Using Existing School Messaging Platforms to Inform Parents about Their Child's Attendance
Musaddiq T, Prettyman A, Smith J · 2023
grade Brctindependentreplicated
Sample
four public school districts in metro Atlanta
Population
US public school students preK-12, metro Atlanta
Design
Randomised trial delivering personalised monthly absence information plus a peer social comparison through districts' existing email/text platforms at zero marginal cost per message. A third independent implementation of the same behavioural mechanism as Rogers & Feller 2018 and Robinson et al. 2018. Documents a practical scaling problem - most parents were reachable only by email, and the parents of the students who most needed the message were the hardest to reach.
Key findings
ITT estimates reduced end-of-year absences by 0.4 to 0.67 days (2-3%) and reduced chronic absenteeism probability by 2-6%. Treatment-on-treated estimates were 0.67 to ~1 day (3-4%) and 4-7% for chronic absenteeism. No achievement outcome measured.
Genetic confound
Low - randomised. Not the reason for exclusion.
Effects
| Outcome | Metric | Value | Measure | Timing | Vs | Horizon | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| End-of-year absences (ITT) | days and relative change | -0.4 to -0.67 days (2-3%) | standardized | end of school year | business-as-usual | end-of-treatment | behaviour |
| Chronic absenteeism probability (ITT) | relative reduction | -2% to -6% | standardized | end of school year | business-as-usual | end-of-treatment | behaviour |