Mobility

One big issue among urban schools that affects academic achievement is mobility rates. Schools in urban areas are often associated with high mobility rates because the parents of these students are often on the move--sometimes due to job loss or immigration status. In some cases, the students leave and return to the same school multiple times in the same year.

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a dissertation defense in which the student was researching the effects of merit pay on student achievement among low performing students. Mobility rates was an important demographic to consider in such a study because teachers are challenged to show one year's growth among all students, yet in urban schools, having the student for 'one year' is often not the case. The school in her study had a 52% mobility rate which is quite high. This intrigued me to research the school's demographics where I volunteered and was shocked to see this school has a 58% mobility rate. WOW! What a challenge this presents to teachers trying to make learning gains and show one year's growth!