Foundations of Education and Instructional Assessment/Sociological Influences/Mobility

The Mobile American Student

By Diana Christy

Amanda’s father was wounded in the first Gulf War; as a result he was unable to remain in the military. His family had to relocate to San Antonio, Texas and live with his parents until they could re-establish themselves financially. Amanda was accustomed to moving, the acronym PCS (Permanent Change of Duty Station) was learned at an early age. Although, the military does their best to center their normal PCS moves during December; the semester break, and late May; the end of the school year, it is not always possible. In this case, Amanda and her family are moving at the end of January. As luck would have it, the school that Amanda will be transferring to is the Public School No.179, Hawthorne Elementary School, very familiar no stranger to students. 1n 1992 it was reported (Hirsch, 1996) that the percentage of students transferring in was 108, and the students transferring out were 176; a rate of 54.4%.

Today, only the name of the war has changed, the military continues to move. However, the mobility rate of the military child pales in comparison with that of inner city children of New York City. Several of these schools reported mobility rates higher than 100%, where homelessness, poverty, ethnic and language barriers are the highest (Cohen 1998). The National Assessment of Academic Progress (NAEP) reported in the fourth grades that black children reported a mobility rate about 45% and Hispanic children a mobility rate of about 41% (U.S. Department of Education, 2002).

There is another factor affecting the mobility rate; the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2004. Under the law, schools that receive federal aid for low-income students in the Title- 1 Program and fall short of state achievement targets for two consecutive years must offer parents an option to enroll their children in a better-performing public school, if available. School systems must also provide transportation if the school of origin needs improvement. In an article in the Washington post, Nick Anderson reported that in Prince George County, Maryland the “student-transfer total was up nearly 35 percent from the previous year. In all, 1,442 students in the county's 134,000-student public school system transferred under the law in this school year. The year before, 1,071 transferred” (Anderson, 2005). Ironically, teachers and schools are reporting that the NCLB low test scores can be directly associated to high mobility rates. The steady stream of transfer students makes it impossible to keep everyone at the same level; and assessment scores bare the proof (Rhodes, 2005). A constant flow of transfer students, teachers and faculty report, creates more work for everyone. Dr. Rhodes, an Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Instruction at Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, reported that when teacher’s have to spend extra time adjusting to each new student a domino effect is created. She must stop and catch up the student, test skills, and sometimes begin an entirely new lesson plan. “Teacher morale also suffers when lessons are limited to basic skills” (Rhodes, 2005). High mobility schools create high teacher turnover and high teacher mobility may add to the high student mobility (Lash & Kirkpatrick, 1994). Unfortunately there are two concerns about this mobility rate in American schools. The first; the factors affecting the mobility rate will not diminish, at least not any time in the near future. Thus the problem will continue to affect school performance. Children too are affected by these transfers. A significant rise in behavioral problems is exhibited from these frustrated children; as well as a rise in drop out rates for transfer students (Rumberger & Thomas, 2000). Secondly, the problem does not appear significantly anywhere on the radar of school reform issues currently at hand. There has been some talk in the past, and presently, about an option that will eliminate some of the problems mobility creates; a nationwide core curriculum. The United Kingdom introduced a national curriculum in 1988. Their National Curriculum set out stages and core subjects that must be taught to children ages five to sixteen. The curriculum includes stages of study, curriculum levels, teacher assessments and end of key stage tests. At the end of the first stage English and Math are assessed by the teacher. Stage two and three include national tests in English, Math and Science. Stage four includes more assessment (UK.Gov, 2008). This system is not without controversy. In an article in the “This is London.Co.UK” it was reported that Hitler, Stalin, Martin Luther King, Gandhi and even Winston Churchill were to be stripped from the curriculum to make way for more “life skills” subject matter (Evening Standard, 2007). Earlier this year the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) announced that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd had appointed Professor Barry McGaw, from the University of Melbourne to develop a national curriculum for their schools. McGaw will work with a 12-member group of representative from the states and territories.” The objective we've set is for a national curriculum in the four key subject areas of English, History, Math, Science to be delivered, as we're starting now in early 2008 by early 2011" (ABC, 2008). As early as 1930 the notion of a National Curriculum has been around (Hirsch, 1996). However, unlike the UK, the United States lacks the initiative to develop an agreed upon plan. The UK has an Education Minister and cabinet to oversee the task. The United States remains fragmented in their choice of educational support, still wrapped up in the NCLB issues, reforms and failures. However, as one is rebuilding and reforming the system it would only make sense to add the National Curriculum to the agenda. Many states and counties are working hard to try and develop their own curriculums throughout. However, this is no help to those students who move out of county or state. Every school in every state on the same page all the times would be the best solution for the mobility problem in American schools. References: ABC News. (2008). Rudd names head of national curriculum board. Retrieved February 1, 2008 from http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/30/2150042.htm. Anderson,N. (2005)Washington Post. More Pr. George's Students Transfer under U.S. Law. Retrieved January 30, 2008 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/09/AR2005110902429_pf.html

DirectGov.Uk (2005).Understanding the National Curriculum. Retrieved February, 1, 2008 from http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Schoolslearninganddevelopment/ExamsTestsAndTheCurriculum/DG_4016665

Evening Standard. (2007). Schools Told to Dump Churchill and Hitler from History Lessons. Retrieved January 30, 2008 from http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23404098-details/Schools+to+dump+traditional+curriculum+in+favour+of+trendy+life+lessons/article.do Hirsch, E.D. (1996). The Schools We Need And Why We Do Not Have Them. New York: Doubleday. Rhodes, V. L. (2005). Kids on the move: Impact of student mobility on NCLB school accountability ratings, Perspectives: U. of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.

Rumberger, R. W., & Thomas, S. L. (2000). The distribution of dropout and turnover rates among urban and suburban high schools. Sociology of Education, 73, 39-67.

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, National Centerfor Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress. (2002). 1998 ReadingAssessments. Retrieved February 1, 2008 from http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nde/viewresults.asp

Multiple Choice Questions (1) What is the mobility rate of inner-city schools in New York City? (a) 0-25% (b) 25-50% (c) 50-75% (d) 75-100% (2) What factor attributes to a high mobility rate in schools? (a) Obesity (b) tardiness (c) poverty (d) wealth (3) What mobility rate did Prince George County, Maryland report in 2005? (a) The same as the year before (b) less than the year before (c) more than the year before (d) no change (4) What year did the United Kingdom introduce their National Curriculum? (a) 1975 (b) 1988 (c) 2001 (d) 2004 (5) What Country elected a new National Curriculum Board this year? (a) France (b) United States (c) Australia (d) Sweden