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How McKinney-Vento Helps Homeless Kids Stay In,
and Excel in School by Tim Houchen August 8, 2017 Homelessness is an ongoing crisis that continues to displace and negatively impact the lives of millions of Americans each year. Homeless children and youth are among the most vulnerable and invisible groups in the United States. Lacking political power, homeless children and youth are subjected to policies that have lasting impact on their lives: • In 2010, one in every 45 children and youth were homeless. • In 2013, one in every 30 children and youth were homeless—a total of 2.5 million. • In the 2013-2014 school year (the most recent date for which numbers are available), over 1.3 million public school students were homeless—an over 70% increase since the recession began. The reasons why the number of homeless children and youth continues to increase are consistent with increases in poverty, lack of affordable housing, continuing impacts of the economic recession, racial disparities in economic opportunities, the challenges of single parenting, and the ways in which traumatic experiences, such domestic violence, precede and prolong homelessness. As wages stagnate |
and cost of housing soar, there is no end in sight for the homelessness crisis.
Staying in school not only offers homeless children and youth stability and a path toward academic and lifetime achievement, it is also a right protected by the Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program, under Title
VII of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. McKinney-Vento recognizes that children and youth without permanent housing often encounter barriers in enrolling, staying, and participating in school. This federal law provides children and youth without a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence the right to remain in their school of origin and to receive free transportation to and from the same school even if they move. It provides homeless children and youth the right to immediately enroll in a new school without typically required records, and guarantees other rights to ensure the continuity of their education and their full participation in school.
Staying in school not only offers homeless children and youth stability and a path toward academic and lifetime achievement, it is also a right protected by the Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program, under Title
VII of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. McKinney-Vento recognizes that children and youth without permanent housing often encounter barriers in enrolling, staying, and participating in school. This federal law provides children and youth without a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence the right to remain in their school of origin and to receive free transportation to and from the same school even if they move. It provides homeless children and youth the right to immediately enroll in a new school without typically required records, and guarantees other rights to ensure the continuity of their education and their full participation in school.
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The federal McKinney-Vento Act’s Education for Homeless Children and Youth program is designed to eliminate the barriers that homeless children and youth have faced in enrolling, attending, and succeeding in school. Reauthorized in 2001 as part of the No Child Left Behind Act, the McKinney-Vento Act: provides homeless students with immediate enrollment in school, even if they lack documents typically required for enrollment; establishes the right to continue attending their school of origin, even if homelessness forces them to move across school or school district boundaries; ensures access to educational services for which students are eligible, requires states and local school districts to eliminate barriers to homeless students’ enrollment, attendance, and academic achievement; and, perhaps most importantly, requires school districts to designate a liaison to implement the law and ensure that students and parents are aware of their rights. Recent California legislation has contributed to this progress.
This state and federal legislation has prompted both the state and local school districts to better serve the needs of homeless students and has helped facilitate the expansion of local support networks to meet those needs. Children and youth experiencing homelessness encounter many obstacles to their education. During the 2012-2013 school year, nearly 270,000 students experienced homelessness in California, representing 21 percent of the homeless students in the United States. Moving between unstable housing arrangements, lacking access to basic necessities such as showers, transportation, and food, and experiencing family conflict, poverty, and stigma can all make it difficult to stay in school and |
thrive in an educational environment; yet, many do.
California has the largest population of homeless students in the country and twice the rate of homeless students as the national average (4% of California’s students experienced homelessness at some point throughout the course of the 2012-13 school year, compared with 2% nationally). Further, the population is growing. In the 2012 2013 school year, California’s schools reported 20,000 more homeless students than in the previous school year (an increase of 8%).
Homeless students attend every grade level, with more than half (52%) of all homeless public school students in California enrolled in pre-kindergarten through Grade 5 in the 2012-2013 school year. 21% were in grades 6-8 and 27% in grades 9-12. Older students can be more difficult to identify, particularly those who are unaccompanied and may fear being reported to law enforcement, placed in the custody of child welfare, or returned to an unsafe family situation if they ask for assistance or make their living status known.
