, by D. Dalziel and K. Henthorne. 

2003

• Report titled 'School phobia and school refusal: Research into causes and remedies'. A report prepared for the National Foundation for Educational Research, by Tamsin Archer, Caroline Filmer-Sankey, and Felicity Fletcher-Campbell.  

2023

• LaPlante, C. L. (2023). Teachers' perceptions of chronically absent students, programs and interventions: A mixed method study. Doctoral dissertartion, St John's University, USA. 

2022

• Barber, T. J. (2022). Examining the role of the supervisor of child welfare and attendance in addressing chronic absenteeism. Doctoral dissertation, Southeastern Louisiana University, USA. 
• Bodycote, B. (2022). An exploratIon of the experiences of parents who seek to resolve school attendance problems and barriers. Doctoral dissertation, De Montfort University, England.
• Cantey, T. D. (2022). At-risk students’ perception of the effectiveness of alternative schools. Doctoral dissertation, University of South Carolina, USA. 
• Jenkins, A. R. (2022). Evaluating a multi-modal intervention for improving attendance among elementary students within a Title I school. Doctoral dissertation, East Carolina University, USA. 
• Johnson, S. (2022). Urban administrator perspectives of exclusionary discipline techniques and the school-to-prison pipeline. Doctoral dissertation, Walden University, USA.  
• McKenzie, M. (2022). Chronic absenteeism in an urban district and its impact on student achievement. Doctoral dissertation, Saint Elizabeth University, USA.  
• Pavey, I. N. (2022). Social-emotional learning and school connectedness: An alternative education approach. Doctoral dissertation, Miami University, USA. 
• Razor, A. H. (2022). Unpacking chronic absenteeism: Teachers’ perceptions of absenteeism among high school students. Doctoral dissertation, Northeastern University, USA. 
• Thomas, R. M. (2022). A qualitative descriptive study of young adults with K-12 truancy behavior: Bronfenbrenner’s model. Doctoral dissertation, Grand Canyon University, USA. 

2021

• Burgess, M. C. (2021). Attendance, race, and teachers’ perceptions of parental involvement on the academic achievement of male high school students. Doctoral dissertation, Trevecca Nazarene University, USA. 
• Devenney, R. (2021). Exploring perspectives of school refusal in second-level education in Ireland. Doctoral dissertation, Maynooth University, Ireland. 
• Devine, E. (2021). An exploration of teachers’ attributions for the causes of emotionally based school avoidance. Doctoral dissertation, University of Nottingham, England. 
• Ferber, L. C. (2021). Lived experiences of parents regarding their elementary-age child’s exclusion from school due to behavioral problems. Doctoral dissertation, Walden University, USA.  
• Hawash, S. M. (2021). Punitive versus rehabilitative educational and prison systems: An in-depth comparison and analysis of the school-to-prison pipeline. Honors thesis, Oregon State University, USA.  
• Henderson, R. R. (2021). Academic and behavioral outcomes of expelled students after their return to the regular school setting. Doctoral dissertation, Mississippi College, USA. 
• Holmstrom, J. A. (2021). Administrators’ perceptions of student dropout interventions. Doctoral dissertation, Walden University, Minnesota, USA.
• Ionescu, A. D. (2021). Absenteeism and dropping out of school. Doctoral dissertation (summary), University of Craiova, Romania. 
• Jablonski, S. R. (2021). The high school response to school refusal behavior. Doctoral dissertation, Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA. 
• Keller, M. (2021). Student chronic absenteeism and perceptions of school climate. Doctoral dissertation, East Tennessee State University, USA. 
• Kennedy, J. C. (2021). The relationship between transformational leadership, school climate, student conduct, and student attendance in urban schools in New Jersey. Saint Peter's University, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, USA.
• Lee, G. (2021). Data-driven analytics to explore associations between risk and protective factors and school absenteeism for secondary school students. Doctoral dissertation, University of Minnesota, USA. 
• Mitchell, M. C. (2021). A qualitative study of strategies and practices used to improve student attendance and chronic absence at urban elementary schools. Doctoral dissertation, Valdosta State University, USA.  
• O'Connor, M. W. (2021). What are highly effective strategies that improve student attendance in Queensland state secondary schools? Professional Doctorate Thesis, Griffith University, Australia. 
• Olumoya, M. M. (2021). Teachers’ perceptions of working with parents to address high schoolers’ chronic absenteeism. Doctoral dissertation, Walden University, USA. 
• Pittenger, J. E. (2021). An examination of student achievement in chronically and non-chronically absent students. Doctoral dissertation, Southern Nazarene University, USA. 
• Simerly, L. B. (2021). Administrator perspectives on decreasing the chronic absenteeism rate of middle school students with disabilities. Doctoral dissertation, Walden University, Minnesota, USA. 
• Spofford, A. K. (2021). A quantitative causal-comparative study of truancy and school refusal in K–12 online education environments. Doctoral dissertation, Northcentral University, USA. 
• Utesch, N. D. (2021). High school student absenteeism: High school principals' perception of attendance policies and the association of graduation rates in a rural, midwest state. Doctoral dissertation, University of South Dakota, South Dakota, USA. 
• Wilkerson, M. L. (2021). Principals’ indications of effective strategies and interventions to decrease chronic student absenteeism in Virginia’s high schools. Doctoral dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA.
• Wimmer, H. (2021). Truancy: An ecological and systems perspective. University of Hartford, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, USA.

