In some of Flint ’s elementary schools, half or more of the students change in the course of a school year — in one school it reached 75 percent in 2003. The moves are usually linked to low, unstable incomes, inadequate housing and chaotic lives, and the recent rash of foreclosures on landlords is adding to the problem, forcing renters from their homes. The resulting classroom turmoil led the State Department of Human Services to start an unusual experiment, paying some parents $100 a month in rent subsidies to help them stay put — a rare effort to address the damaging turnover directly.

In two of Flint ’s schools with the highest turnover, Washington and Bryant, the State Department of Human Services began an experiment in 2004 called the Genesee Scholars Program intended to keep a group of second graders intact for two years. Since the program began, two groups of about 40 families have participated, one in 2004 and the other in 2006; officials said they knew of no other program like it.

The central attraction is the $100-a-month rent subsidy, which is paid directly to landlords, who in turn agree not to raise rents and to keep the houses up to code. The money comes from state agencies.

Perhaps equally important, the students remain with the same teacher and the same classmates for second and third grade.

The families also benefit from a popular state offering in which two caseworkers are assigned to each selected school in what is known as a family resource center. These centers offer a convenient, friendly alternative to large, impersonal offices where parents can arrange for social services like food stamps.

Results from the 2004 group showed that participants in the rent-subsidy program moved less, and the third graders scored significantly higher on a statewide test. The 2006 phase of the program has just been completed, and the results are being evaluated. Officials hope that with more data, they can raise money to expand the program.

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