UCLA

While residential mobility is common in the United States, residential mobility’s influence in children’s development is unclear. Coley and Kull’s (2016) work in the residential mobility empirical literature, which uses the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99, suggests that residential mobility is negatively associated with children’s cognitive skills and socioemotional outcomes. Yet, they note small associations, which leaves the role residential mobility has on child’s development unresolved. To investigate residential mobility’s role in children development, this study replicates and extends Coley & Kull’s study using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11, a more contemporary cohort, to assess the frequency and timing of residential moves on child functioning. Counter to expectations, findings show no association between the frequency and timing of residential mobility and students’ fifth grade child functioning. Implications for research design and policy involving residential mobility as a trigger for student services are discussed.