| The research shows “high student mobility has consequences for mobile students, teachers and schools. For students, the long-term effects of high mobility include lower achievement levels and slower academic pacing, culminating in a reduced likelihood of high school completions.”
WAYS TO MEASURE
- Percentage of Third-Graders Who Changed Schools Three Times or More Since First Grade, by Race/Ethnicity and Income
- Additional variables related to mobility include race/ethnicity, income level, and renting v. home ownership
WHAT THE DATA SHOWS
Mid-Year Transfers
Student mobility is significantly higher in St. Paul schools compared to the statewide averages. The following chart shows mid-year transfers as a percent of total student enrollment as of October 1 for that school year, and include transfers into, out of, and within the district.
[Source: Wilder Research Center, November 2004]
Mobility & Stability
Saint Paul Public Schools uses both mobility and stability to track student turnover.
Mobility Index (Good when low.)
Shows the degree to which classrooms are disturbed by students who enroll and/or leave the school during the school year. The index gives the number of occasions when students enroll after October 1, plus the number of occasions when students leave the district before June 1, as a percent of the October 1 enrollment. The index can count single students multiple times. Only traditional schools are included in the district-wide index.
Stability Index (Good when high.)
Shows the stability of classrooms by showing how many students were there the whole year. The index gives the number of students who were enrolled at the school 160 days or more, as a percent of the October 1 enrollment. ALCs and treatment centers are excluded from the district-wide index.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
June 2004 - Increasing Student Attendance: Strategies From Research and Practice, Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.
March 1998 - A Report from the Kids Mobility Project (.doc) Examines the effects of frequent residential moves on student performance in Minneapolis elementary schools, Family Housing Fund.
| 
