Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T07:55:04.709Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

School mobility and developmental outcomes in young adulthood

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 April 2013

Janette E. Herbers*
Affiliation:
University of Minnesota
Arthur J. Reynolds
Affiliation:
University of Minnesota
Chin-Chih Chen
Affiliation:
Virginia Commonwealth University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Janette E. Herbers, University of Minnesota; E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract

School mobility has been shown to increase the risk of poor achievement, behavior problems, grade retention, and high school dropout. Using data over 25 years from the Chicago Longitudinal Study, we investigated the unique risk of school moves on a variety of young adult outcomes including educational attainment, occupational prestige, depression symptoms, and criminal arrests. We also investigated how the timing of school mobility, whether earlier or later in the academic career, may differentially predict these outcomes over and above associated risks. Results indicate that students who experience more school changes between kindergarten and 12th grade are less likely to complete high school on time, complete fewer years of school, attain lower levels of occupational prestige, experience more symptoms of depression, and are more likely to be arrested as adults. Furthermore, the number of school moves predicted outcomes above and beyond associated risks such as residential mobility and family poverty. When timing of school mobility was examined, results indicated more negative outcomes associated with moves later in the grade school career, particularly between 4th and 8th grades.

Type
Regular Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alexander, K. L., Entwisle, D. R., & Dauber, S. L. (1996). Children in motion: School transfers and elementary school performance. Journal of Educational Research, 90, 312.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Astone, N. M., & McLanahan, S. S. (1994). Family structure, residential mobility, and school dropout: A research note. Demography, 31, 575584.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barratt, W. (2005). The Barratt Simplified Measure of Social Status (BSMSS): Measuring SES. Terre Haute: Indiana State University, Department of Educational Leadership, Administration, and Foundations.Google Scholar
Bronfenbrenner, U., & Morris, P. (1998). Ecological processes of development. In Damon, W. (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology: Theoretical issues (Vol. 1, pp. 9931028). New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Burchinal, M. R., Roberts, J. E., Zeisel, S. A., & Rowley, S. J. (2008). Social risk and protective factors for African American children's academic achievement and adjustment during the transition to middle school. Developmental Psychology, 44, 286292.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burkam, D., Lee, V., & Dwyer, J. (2009). School mobility in the early elementary grades: Frequency and impact from nationally representative data. Paper presented at the Workshop on the Impact of Mobility and Change on the Lives of Young Children, Schools, and Neighborhoods, National Academies, Washington, DC, June 29–30.Google Scholar
Chicago Longitudinal Study. (2005). User's guide: Chicago Longitudinal Study—A study of children in the Chicago public schools. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, Institute of Child Development.Google Scholar
Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social capital in the creation of human capital. American Journal of Sociology, 94 (Suppl), S95S120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Comer, J. P., Ben-Avie, M., Haynes, N. M., & Joyner, E. T. (Eds.). (1999). Child by child: The Comer process for change in education. New York: Teachers College Press.Google Scholar
Cornille, T. A., Bayer, A. E., & Smyth, C. K. (1983). Schools and newcomers: A national survey of innovative programs. Personnel & Guidance Journal, 62, 229236.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dauber, S. L., Alexander, K. L., & Entwisle, D. R. (1996). Tracking and transitions through the middle grades: Channeling educational trajectories. Sociology and Education, 69, 290307.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davis, J., Smith, T., Hodge, R., Nakao, K., & Treas, J. (1991). Occupational prestige ratings from the 1989 General Survey. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Reearch.Google Scholar
Derogatis, L. R. (1975). Brief Symptom Inventory. Bloomington, MN: Pearson Assessments.Google Scholar
Durlak, J. (1997). Successful prevention programs for children and adolescents. New York: Plenum Press.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Elias, M., Gara, M., & Ubriaco, M. (1985). Sources of stress and support in children's transition to middle school: An empirical analysis. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 14, 112118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fantuzzo, J., Rouse, H., & LeBoeuf, W. (2009). Homelessness, school mobility, and educational well-being in a large urban school system. Paper presented at the Workshop on the Impact of Mobility and Change on the Lives of Young Children, Schools, and Neighborhoods, National Academies, Washington, DC, June 29–30.Google Scholar
