High Residential Mobility Drives Absenteeism
The DataHUB reveals that 43% of our cohort's chronically absent children moved 2 or 3 times in the time period of our study.
"Student absenteeism increases as school mobility increases. Residential mobility is often a factor in transferring schools. A family’s fragile economic situation can result in that family moving multiple times. High residential mobility is a symptom of instability and insecurity.
"Evidence shows that one foundational element of a child's academic success is a stable, safe living environment. Long-term, affordable housing provides the kind of stability children need to succeed in school. Housing Works RI's mission is to ensure an adequate supply of quality, affordable homes, as articulated in our report The Complete Approach to Funding Affordable Housing. Calming residential mobility is an investment in Rhode Island's public education, because it reduces school mobility and the disruptions such mobility brings with it."
-Jessica Cigna, Research and Policy Associate, at HousingWorks RI
