Lifting up Attendance in Rural Districts: A Multi-Site Trial of a Personalized Messaging Campaign. EdWorkingPaper No. 25-1189

Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: annenberg@brown.edu; Web site: https://annenberg.brown.edu/

N

54

Institute of Education Sciences (ED)

R305C190004

Rural Schools; Attendance; Intervention; Information Systems; School Districts; Barriers; COVID-19; Pandemics; Cost Effectiveness; Pilot Projects; Technology Integration; Electronic Mail; Telecommunications; Computer Mediated Communication; Parent School Relationship; Compliance (Psychology); Elementary Secondary Education; Learner Engagement; Parent Teacher Cooperation; Program Effectiveness

Ohio; New York

Student absenteeism has remained high following the COVID-19 pandemic and districts need low-cost strategies to improve attendance. In 2020-21, the National Center for Rural Education Research Networks piloted a promising personalized messaging intervention in 8 rural districts in New York and Ohio. We worked with a student information system provider to replicate the intervention in a randomized trial in 47 districts in 16 states between 2022-23 and 2023-24. We find that the personalized messages reduced student absences by between 1.7 (p<0.05) and 4.5 percent (p<0.05) and cost, on average, $4.07 per student to implement. We report on implementation challenges and heterogeneous effects across student populations. Our findings have practical implications for implementing technology-based interventions in the rural context.

As Provided

Yes

2025

ED673996