The Kinder Institute for Urban Research's Houston Education Research Consortium, in a study of 10 public school districts in the Houston area, found that the higher the school-year mobility rate at a school, the lower its accountability performance. This association was largest in high schools, where school-year mobility rates fluctuated yearly, but was seen in elementary and middle schools as well. Implications for schools in the Houston area are discussed.
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Houston Education Research Consortium, in collaboration with 10 public school districts in the Houston area, embarked on a multi-year study of student mobility in Texas and across the Houston area to better understand which students change schools and the consequences those changes have for educational outcomes.
This study used seven years of data from the state of Texas (2010-11 through 2016-17) to illustrate how statewide patterns of school year student mobility differed by subgroup. Patterns of student mobility differed by race, socioeconomic status, and English learner status.
Tens of thousands of students in the Houston area switched schools during the school year annually. This study examined what this mobility meant for students’ performance on state accountability tests, high school grade retention, high school dropout, and high school graduation.
This report is the culmination of a multi-year study on student mobility undertaken by the Kinder Institute for Urban Research's Houston Education Research Consortium in collaboration with 10 public school districts in the Houston area.
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