School absence is a major issue in the global education system and affects students’ learning and future opportunities. A recent study by Professor Christine Sälzer of the University of Stuttgart, Professor Heinrich Rich of the University of Leipzig and Professor Michael Feldhaus of the University of Oldenburg, stressed how to better track student attendance can help reduce absences. Their commentary articles are published in educational science, highlighting the need for a reliable system to monitor attendance so that schools can step in when students begin to go missing classes.
“Keep consistent, accurate student attendance records are crucial to reducing absences and maintaining student participation,” said Professor Sälzer. “This is the basis of all further interventions and is essentially a fundamental form of prevention.” They found that there was no structured way to monitor attendance struggles to effectively resolve the struggles of absenteeism. This can have serious long-term consequences for students, including lower grades and higher risk of dropout. By regularly tracking attendance, schools can identify students who need help early and take action to get them to school.
The study carefully examines how Germany handles attendance monitoring and found that the system is inconsistent across its 16 states. Unlike other countries that use digital tools to track attendance, Germany does not have a unified system, which means that each state follows different rules. Lack of coordination makes it difficult to accurately measure absenteeism, as many schools still rely on handwritten records rather than digital tracking. Researchers believe that without a standardized way of collecting and reporting attendance data, it is much more difficult for policy makers (officers who make decisions about education) and educators to design effective solutions.
Comparing Germany’s approach with other countries, the study highlights examples of effective attendance monitoring. For example, in the Netherlands, schools must report the system of attendance records stored to a central database within three days. This allows officials to act quickly and identify students who may be at risk of falling behind. “The effort to reduce absences would not be as effective without a nationwide approach to tracking attendance.”
Professor Sälzer’s research also shows that better attendance monitoring can help improve students’ overall learning experience. Schools that closely track attendance can better understand why students lack curriculum – this is due to financial difficulties, mental health struggles, or other challenges. With this information, they can provide the right support, such as counseling, which can help students solve emotional and academic problems; tutoring, which provides more courses to help students catch up; or work with parents to find solutions. This helps create a school environment where students feel supported and motivated to attend regularly.
Although the study focuses on Germany, its findings are related to schools around the world. Countries looking to reduce absences should consider using digital tools such as online attendance tracking software and national attendance databases to improve monitoring. Professor Sälzer and colleagues stress that monitoring should not be about punishing students, but about creating a system that helps identify problems early and provides the necessary support.
As the school continues to develop, it should be the top priority to ensure that every student receives help from regular attendance. By using data-driven strategies that rely on facts and statistics to guide decisions and build a strong attendance monitoring system, schools can take important steps to reduce absenteeism and improve student success.
Journal Reference
SälzerC. , Ricking H., Feldhaus M. “Solving absenteeism through monitoring: Review of evidence-based education policies and practices.” Educational Science, 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14121365
About the Author
Dr. Christine Sälzer She has been a professor of education at the University of Stuttgart since May 2018. In 2010, papers on school absences. Between 2010 and 2017, she served as National Project Manager at the German PISA Research Center at the Technical University of Munich. Her research interests include large-scale assessments, school effectiveness, and absenteeism.
Professor Dr. Heinrich Ricking Since June 2022, he has been a professor at the Institute of Special Education, University of Leipzig, focusing on emotional and social development in special education and inclusive environments. Prior to this, he gained extensive experience as a special education teacher at the Albert-Schweitzer School in Clopenburg and University of Oldenburg. His research focuses on improving the quality of formal education for children and adolescents at risk and promoting school participation. In his teaching, Professor Ricking emphasizes theoretically training theoretically rooted professionals with a wide range of practical abilities and professional attitudes.
Dr. Michael Feldhaus He is an outstanding microsociety scientist at Oldenburg University. He received his Ph.D. The School of Sociology in 2003, later coordinated the German Research Foundation (DFG) priority program “Beziehungs-und Familienpanel” (Pairfam). From 2010 to 2014, he was a research assistant at the University of Bremen before becoming Professor Oldenburg in 2014. His research focuses on life courses sociology, decision-making and family dynamics.
