In some California schools, like the one where Selders works, student mobility rates can be higher than 150 percent because many student desks turn over three, four or more times during the year. On the last day of school in June, it is not uncommon for teachers to see only a few familiar faces from September. Mobile students have gaps in their education. They frequently miss days of instruction before enrolling in a new school. Even those who enroll immediately discover that curriculum, teaching methods and timeframes for learning differ from the school they left behind.
Negativity is fueled by anger over having to move.
Kids need a foundation and continuity. Without that, some of them start to regress. It's hard to get them on track. Then you get them on track and they leave again. Student mobility is prevalent among all ethnic and immigrant groups in California, note Larson and Rumberger.