From The Editors
Welcome Back to School—and Back to the Research
Back to topDear Colleagues,
Another school year is underway, and with it comes a familiar question from the educators with whom we work: Which SEL research matters right now? Each quarter, CASEL’s research team reviews the latest studies in the field to bring you the findings most likely to change what happens in classrooms and buildings to enhance the social and emotional competencies and well-being of students.
In this special issue, we focus on a topic that is top of mind for us and many districts and states across the country: attendance.
This issue leads with new national tracking data showing that attendance recovery has nearly stalled, plus evidence that today’s elevated absenteeism looks less like a lingering wound in pandemic-era cohorts and more like a broader shift in attendance norms across every grade. We pair that with studies connecting school climate—safety, connectedness, adult relationships—to attendance outcomes, along with practical evidence about which climate levers move first.
In every issue, we will translate the research into concrete next steps, plus ready-to-share language for the parents, staff, and community members who ask, “Is this actually working?”
In Community,
Dr. Rista Plate & Dr. Rafiqah Mustafaa
The CASEL DATA-DRIVEN Team
This Issue’s Key Research
National Trends
Chronic Absenteeism Improvement Is Stalling Nationwide
Back to top- Malkus, N. (2026). Fromattendance crisis to chronic condition? Tracking post-pandemic chronic absenteeisminto 2025. American Enterprise Institute.
Summary. Across 45 states with 2025 data on chronic absenteeism, chronic absenteeism peaked at 28.3 percent in 2022 and has fallen every year since, but the pace of improvement is collapsing: a 2.6-point drop in 2023, a 2.2-point drop in 2024, and less than a 1-point drop in 2025. In districts that challenged themselves to cut their chronic absenteeism rate in half by 2027, only 29 percent are on track to do so. While the spike in chronic absenteeism may be attributable to the pandemic, the slowing rate of decrease may not be. Kindergartners in 2025—many of whom were not yet born during pandemic closures—had chronic absenteeism rates 48 percent above 2019 levels. The pandemic alone cannot explain persistent chronic absenteeism rates. Additionally, these findings suggest a concerning reality: Attendance patterns aren’t likely to resolve on their own as time passes post-pandemic. Instead, we are likely to see stagnant improvements, reflecting broad shifts in attendance culture, unless schools and districts move to shift attitudes and practices.
Implication For Practice
Don’t frame attendance campaigns as “catching up” pandemic-era students; the data suggest every current grade band, including students with no pandemic schooling experience, needs attention. Messaging and interventions should target schoolwide norms with developmentally appropriate messaging that continues promoting a culture of attendance through high school.
Social And Emotional Competencies
Social and Emotional Growth Associated With Lower Chronic Absenteeism
Back to topSummary. In this correlational study, researchers looked at DESSA-Mini assessment and attendance data for 1,863 middle school students who were matched on baseline social and emotional competencies. From this group, those who showed high growth in social and emotional competencies across the school year were less likely to be chronically absent than those (matched) peers who showed no growth in their social and emotional competencies across the school year. This gap was even larger for students who started the year with low social and emotional competencies. Overall, growth in social and emotional competencies was associated with over 47 percent lower odds of chronic absenteeism.
Implication For Practice
If your district already administers a social and emotional competency assessment, take a look at student growth in addition to reviewing end-of-year scores. Social and emotional growth and attendance should be tracked together, with SEL programs and supports considered part of your attendance toolkit rather than a separate initiative.