The Impact of High School Student Mobility on the Likelihood of Graduation

• In Event: 28.088 - Fairmont Royal York Roundtable Session Four
  In Roundtable Session: 28.088-6 - High School: The Ninth-Grade Transition and Supports for Successful Graduation Outcomes

Abstract

Schools identify and implement measures to mitigate the effects of student mobility. The core research question is for this study was whether or not there is a difference in the graduation rates of non-mobile and mobile students as a member of a 4-year cohort, controlling for demographic and socio-economic variables. We found that one move was detrimental to a student’s likelihood of graduating, but additional moves were even more detrimental to graduation. Despite the negative effect of mobility, this school district did not show a significant difference between graduation rates of black and white, non-Hispanic students, perhaps due to programs, policies and training in place to try to eliminate that difference.

Authors

• Jess Grim, Notre Dame of Maryland University

• Mark J. Fenster, Notre Dame of Maryland University