I'm Goin' Mobile

Janine is moving for the third time in three years. This time taking off to spend time with an Aunt in California because she just doesn't get along with her step mother. Jarod, on the other hand, is moving back to New York with his family. Dad got another job and off they go. Jose is moving back to LA to live with his mother, since his father was just deported back to Mexico. RayAn is moving cross town, but will keep coming to school here, even though she is outside of the district. (By using her old address.)

The mobility of the American population, especially in the lower income levels who either have to move from job to job, or keep finding better jobs to move to, constantly disrupts the continuity of education, friendships, and socialization so critical to the teen years. Couple that with the hodgepodge of curricula, philosophy, and finances from school district to district and we have a recipe for a challenging problem.

Furthermore, statistics, such as graduation rates, dropout rates, and grades are heavily affected by this kind of mobility. Just keeping track of students, their grades, and where they are currently can prove to be an impossible challenge. Even movement within the same district leads to difficulty contacting parents and finding information. Out of five telephone calls home recently, two were disconnected numbers and an invalid address with no forwarding address. Yet the student still attends.

I often have students address envelopes to send home information or introductory letters. You might be surprised how often I have students who don't know their own home address. Just moved, you know.

I don't know that a common curricula and sequence would solve the problem, but with students and parents coming and going and often returning, districts should begin to grapple with the problem of too much local variation.