On the Move: The Incidence of Mobility for California Students, Schools, and Districts

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: Family Background, Choice, and Segregation

Abstract

Student mobility—students making non-promotional school changes—is widespread throughout the United States. Yet, our current understanding of student mobility is based on outdated research. Using rich longitudinal data from several large districts in California we highlight variation in the incidence of student mobility among vulnerable students—low-income, English learners, students with disabilities, foster and homeless youth. Previous literature suggests vulnerable students move more often, but our results show the opposite: non-vulnerable students in these districts are more mobile than vulnerable students—with the exception of homeless youth. Among students of color, African-American students move the most. English learners are the least mobile students. We discuss what education stakeholders can do to address the pitfalls and possibilities of student mobility.

Authors

• Cassandra M. Guarino, University of California - Riverside

• Lucrecia Santibanez, University of California - Los Angeles

• Robert K. Ream, The University of California - Riverside