As the number of homeless children and youth has risen, families and youth have increasingly sought shelter outside the formal shelter system. In California, sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic necessity or a similar reason (“doubling up”) was the most common living situation among homeless public school students (86% in 2012- 13), as opposed to staying in a hotel/motel (4%) or a shelter (7%). In many communities, there are no family or youth shelters, or they are full.
California has the largest population of homeless students in the country and twice the rate of homeless students as the national average (4% of California’s students experienced homelessness at some point throughout the course of the 2012-13 school year, compared with 2% nationally). Further, the population is growing. In the 2012 2013 school year, California’s schools reported 20,000 more homeless students than in the previous school year (an increase of 8%).
Homeless students attend every grade level, with more than half (52%) of all homeless public school students in California enrolled in pre-kindergarten through Grade 5 in the 2012-2013 school year. 21% were in grades 6-8 and 27% in grades 9-12. Older students can be more difficult to identify, particularly those who are unaccompanied and may fear being reported to law enforcement, placed in the custody of child welfare, or returned to an unsafe family situation if they ask for assistance or make their living status known.
As the number of homeless children and youth has risen, families and youth have increasingly sought shelter outside the formal shelter system. In California, sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic necessity or a similar reason (“doubling up”) was the most common living situation among homeless public school students (86% in 2012- 13), as opposed to staying in a hotel/motel (4%) or a shelter (7%). In many communities, there are no family or youth shelters, or they are full.
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As California’s population of homeless students rises, the funding to meet their needs has not kept pace. The U.S. Department of Education allocates McKinney-Vento funds according to a formula based on poverty, without reference to the number of homeless students the state identifies. In the 2011-2012 school year, California schools identified 21% of the homeless students nationwide, yet received only 11% of the available federal McKinney -Vento funds. The increase in the number of identified homeless students has outpaced the moderate increase in funding for many states. Even for those states that increased funding, however, funding was outpaced by growth in need. For example, while states’ share of federal funds have increased by 50% at most, many states report 200-300% increase in identified students experiencing homelessness. The federal government needs to adequately fund McKinney-Vento in order to effectively address the needs of homeless children and youth. States and localities |
must, however, provide supplemental funding for programs related to the education of homeless children and youth if federal funds are not sufficient. Funding should be based on the number and needs of identified students.
California’s 270,000 homeless students attend school and strive for success despite daily struggles to meet their most basic needs. Students know that an education is their surest path out of homelessness and into stable employment and housing as adults. In particular, high school graduation relates directly to employment and future income.
In 2009, the average annual income for someone who dropped out of high school was $19,540, compared to $27,380 for a high school graduate. People who have not graduated from high school also are more likely to lose their jobs during economic downturns. Students experiencing homelessness often strive to complete school knowing it will lead to better employment, higher income, and ultimately stable housing. Yet, they face many obstacles to academic achievement.
One study estimated the loss in lifetime earnings resulting from homeless students dropping out of school to be $5 billion, and the resulting loss to California’s economy to be $3.2 billion. State and Federal policymakers, must take actions to assist students experiencing homelessness to succeed in school and graduate from high school in order to ultimately to reduce homelessness in California.
California’s 270,000 homeless students attend school and strive for success despite daily struggles to meet their most basic needs. Students know that an education is their surest path out of homelessness and into stable employment and housing as adults. In particular, high school graduation relates directly to employment and future income.
In 2009, the average annual income for someone who dropped out of high school was $19,540, compared to $27,380 for a high school graduate. People who have not graduated from high school also are more likely to lose their jobs during economic downturns. Students experiencing homelessness often strive to complete school knowing it will lead to better employment, higher income, and ultimately stable housing. Yet, they face many obstacles to academic achievement.
One study estimated the loss in lifetime earnings resulting from homeless students dropping out of school to be $5 billion, and the resulting loss to California’s economy to be $3.2 billion. State and Federal policymakers, must take actions to assist students experiencing homelessness to succeed in school and graduate from high school in order to ultimately to reduce homelessness in California.
Find resources and information for student homelessness click on the link below
Homeless Students and Education
Resources and Advocacy for K-12 and College Students Experiencing Homelessness
Homeless Students and Education
Resources and Advocacy for K-12 and College Students Experiencing Homelessness
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