MNPS Partners with Vanderbilt on $450K Study to Combat Chronic Absenteeism in Nashville Schools

Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) is teaming up with Vanderbilt University on a new $450 thousand research project aimed at tackling one of the city’s most pressing education challenges, chronic absenteeism.

The initiative, funded by the Walton Family Foundation and the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE), brings together researchers and district leaders to study the root causes of student disengagement and design stronger, data-informed attendance systems. The 18-month study launched in January 2025 and is led by Vanderbilt faculty Joanne Golann, David Diehl, and Kayla Fike, in collaboration with MNPS Director of Attendance Services Carol Brown.

A Rising Crisis in Student Attendance

According to state data, 29.7 percent of MNPS students were chronically absent in the 2021–22 school year, defined as missing 10 percent or more of school days. That’s significantly higher than the Tennessee state average of 20.3 percent and aligns with a broader national trend of surging absenteeism since the COVID-19 pandemic. Before 2020, chronic absenteeism in U.S. schools was closer to 15 percent, but by 2022, that number had nearly doubled.

A Closer Look at Nashville Schools

The research team will conduct case studies at select MNPS high schools, interviewing students, families, and school personnel to better understand attendance barriers and uncover promising practices. The study is designed to support MNPS’s strategic goal of reducing chronic absenteeism from nearly 30 percent to 25 percent or lower in the coming years.

Brown said the district has already introduced creative engagement efforts, such as incentive-based programs, community events with support services, and even music videos to promote school attendance. Still, she emphasized the need for deeper systems change.

“We’re excited to collaborate with PEER this year,” Brown said. “This partnership is key to strengthening our tiered systems of support and developing sustainable, innovative infrastructure for schools working directly with students and families.”

Part of a National Effort

This project is part of CRPE’s Evidence Project, a nationwide initiative supporting research into pandemic recovery efforts like tutoring, student engagement, and district-level interventions. Nashville PEER (Partnership for Educational Equity Research), based at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College, serves as the academic home for the project.

Recent studies underscore the urgency: an American Enterprise Institute report found that chronic absenteeism remained 75 percent higher nationwide in 2023 than before the pandemic. In Tennessee, absenteeism increased by more than 7 percentage points between 2019 and 2022, with Nashville seeing some of the steepest spikes in the state.

What’s Next

The team will publish findings through CRPE’s “Notes from the Evidence Project” newsletter, contributing to the national dialogue on student reengagement in the post-pandemic era.

To follow project updates, visit https://peernashville.org or follow PEER on LinkedIn.