The Effect of Mentoring on School Attendance and Academic Outcomes: A Randomized Evaluation of the Check & Connect Program

Abstract

In response to budget problems, many urban school systems reduced resources for getting students to come to school, such as truancy officers. Chicago, for instance, in 1991, went from 150 truancy officers down to a total of zero. Is that a good idea? In this study, we explore the effects of increased support by a pro‐social adult, or “social capital,” delivered through a structured student monitoring and mentoring program called Check & Connect (C&C). We carried out a large‐scale randomized controlled trial with C&C in partnership with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to students in grades 1 to 8. Program participation decreased absences in grades 5 to 7 by 4.2 days, or 22.9 percent, but had no detectable effects on students in grades 1 to 4. We also did not find statistically significant effects on learning outcomes such as test scores or GPA, or any detectable spillovers to other students within the schools where the program was administered. The modest impacts per dollar spent, compared to previous evidence on either low‐cost “nudges” or relatively intensive, higher‐cost interventions, raise the possibility that, for very disadvantaged students, there may be decreasing returns that are then followed by increasing returns to program intensity for the problem of student disengagement.

Reducing Student Absenteeism in the Early Grades by Targeting Parental Beliefs

“…Other interventions that employ mentors and social workers can cost over $120 per incremental school day (Balfanz & Byrnes, 2013;Sinclair et al, 1998). The evaluation of the Check & Connect program, the only randomized controlled trial evaluating the impact of mentors on student attendance, resulted in improved attendance for a subgroup of students (3.4 fewer absences for middle school students) and cost over $1,500 per student per year (Guryan et al, 2017). Furthermore, the intervention mobilizes the efforts of a costless resource for schools and students: parents.…”

“…Furthermore, there is a dearth of experimental evidence on low-cost programs that meaningfully reduce student absenteeism at scale. An evaluation of the Check & Connect program, which aims to improve student engagement and attendance for students with learning and emotional/ behavioral disabilities by providing students with dedicated mentors, saw increases in attendance for middle school students but not for elementary school students (Guryan et al, 2017;Sinclair, Christenson, Evelo, & Hurley, 1998). Specifically, the program decreased absences for students in grades 5 through 7 by three days, but there were no statistically significant effects of participating for students in grades 1 through 4.…”

Achievement Gaps in the Wake of COVID-19

“…For example, Kraft and Falken (2020) provide an evidence-based blueprint for scaling effective tutoring strategies. Guryan et al (2020) show that a particular mentoring strategy improved attendance and reduced course failures among high-risk students in Chicago middle schools. The U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences commissioned the country's Regional Education Labs to produce a series of evidence-based resources and guidance about teaching and learning in a remote environment.…”

Targeted school‐based interventions for improving reading and mathematics for students with or at risk of academic difficulties in Grades K‐6: A systematic review

“…We however excluded in- | 27 of 78 (1986). We also excluded interventions that primarily aimed to improve student attendance, like the intervention examined by Guryan et al (2017). Although improving attendance may also improve student achievement, it need not do so on standardised tests.…”