How does Smith's life change after moving to Stratford, California as noted in the memoir, Victory. Stand!?

Smith’s life changes in Stratford partially because he goes to school all school year for the first time. In Texas, the children of sharecroppers worked in the fields in place of going to school when necessary, but school attendance is required in California.

It is also in Stratford that Smith is first called the n-word. It is also the first time he spends considerable time with white kids because his California school is not segregated.