Student mobility: The relationship between student population stability and academic achievement

Abstract

With a representative sample of 487 elementary schools serving 3 rd grade and 490 elementary schools serving 5th grade in Arizona, this study examined the relationship between student mobility and student academic achievement. Controlling for student family background and school characteristics, multiple regression analysis revealed a statistically significant negative relationship between mobility and academic achievement for math, reading and language in 3rd and 5th grade. This negative effect was pronounced for high SES schools. For all regression analyses performed, a key finding was that much of the variation in standardized test scores for math, reading and language in both 3rd and 5th was consistently explained by mobility, ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Separate analyses were conducted for low SES, middle SES, and high SES schools. A comparison of the means reveals a stark reality. Low SES students in Arizona have higher mobility rates, are more likely to be Hispanic or other minority ethnicity, are poor, and are taught by teachers with less experience and education compared to high SES students. However, regression results show that mobility was not significantly related to academic achievement for low SES students; rather an unexpected consistent statistically significant negative effect on achievement was observed across all subject areas for 3rd and 5 th grade for high SES students.