Middle school students are affected to different degrees by absences from school. While social learning theory suggests students acquire new skills through observation and modeling, some students are more able than others to compensate for school absences. Research has shown that a student\u27s family structure can influence achievement. Unexcused absences have also been linked to lower achievement than excused ones. Excessive unexcused absences have also been associated with family problems including insufficient support for school endeavors. This quantitative causal comparative research study will examine the relationship between family structure and absence type to reading achievement in a Title I school. Data collected from school records will be analyzed to determine whether each variable influences the way absences affect reading achievement
