February 17, 2021
Kipp and Clark publish in international education journal
Two members the curriculum and instruction department with Kansas State University's College of Education have co-authored an article regarding student absenteeism, recently published in the international impact-factored journal, Improving Schools.
Andrew Kipp, graduate student and teaching assistant in curriculum and instruction's Doctor of Education program, and Spencer Clark, associate professor of curriculum studies, are the authors of "Student Absenteeism and Ecological Agency," published earlier this month.
The article presents a new theoretical approach to understanding students' intentions to engage in absenteeism. Kipp and Clark argue that using the theory of ecological agency will help educators better understand, examine and address student absenteeism in schools. The focus on ecological agency shifts away from the behavioristic and punitive modes of addressing absenteeism, currently in most schools. The article also offers recommendations for using the ecological agency framework as methodology to identify the underlying contextual factors that result in student absenteeism, as well as potential interventions to improve student attendance. It is available through Sage Publications.
Kipp is a chemistry teacher at Gardner-Edgerton High School in Gardener. Clark also serves as director of the college's Rural Education Center and coordinator of the curriculum and instruction Doctor of Education program.