The Importance of Scaffolding the Transition Unpacking the Null Effects of Relocating Poor Children into Nonpoor Neighborhoods

I examine several potential explanations for recent evidence showing a lack of improvement in the academic achievement of children participating in several poverty reduction residential mobility programs. Detailed interviews and field notes about the relocation and school experiences of 80 children in the Gautreaux II residential mobility program are used. I find that for lowincome children living in large central cities, residence in low-poverty neighborhoods has little effect on the opportunity to attend high-achieving schools. For those who relocated to suburban cities, neighborhood and school transition and adjustment difficulties create barriers that must be overcome for children to reap the educational benefits of attending high-achieving, highly resourced schools.