Date of Award

12-2012

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Neal F. Grandgenett

Second Advisor

Kay A. Keiser

Third Advisor

Peter J. Smith

Abstract

The results of this study suggest that there were no significant differences in the academic performance of military dependents' with low (n = 20), moderate (n = 20), and high (n = 20) mobility school district transfer rates compared to non-military control students (n = 20) before completing high school. The findings were not consistent with some past research on student mobility. The research school district takes the goal of the Interstate Compact, which is to replace the widely varying treatment of transitioning military students with a comprehensive approach that provides a uniform policy in every school district in every state, very seriously. The research school district most likely sees consistently strong academic performance for its mobile military children because of the positive, and welcoming well-organized, goal-linked, and sustainable home, school, and community partnership supporting military dependents success at school. The school district involved in this research is but one of many public school districts in the United States that borders a military installation, thereby serving a diverse, military and civilian, student population. Additional research on the effect of mobility and the academic achievement of students in such districts is needed to better understand the effects of mobility, as well as the factors that moderate that relationship. In doing so, an important consideration is the possibility that school districts that serve a highly transient population become very adept at quickly and efficiently assessing and accommodating the learning needs of individual students. One would expect that in doing so, such school districts would effectively reduce or eliminate potentially negative effects of mobility.

Comments

Department formerly called Educational Administration and Supervision.

A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Education Major: Educational Administration.

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