Michael A. Gottfried is an applied economist with expertise in the economics of education and education policy. His research targets data-driven decision making on a broad range of educational issues, including student absenteeism, career and technical education, early childhood education, and educating students with disabilities. He aims to boost academic and other student outcomes by examining which policies, practices, and contexts promote or block their success.

Professor Gottfried’s research has been funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Spencer Foundation, Foundation for Child Development, American Educational Research Association, and many other organizations. He has served on editorial boards of leading journals, including Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, American Educational Research Journal, and Teachers College Record.

In 2016, Professor Gottfried founded the Education Policy Collaborative to serve as a forum for education policy scholars from across the United States to impact both scholarship and public policy.

Research Interests and Current Projects

Professor Gottfried uses rigorous methods to identify educational policies, practices, and contexts that influence outcomes (academic, behavior, and executive function) for students of all ages, from prekindergarten to college and career.

In recent work he has examined whether new teachers are prepared to address absenteeism in their classrooms. He has also explored whether implementing new forms of school breakfast programs, such as in the classroom rather than in the cafeteria, can impact students’ absenteeism and achievement. Finally, he is studying whether students with disabilities have stronger high school and college outcomes when they take math/science career and technical education courses.

Publications

Featured

Absent from School: Understanding and Addressing Student Absenteeism

Selected Publications

Dr. Gottfried’s publications focus on data-driven decision making on a broad range of issues, including student absenteeism and truancy, career and technical education, special education/disabilities research, and early and elementary childhood education. For media inquiries, contact Penn GSE Communications.

Early and Elementary Education

Roberts, S., Kirksey, J.J., & Gottfried, M.A. (in press). Practices more likely to occur in kindergarten mathematics teachers’ classrooms when English learners are present. Learning and Instruction.

Kirksey, J.J., Sattin-Bajaj, C., Gottfried, M.A., Freeman, J.A., & Ozuna, C.S. (in press). Deportations near the schoolyard: Examining immigration enforcement and racial/ethnic gaps in educational outcomes. AERA Open.

Gottfried, M.A., Garcia, E., & Kim, H.Y. (in press). Peer tutoring instructional practice and kindergartners’ achievement and socioemotional development. Educational Studies.

Gottfried, M.A., & Kirskey, J.J. (2018). Self-discipline and Catholic schools. Washington, DC: Fordham Foundation.

Bargagliotti, A., Gottfried, M.A., & Guarino, C. (2017). Educating the whole child: Early mathematical instructional practices and students’ academic and socioemotional development. Teachers College Record, 119, 1-41.

Wright, A., Gottfried, M.A., Le, V. (2017). A kindergarten teacher like me: The role of student-teacher race in social-emotional development. American Educational Research Journal [centennial issue], 54, 78-101.

Gottfried, M.A., & Le, V. (2017). Is full-day kindergarten linked to children’s physical activity? Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 40, 138-149.

Gottfried, M.A. (2017). ELL school readiness and pre-kindergarten care. Educational Policy, 31, 39-72.

Gottfried, M.A., Le, V., & Datar, A. (2016). English Language Learners and kindergarten entry age: Achievement and socioemotional effects. The Journal of Educational Research, 109, 424-435.

Gottfried, M.A. (2016). Peer sameness and peer diversity: The influence of breadth and depth of classmates with high academic needs in kindergarten. Early Education and Development, 27, 655-675.

Gottfried, M.A. (2016). The role of real-life mathematics instruction on mathematics outcomes in kindergarten. British Educational Research Journal, 42, 314-341.

Datar, A., & Gottfried, M.A. (2015). School entry age and children’s social-behavioral skills: Evidence from a national longitudinal study of U.S. kindergartners. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 37, 333-353.

Gottfried, M.A. (2015). Can center-based childcare reduce the odds of early chronic absenteeism? Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 32, 160-173.

Gottfried, M.A. (2015). Prekindergarten and kindergarten center-based child care and students’ early schooling outcomes. Teachers College Record, 117, 1-28.

Gottfried, M.A., & Kim, H.Y. (2015). Formal versus informal prekindergarten care and school readiness for children in immigrant families in the U.S.: A synthesis review. Educational Research Review, 16, 85-101.

Gottfried, M.A. (2015). Does classmate ability influence students’ social skills? School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 26, 554-585.

Gottfried, M.A. (2014). The positive peer effects of diversity: Exploring the relationship between English Language Learner classmates and socio-emotional skills in early elementary school. Elementary School Journal, 115, 22-48.

Gottfried, M.A., & Graves, J. (2014). Gender composition in early elementary school classrooms and student achievement. The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy, 14, 937-977.

Gottfried, M.A. (2014). Peer effects in urban schools: Assessing the impact of classroom composition on student achievement. Educational Policy, 28, 607-647.

Gottfried, M.A. (2014). The influence of tardy classmates on students’ socio-emotional outcomes. Teachers College Record, 116.

Gottfried, M.A. (2014). The achievement effects of tardy classmates: Evidence in urban elementary schools. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 25, 3-28.

Gottfried, M.A., & Johnson, E.L. (2014). Assessing access: Is there educational equity within urban schooling? Education and Urban Society, 46, 773-797.

Gottfried, M.A. (2013). The spillover effects of grade retained classmates: Evidence from urban elementary schools. American Journal of Education, 119, 405-444.

Gottfried, M.A. (2012). Understanding the institutional-level factors of urban school quality. Teachers College Record, 114.

