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Reducing School Mobility: A Randomized Trial of a Relationship-Building Intervention
Jeremy E Fiel1, Anna R Haskins1, Ruth N López Turley2
1University of Wisconsin-Madison.
American Educational Research Journal
|October 28, 2014
Summary
The Families and Schools Together (FAST) program did not reduce overall student mobility. However, it significantly decreased mobility for Black students, likely due to strengthened family relationships.
Area of Science:
- Education
- Sociology
- Psychology
Background:
- Student turnover negatively impacts students and educational institutions.
- High student mobility rates among disadvantaged populations can worsen educational inequality.
- Existing recommendations for reducing mobility, such as enhancing family-school relationships, lack rigorous empirical testing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To rigorously test the effectiveness of the Families and Schools Together (FAST) program in reducing student mobility in early elementary education.
- To investigate whether building social capital among families, children, and schools can mitigate student turnover.
- To examine differential impacts of the intervention on student mobility across demographic groups.
Main Methods:
- A cluster-randomized field experiment was conducted across 52 predominantly Hispanic elementary schools in San Antonio, TX, and Phoenix, AZ.
- The study involved implementing the Families and Schools Together (FAST) intervention, designed to foster social capital.
- Student mobility rates were tracked as the primary outcome measure.
Main Results:
- The FAST intervention did not significantly reduce overall student mobility rates.
- A significant reduction in student mobility was observed specifically among Black students.
- Analysis suggests that improved relationships among families were a key factor in explaining the observed reduction in mobility for Black students.
Conclusions:
- While the FAST program did not achieve its goal of reducing overall student mobility, it demonstrated a positive effect on reducing mobility for Black students.
- The findings highlight the potential of interventions focused on strengthening family relationships to address specific equity challenges in student mobility.
- Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms through which family engagement influences student stability and to explore broader applications of such interventions.
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