Farrington, D. P. (2005). Childhood origins of antisocial behavior. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 12, 177190.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fitzmaurice, G. M., Laird, N. M., & Ware, J. H. (2004). Applied longitudinal analysis. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Gruman, D. H., Harachi, T. W., Abbott, R. D., Catalano, R. F., & Fleming, C. B. (2008). Longitudinal effects of student mobility on three dimensions of elementary school engagement. Child Development, 79, 18331852.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hanushek, E. A., Kain, J. F., & Rivkin, S. G. (2004). Disruption versus Tiebout improvement: The costs and benefits of switching schools. Journal of Public Economics, 88, 17211746.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haveman, R., Wolfe, B., & Spaulding, J. (1991). Childhood events and circumstances influencing high school completion. Demography, 28, 133157.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Heckman, J. J. (2006). Skill formation and the economics of investing in disadvantaged children. Science, 312, 19001902.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Heinlein, L. M., & Shinn, M. (2000). School mobility and student achievement in an urban setting. Psychology in the Schools, 37, 349357.3.0.CO;2-1>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hieronymus, A. N., Lindquist, E. F., & Hoover, H. D. (1982). Iowa Tests of Basic Skills: Manual for school administrators. Chicago: Riverside.Google Scholar
Hollingshead, A. B. (1975). Four Factor Index of Social Status. Unpublished manuscript, Yale University.Google Scholar
Jason, L. A., Danner, K. E., & Kurasaki. (Eds.). (1993). Prevention in human services series: Prevention and school transitions. New York: Haworth Press.Google Scholar
Kerbow, D. (1996). Patterns of urban student mobility and local school reform. Journal for the Education of Students Placed at Risk, 1, 147169.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lee, V. E., & Burkam, D. T. (2002). Inequality at the starting gate: Social background differences in achievement as children begin school. Washington, DC: Economic Policy Institute.Google Scholar
Leonard, C. P., & Elias, M. J. (1993). Entry into middle school: Student factors predicting adaptation to an ecological transition. In Jason, L. A., Danner, K. E., & Kurasaki, K. S. (Eds.), Prevention in human services series: Prevention and school transitions (pp. 3957). New York: Haworth Press.Google Scholar
Long, L. (1992). International perspective on the residential mobility of America's children. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 54, 861869.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mantzicopoulos, P., & Knutson, D. J. (2000). Head Start children: School mobility and achievement in early grades. Journal of Educational Research, 93, 305310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Masten, A. S., Burt, K. B., Roisman, G. I., Obradovic, J., Long, J. D., & Tellegen, A. (2004). Resources and resilience in the transition to adulthood: Continuity and change. Development and Psychopathology, 16, 10711094.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCoy, A. R., & Reynolds, A. J. (1999). Grade retention and school performance: An extended investigation. Journal of School Psychology, 37, 273298.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mehana, M., & Reynolds, A. J. (2004). School mobility and achievement: A meta-analysis. Children and Youth Services Review, 26, 93119.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. (2010). Student mobility: Exploring the impact of frequent moves on achievement: Summary of a workshop. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.Google Scholar
Obradovic, J., Long, J. D., Cutuli, J. J., Chan, C.-K., Hinz, E., Heistad, D., et al. (2009). Academic achievement of homeless and highly mobile children in an urban school district: Longitudinal evidence on risk, growth, and resilience. Development and Psychopathology, 21, 493518.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ou, S.-R., & Reynolds, A. J. (2008). Predictors of educational attainment in the Chicago Longitudinal Study. School Psychology Quarterly, 23, 199229.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parker, J. G., Rubin, K., Erath, S. A., Woislawowicz, J. C., & Buskirk, A. A. (2006). Peer relationships, child development, and adjustment: A developmental psychopathology perspective. In Cicchetti, D. & Cohen, D. J. (Eds.), Developmental psychopathology: Theory and method (pp. 419493). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.Google Scholar
Popp, P. A., Stronge, J. H., & Hindman, J. L. (2003). Students on the move: Reaching and teaching highly mobile children and youth. Urban Diversity Series (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED482661). New York: ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education.Google Scholar
Pribesh, S., & Downey, D. B. (1999). Why are residential and school moves associated with poor school performance? Demography, 36, 521534.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reynolds, A. J. (1992). Grade retention and school adjustment: An explanatory analysis. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 14, 101121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reynolds, A. J. (2000). Success in early intervention: The Chicago Child–Parent Centers. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.Google Scholar
Reynolds, A. J., Chen, C.-C., & Herbers, J. E. (2009). School mobility and educational success: A research synthesis and evidence on prevention. Paper presented for the Workshop on the Impact of Mobility and Change on the Lives of Young Children, Schools, and Neighborhoods, National Academies, Washington, DC, June 29–30.Google Scholar
