James E. Bruno, Education Policy Analysis Archives
July 26, 2002
This paper by UCLA professor James Bruno examines the frequency with which teachers call in sick and leave substitutes in charge of their classrooms in large urban schools. Bruno finds that in areas of "negative" (low income) geographical space, teachers are more likely to think of their sick days as entitlements and more apt to use them. More teacher absenteeism increases costs for the district, decreases the return on additional spending, and reduces the quality of education. It's not a problem for which there are any quick fixes, though Bruno does have one creative idea to help mitigate its effects: a school with a high rate of teacher absenteeism could develop a corps of regular substitutes who are better trained and more integrated into the school, so that learning doesn't come to a standstill when the teacher is away. The paper can be downloaded at http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v10n32/.
