Changing Schools, Part 3: Student Mobility within and between Districts in Texas and the Houston Area

In a series of research briefs, the Houston Education Research Consortium (HERC) examines and describes the amount of student mobility in Texas, with particular focus on Houston area public schools. This third research brief provides an overview of how much mobility takes place within districts, between districts, and outside of the Texas public school system. Students who move between schools in the same district often have different experiences than students who move into an entirely new school district. Changing schools within a district allows students to stay embedded in the larger district structure and their student information often follows them in real-time, as schools within districts have efficient ways of sharing information across campuses (Kerbow, Azcoitia, & Buell, 2003). Alternatively, students changing districts have new structures and cultures to adjust to, as well as possible delays in their student information following them to their new school. This can leave students without services and accommodations they might otherwise receive sooner (Xu, Hannaway, & D'Souza, 2009). This brief examines the prevalence of these within-district, between-district, and non-Texas public school system moves in Texas and the Houston area. [For "Changing Schools, Part 2: Student Mobility during the School Year in Texas and the Houston Area. Research Brief for the Houston Independent School District. Volume 8, Issue 5," see ED611143.]