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 2nd 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.

中文翻译：

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与从公立学校学前班到幼儿园的学校流动性相关的结果


公立学校学前班计划促进儿童入学准备并提供向幼儿园无缝过渡的能力在理论上部分取决于儿童是否留在同一所学校。对中小学学校流动性的研究表明，转学与较差的学业成绩有关。然而，人们对公立学校学前班和幼儿园之间的过渡知之甚少。此外，研究通常不会考虑搬迁学校的不利影响是否取决于儿童转学学校的质量。本研究评估了在学前班到幼儿园的过渡期间转学是否与幼儿园到三年级较差的学业成绩有关，以及学校质量的积极变化是否会缓和流动性的影响。来自大型 （N = 18,775）、种族多元化（35% 黑人、55% 拉丁裔、10% 白人/亚裔/其他）、主要是低收入（73.2% 获得免费/减价午餐）样本的数据表明，在学前班和幼儿园之间转换学校与二年级和三年级的阅读和数学成绩较差有关。此外，在此期间转学的孩子也错过了更多的学校天数，并且英语学习者比不移动的同龄人更晚达到英语熟练度。积极的质量变化与学校流动性之间的交互作用表明，对于那些除了学校搬迁之外还经历了积极质量变化的人来说，流动性的负面影响得到了减轻。