S0028 · gao_1994_elementary_mobility · registry identity
Elementary School Children: Many Change Schools Frequently
External resolution
Resolution status: resolved
1994 · PsycEXTRA Dataset · dataset
Bears on
Canonical propositions this source was matched as evidence for.
How Hirsch uses it
Every occurrence, grouped by book and chapter, with the claim it was linked to support and (where the extraction regenerated one) the underlying warrant.
1996 · The Schools We Need
United States General Accounting Office data on the high mobility rate of Americans and its impact on school children.
direct The United States has one of the highest mobility rates of all developed countries, with approximately one-fifth of all Americans relocating annually.
Warrant (implicit): High rates of geographic mobility necessitate a nationally standardized curriculum to prevent students from falling behind when they change school districts.
could fail ifHigh mobility might be concentrated in certain socioeconomic populations, making a universal national curriculum an overbroad solution for a localized demographic problem.
United States General Accounting Office report showing one-fifth of Americans relocate annually and the disruption it causes children.
direct The United States has one of the highest mobility rates of all developed countries, with approximately one-fifth of all Americans relocating annually.
Warrant (implicit): Statistical data from government agencies regarding population movement provides a factual basis for determining the necessity of educational policy changes like curriculum standardization.
could fail ifThe GAO data tracks household moves but does not specify if those moves happen between districts with different curricula or within the same district where content remains the same.
GAO report finding that 1/6 of all 3rd graders and 1/4 of low-income 3rd graders have attended 3+ schools.
direct Disadvantaged children suffer disproportionately from the curricular incoherence of the American educational system because low-income families move more frequently for economic reasons.
Warrant (implicit): If a demographic group experiences a higher frequency of residential instability, they will necessarily be more vulnerable to the negative effects of a fragmented or inconsistent instructional sequence.
could fail ifThe negative impact may be moderated by parental involvement or extracurricular tutoring which wealthier families can afford even when moving frequently.
GAO report stating one-sixth of all U.S. third graders attend at least three schools between first and third grade.
direct One sixth of all American third graders attend at least three different schools between first and third grade.
Warrant (implicit): A government agency's statistical report on school transitions is a reliable proxy for the level of instructional disruption experienced by the student population.
could fail ifHigh mobility might be concentrated in specific demographics, meaning the 'one-sixth' figure obscures the severity of the problem for the most vulnerable.
Report showing high rates of student mobility in the US, with 1/6th of third graders attending 3+ schools.
direct One sixth of all American third graders attend at least three different schools between first and third grade.
Warrant (implicit): A formal audit by a national government oversight agency regarding student movement counts as a reliable measurement of domestic student mobility.
could fail ifThe GAO data may overrepresent mobility by counting intra-district transfers or administrative re-zonings as school changes rather than residential instability.
2006 · The Knowledge Deficit
General Accounting Office report on the number of schools attended by third-graders, particularly those from low-income or limited English proficiency backgrounds.
direct One-quarter of low-income third-graders in the U.S. have attended at least three different schools since first grade.
Warrant (implicit): Disproportionately high mobility rates among low-income students create a cumulative educational deficit that cannot be addressed by local-level school improvements alone.
could fail ifThe educational gap may be caused by the underlying conditions of poverty (nutrition, healthcare) rather than the frequency of school changes themselves.
2010 · The Making of Americans
Statistics showing that 24% of all third graders and 70% of low-income students have attended two schools by third grade.
direct Over 70 percent of low-income students have attended two schools by the third grade.
Warrant (implicit): High frequencies of school switching among a vulnerable population prove that individual school autonomy is insufficient to provide educational stability.
could fail ifSelection bias may exist where the most unstable families are the ones moving, meaning the mobility rate is a proxy for domestic crisis rather than a failure of school structure.
Data showing 70 percent of low-income students change schools by third grade.
direct Instituting a year-by-year common core curriculum is especially helpful for disadvantaged students who change schools frequently.
Warrant (implicit): A standardized sequence of instruction mitigates the negative effects of high student mobility by ensuring that a student's new school is teaching the same material as their previous one.
could fail ifThe psychological and social disruption of moving houses and schools may be the primary cause of academic failure, regardless of whether the curriculum is aligned.
Statistics on the school mobility of low-income students by the third grade.
direct Instituting a year-by-year common core curriculum is especially helpful for disadvantaged students who change schools frequently.
Warrant (implicit): High rates of school transfers among a specific demographic group justify the implementation of a uniform national curriculum to ensure educational continuity for that group.
could fail ifStandardizing the curriculum may reduce teacher autonomy and the ability to tailor instruction to the specific needs of a highly mobile and potentially traumatized population.
2016 · Why Knowledge Matters
City mobility rates cited at approximately 30 percent.
direct In many American cities, the student mobility rate is approximately 30 percent, often occurring within the same district.
Warrant (implicit): Reported rates of student movement between schools provide a sufficient basis for calculating the degree of educational disruption caused by curriculum inconsistency.
could fail ifThe statistics may include 'stable' mobility where students move between schools with identical curricula, meaning the 30 percent figure overstates the actual pedagogical misalignment.
Endnote numbers seen
Raw book:chapter:endnote references collected during endnote backfill.
swn:2:26swn:2:32swn:7:23
Raw source_reference strings seen
As they appeared before normalization/consolidation into this source identity.
Endnote 35General Accounting Office, Elementary School ChildrenGeneral Accounting Office, Elementary School Children, 1General Accounting Office, Elementary School Children, 5Not specified in text (likely later endnote)