Gottfried, M.A. (2012). Reframing retention: New evidence from within the elementary school classroom on post-retention performance. Elementary School Journal, 113, 192-214.

News & Media

Penn GSE News

Penn GSE faculty and students to share expertise at AERA 2024 in Philly

Gerald Campano will also be honored with a lifetime achievement award for his professional achievements and mentorship work.

April 8, 2024

Michael Gottfried weighs in on impact of school bus crisis on attendance in Washington Post

The Penn GSE professor and applied economist emphasizes the critical role buses play in ensuring attendance and academic success.

February 7, 2024

Michael Gottfried's spotlight on student absenteeism and its academic impact

In an era dominated by educational technology, Michael Gottfried redirects attention to a critical issue: the profound impact of student absenteeism on academic performance.

November 14, 2023

How often can your child be absent from school?

There is a “linear relationship” between school attendance and academics, says Penn GSE professor Michael Gottfried.

January 4, 2023

Absenteeism actively harms everybody — even the students who show up. How do we stop it?

In partnership with co-authors from Brown University, Penn GSE’s Michael Gottfried has compiled an evidence brief providing strategies for combatting growing absenteeism numbers.

March 31, 2022

Regular bedtimes reduce absenteeism for kindergarteners, study finds

In new research published in the Journal of Sleep Research, Penn GSE’s Michael A. Gottfried and Texas Tech University’s J. Jacob Kirksey find that a regular bedtime improves kindergarteners’ attendance and decreases the likelihood they will be chronically absent.

September 15, 2021

In California district, study finds Latinx students with Latinx teachers attend more school

In new research published in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Michael Gottfried (Penn GSE), J. Jacob Kirksey (Texas Tech) and Tina L. Fletcher (Penn) examine the impact of having a same-race teacher on attendance.

August 10, 2021

Michael Gottfried on applying economists’ tools to ed policy, tackling truancy in California with Kamala Harris, and slurping his favorite Philly food

Gottfried is the newest member of Penn GSE’s Education Policy Division.

August 31, 2020

In the Media

Perspective | Common sense approaches to address bus driver shortages

Michael Gottfried conducted a study on the correlation between school bus transportation and chronic absence, finding that children taking the bus are less likely to be chronically absent.

EdNC | December 16, 2022

These 6 strategies can help schools tackle chronic absenteeism

Michael Gottfried speaks on the ways districts can both recognize and support chronically absent students. Gottfried lists examples to both spot patterns of absenteeism and provide support systems in order to prevent it.

K-12 Dive | November 4, 2022

Chronic truancy on the rise in Philadelphia schools

Michael Gottfried says that Philadelphia’s rise in unexcused absences is a sign of student disengagement triggered by a return from remote learning to an in-person classroom.

Axios Philadelphia | October 25, 2022

A quarter of San Francisco public school students were chronically absent last year

Michael Gottfried outlines the four distinct ways that students are impacted by chronic absence, as well as the factors that contribute to it.

San Francisco Examiner | August 5, 2022

Student ‘Mental Health Days’ Catching On In More States

Michael Gottfried speaks about mental health absences in schools. Unexcused absences can lead to truancy, get kids into trouble, get parents into trouble, and can lead to juvenile justice outcomes, he says. Schools need to keep careful track of students who take repeated mental health days.

Yahoo!News | March 8, 2022

Fall Back

Michael Gottfried said COVID-19-related school absences may disrupt all students’ learning. “Part of me is just like let’s just go back to Zoom for everyone,” he said. “I want to be in person more than anyone else. That is, the last thing I want to do is sit on Zoom and teach. So I feel for these kids. But what kind of learning is it going to be without a real fallback plan in place?”

Politico Nightly | September 13, 2021

New study shows Latinx students attend class more if the teacher is Latinx

In new research published in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Professor Michael Gottfried, along with J. Jacob Kirksey (Texas Tech University) and Tina L. Fletcher (Penn GSE), concluded that Latinx students with Latinx teachers attend school more, a relationship that does not exist for white students.

BELatina | August 24, 2021

Early data shows hopeful signs for pandemic learning in Philly, but huge questions remain

Michael Gottfried said it’s difficult to quantify how school is going for students amid the pandemic. “We’re sort of building the plane as we fly it,” he said. “Everything’s up in the air now. Everything’s been disrupted just from the measurement side.”

WHYY (Philadelphia) | December 10, 2020

The Educator's Playbook

Keeping students present: 4 ways to address absenteeism

Penn GSE’s Michael Gottfried shares four ways in which communities can lower absenteeism rates and increase student engagement.

Back to School: How to encourage student attendance

When students miss school, it negatively impacts their learning and social skills. Michael Gottfried says the ripple effects also interrupt learning for peers and strain teachers.

Absenteeism & Truancy (S1E1)

Chronic absenteeism and truancy are on the rise, hindering student success. In our debut episode of the Educator’s Playbook podcast, we speak with two experts on the issue.

Awards & Honors

Michael Gottfried has been awarded $449,669 by the National Science Foundation for the period of August 2021 to July 2023 to study the effect of teacher qualification in STEM-CTE high school courses on students’ success.

Posted on August 1, 2021

Journal Editorial Boards

The High School Journal

Editorial Board

Teachers College Record

Editorial Board

Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis

Editorial Board

Journal for Students Placed at Risk

Editorial Board