Session: A Developmentally Sensitive Preventive Framework to Address Academic Gaps Associated with Housing Instability (Society for Prevention Research 22nd Annual Meeting)

This paper symposium assembles a multidisciplinary team investigating the effects of housing mobility on academic achievement using an array of population-based longitudinal studies of children and families. Papers empirically address critical questions pertaining to the timing, chronicity, and context in which families change residences, and the associated impact on academic attainment across developmental stages. Studies take advantage of rigorously designed studies to estimate mobility effects, including Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD), and the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW). Presenters represent various academic backgrounds ranging from developmental psychology, housing policy, law, and neuroscience. Discussants provide expertise in prevention methodology and neurocognitive risk underlying learning problems. The symposium aims to integrate findings across studies to inform a preventive framework for family housing instability.

Residential relocation carries both social opportunity and vulnerability for academic attainment depending on context. Consistent evidence employing diverse samples and analytic strategies demonstrates associations between housing mobility and adverse consequences including academic achievement and cognitive development. Given the high rates of housing mobility among U.S. children and youth, and the evidence linking moving with adverse achievement, notably among low-income children, it is imperative to understand the implications for their educational outcomes.

Despite the strengths of the extant literature, limitations preclude integration of research into evidence-based educational programs and policies. Most studies fail to account for the circumstances that precipitate housing mobility. Additionally, a dearth of literature examines differences in associations between housing mobility and child academic achievement across developmental periods. Residential moves may have different implications for development depending on whether they occur during early childhood, middle childhood, or adolescence. Thus, the goal of understanding if, for whom, and when mobility is associated with child outcomes remains critical.

This symposium presents cutting-edge research on academic outcomes associated with housing instability. Implications on developmental theory and preventive intervention approaches will be discussed. Emphasis will be placed on housing and educational policy that promotes family stability.