Afterschool Program Reduces Mobility Among Some Families
July 1, 2014
An afterschool program for children and families was found to substantially reduce the school mobility of Black students who otherwise were especially likely to change schools. Improved relationships among families help explain this finding.
High rates of student mobility pose serious problems for students and for schools. Students who move from school to school often have lower test score gains in reading and mathematics, lower self-esteem, trouble fitting into school, and higher dropout rates. High student turnover also can result in problems within the family and hinder school reform efforts, as it is difficult to sustain progress with transient students.
Black and Hispanic students are more likely to change schools than White and Asian American students, due in part to economic disadvantage. Their frequent moves lead to an increased risk of underachievement in school. Immigrant students and English language learners have above-average mobility rates as well, which results in it taking longer for them to achieve English proficiency.
A recent study by Jeremy Fiel, Anna Haskins, and Ruth Lopez Turley focused on mobility between first and third grades in 52 predominantly low-income and Hispanic schools. They chose Phoenix because Arizona saw more than a quarter of all students change schools at least once between 2004 and 2008. Mobility rates were highest among elementary students. They chose San Antonio because Texas saw one-third of public school students move at least once between fourth and seventh grade (not including moves related to the transition from elementary to middle schools). School mobility was higher among Black and White students than Hispanic students, and it was higher among students who qualified for free or reduced-price lunch.
The study found that schools can reduce mobility for some students and increase their odds of success by improving their social and academic climates and by boosting students and families’ sense of membership in the school.
The study examined the effects of an afterschool program developed at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Families and Schools Together (FAST) is an intensive 8-week program that empowers families and promotes child resilience. It increases the relations of trust and shared expectations within and between families, and among parents and school personnel.
During 8 weekly sessions, families come to the school to participate in communication and bonding games, eat meals prepared by each of the families, engage in parent social support groups and child-directed play therapy, and perform ceremonies that model family rituals.
The study found that FAST substantially reduced school mobility for Black students. Those Black students not receiving FAST intervention were more likely to move (53%) than not, but in FAST schools their probability of moving was much lower (38%).
Students who lived farther from their schools were more likely to change schools than others, but this association was significantly weaker in FAST schools. Turley says it’s plausible that children who lived farther away from school were more mobile because their families were less connected with the families at their child’s school, but FAST helped incorporate them into school networks and communities, making them less likely to move.
School mobility is an important outcome to be studied in its own right, Turley says, and little published research has examined efforts to curtail mobility or to moderate its negative consequences. This study provides evidence that building relationships between and among families and schools may significantly reduce mobility for Black students in predominantly Hispanic schools.