2020

• Arledge, D. A. (2020). Exploring how school absenteeism is linked to achievement gaps in suburban high school students: A quantitative study. Doctoral dissertation, Missouri Baptist University, Missouri, USA.
• Barnes, K. M. (2020). The effects of a tiered intervention system on chronic absenteeism in a public school district in Tennessee. Doctoral dissertation, Union University, Tennessee, USA.
• Birioukov, A. (2020). Attending to absentees: An investigation of how four urban alternative schools respond to absenteeism. Doctoral dissertation, University of Ottawa, Canada.
• Brown, C. M. (2020). Addressing high truancy rates in an urban school: An action research study. Doctoral dissertation. Capella University, Minnesota, USA. 
• Daniels, C. L. (2020). Impact of intervention programs on middle school students’ chronic absenteeism, suspensions, and expulsions. Doctoral dissertation. Lincoln Memorial University, Tennessee, USA.
• Davis, K. C. (2020). Anxiety-based school refusal: Best practices and information for school psychologists. Doctoral dissertation. Alliant International University, California, USA. 
• Forsell, T. (2020). Man är ju typ elev fast på avstånd: problematisk skolfrånvaro ur elevers, föräldrars och skolpersonals perspektiv. Doctoral dissertation, Umeå University.
• Johnsen, D. B. (2020). The Back2School Project: Introducing transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral therapy for youths with school attendance problems. Doctoral dissertation, Aarhus University, Denmark. 
• Klan, A. (2020). Exploring the educational context surrounding the school attendance problems of children seeking mental health services. Thesis submitted for the Masters of Arts in Education degree, University of Ottawa, Canada. 
• Lassiter-Dennis, J. (2020). Using student engagement and reengagement to reduce chronic school absenteeism. Project study submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education, Walden University, Minnesota, USA.  
• Munro Burrows, H. (2020). Listening to the stories of parents whose children have experienced school non-attendance. Doctoral dissertation, University of Sheffield, England. 
• Nerveza-Clark, T. L. (2020). Understanding school climate, chronic absenteeism, and strategies to improve absenteeism at a private high school. Doctoral dissertation, Walden University, Minnesota, USA. 

2019

• Holyfield, C. (2019). Demographic predictors and reasons for chronic absenteeism amongst secondary students with disabilities. Doctoral dissertation, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA. 
• Mortimer, E. (2019). Going back to school following a period of extended school non-attendance: What do secondary-aged young people and their parents find supportive? An Appreciative Inquiry. Doctoral dissertation, University of Bristol, England. 

2018

• Berg, T. (2018). Can we increase attendance and decrease chronic absenteeism with a universal prevention program? A randomized control study of attendance and truancy universal procedures and interventions. Doctoral dissertation, University of Oregon, USA. 

2017

• Christensen, M. (2017). What are the relationships among high school academic outcomes and attendance? Doctoral dissertation, University of Oregon, Eugene, USA.
• Ibili, J. O. (2019). Assessment and management of truancy among public senior secondary school students in Lagos State, Nigeria. Doctoral dissertation, University of Lagos, Nigeria. 
• Myhill, A. (2017). Parents’ views of their involvement during extended school non-attendance. Doctoral dissertation, University of Cardiff, Wales. 
• Perkins, L. M. (2017). School-wide implementation of positive behavior interventions and supports and the impact on student absences, office discipline referrals, and suspensions in two suburban middle schools. Doctoral dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia, USA. 
• Wallace, C. M. (2017). Parent/guardian perspectives on chronic absenteeism and the factors that influence decisions to send their children to school. Doctoral dissertation, University of Pittsburgh, USA. 

2015

• How, K. (2015). Exploring the experiences and perceptions of Key Stage 4 students whose school attendance is persistently low. Doctoral dissertation, University of Sheffield, England. 

2014

• Aucott, C. (2104). An exploration of pupils’, parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of the causes of pupil non-attendance and the reasons for improvements in attendance. Doctoral dissertation, University of Birmingham, England. 
• Hendron, M. C. (2014). School climate, absenteeism, and psychopathology among truant youth. Doctoral dissertation, University of Nevada, USA. 

2012

• Nuttall, C. (2012). Exploration of successful intervention with children and young people who show school refusal behaviours. Doctoral dissertation, University of Manchester, England. 

2011

• Grandison, K. J. (2011). School refusal and reintegration from short stay school to mainstream. Doctoral dissertation, University of Birmingham, England. 

2010

• Sauter, F. M. (2010). The @school project: Developmental considerations in the design and delivery of cognitive-behavioural therapy for adolescent school refusal. Doctoral dissertation, Leiden University, the Netherlands.
• Shilvock, G. C. (2010). Investigating the factors associated with emotionally-based non-attendance at school from young people’s perspective. Doctoral dissertation, University of Birmingham, England. 

2009

• Brill, L. D. (2009). School refusal: Characteristics, assessment, and effective treatment: A child and parent perspective. Doctoral dissertation. Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Pennsylvania, USA. 

2022

• Hood, M. (2022). COVID-19 stress and middle school students' engagement and school aversion: Examining the mediational roles of emotion regulation and perceptions of school climate. Master's thesis, University of Victoria, Canada. 
• Potze, A. (2022). Educational care farms as an approach to tackle chronic school absenteeism A practice-based research towards a thorough description of educational care programs in the Netherlands. Master's thesis, Wageningen University & Research, Netherlands.