Reynolds, A. J., Mavrogenes, N. A., Bezruczko, N., & Hagemann, M. (1996). Cognitive and family-support mediators of preschool effectiveness: A confirmatory analysis. Child Development, 67, 11191140.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reynolds, A. J., Ou, S.-R., & Topitzes, J. W. (2004). Paths of effects of early childhood intervention on educational attainment and delinquency: A confirmatory analysis of the Chicago Child–Parent Centers. Child Development, 75, 12991328.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reynolds, A. J., & Robertson, D. L. (2003). School-based early intervention and later child maltreatment in the Chicago Longitudinal Study. Child Development, 74, 326.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reynolds, A. J., & Wolfe, B. (1999). Special education and school achievement: An exploratory analysis with a central-city sample. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 21, 249269.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rubin, D. B. (1987). Multiple imputation for non-response surveys. New York: Wiley.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rumberger, R. W. (2003). The causes and consequences of student mobility. Journal of Negro Education, 72, 621.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rumberger, R. W., & Larson, K. A. (1998). Student mobility and the increased risk of high school dropout. American Journal of Education, 107, 135.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schacter, J. P. (2004). Geographic mobility: 2002 to 2003. US Census Bureau, No. P20-549. Washington DC: US Department of Commerce.Google Scholar
Schafer, J. L., & Graham, J. W. (2002). Missing data: Our view of the state of the art. Psychological Methods, 7, 147177.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schafft, K. A. (2009). Poverty, residential mobility, and student transiency within rural and small town contexts. Paper presented at the Workshop on the Impact of Mobility and Change on the Lives of Young Children, Schools, and Neighborhoods, National Academies, Washington, DC, June 29–30.Google Scholar
Schulenberg, J. E., Bryant, A. L., & O'Malley, P. M. (2004). Taking hold of some kind of life: How developmental tasks relate to trajectories of well-being during the transition to adulthood. Development and Psychopathology, 16, 11191140.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schwartz, A. E., Stiefel, L., & Chalico, L. (2009). The multiple dimensions of student mobility: Evidence from NYC. Paper presented at the Workshop on the Impact of Mobility and Change on the Lives of Young Children, Schools, and Neighborhoods, National Academies, Washington, DC, June 29–30.Google Scholar
Simpson, G. A., & Fowler, M. G. (1994). Geographic mobility and children's emotional/behavioral adjustment and school functioning. Pediatrics, 93, 303309.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
South, S. J., Haynie, D. L., & Bose, S. (2007). Student mobility and school dropout. Social Science Research, 36, 6894.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stoneman, Z., Brody, G. H., Churchill, S. L., & Winn, L. L. (1999). Effects of residential instability on Head Start children's relationships with older siblings: Influences of child emotionality and conflict between family caregivers. Child Development, 70, 12461262.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Swanson, C. B., & Schneider, B. (1999). Students on the move: Residential and educational mobility in America's schools. Sociology of Education, 72, 5467.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Takanishi, R., & Kauerz, K. (2008, March). PK inclusion: Getting serious about a P–16 education system. Phi Delta Kappan, 89, 480487.Google Scholar
Temple, J. A., & Reynolds, A. J. (1999). School mobility and achievement: Longitudinal findings from an urban cohort. Journal of School Psychology, 37, 355377.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Temple, J. A., Reynolds, A. R., & Miedel, W. T. (2000). Can early intervention prevent high school dropout? Evidence from the Chicago Child–Parent Centers. Urban Education, 35, 3156.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Titus, D. (2007). Strategies and resources for enhancing the achievement of mobile students. NASSP Bulletin, 91, 8197.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Torre, M., & Gwynne, J. (2009). Changing schools: A look at student mobility trends in the Chicago Public Schools since 1995. Chicago: University of Chicago, Consortium on Chicago School Research.Google Scholar
US Bureau of the Census. (2009, April). Current populations survey: Annual geographic mobility, 2007–2008. Washington, DC: Author.Google Scholar
Wang, M. C., Haertel, G. D., & Walberg, H. J. (1993). Toward a knowledge base for school learning. Review of Educational Research, 63, 249294.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wood, D., Halfon, N., Scarlata, D., Newacheck, P., & Nessim, S. (1993). Impact of family relocation on children's growth, development, school function, and behavior. Journal of the American Medical Associationb, 270, 13341340.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zigler, E., Gilliam, W., Jones, S., & Finn-Stevenson, M. (2006). What the school of the 21st century can teach us about universal preschool. In Zigler, E. et al. (Eds.), A vision for universal preschool. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar