Outcomes associated with school mobility from public school Pre-K to kindergarten

Abstract

The ability of public-school pre-K programs to promote the school readiness of children and provide a seamless transition to kindergarten is theorized to be dependent in part on children remaining in the same school. Research on school mobility in elementary and middle school shows that switching schools is associated with poorer academic outcomes. However, less is known about the transition between public school pre-K and kindergarten. Further, research has not typically considered if detrimental effects of moving schools depend on the quality of the schools to which children move. This study assessed whether switching to a different school during the transition between pre-K to kindergarten was associated with poorer academic outcomes from kindergarten to 3rd grade, and whether a positive change in school quality moderated effects of mobility. Data from a large (N = 18,775), ethnically diverse (35% Black, 55% Latino, 10% White/Asian/Other), predominantly low-income (73.2% receiving free/reduced-price lunch) sample suggested that switching schools between pre-K and kindergarten was associated with poorer reading and math performance in 2^nd and 3rd grade. Further, children who switched schools during this timeframe also missed more days of school, and English Language Learners reached English proficiency later than their non-mobile peers. Interactions between positive quality change and school mobility suggest that the negative effects of mobility were mitigated for those who experienced a positive quality change in addition to a school move.