Students experiencing homelessness spend their nights in various settings, including shelters, with friends/families (doubled-up), motels/hotels, and unsheltered contexts. Yet there is limited quantitative research on how educational outcomes vary by residential context. We analyze data from over 400,000 students in Houston Independent School…

This November 2021 report provides a summary of demographic data collected by the McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) Program. The report includes an examination of data collected for the 2017-18, 2018-19, and 2019-20 school years. Information on the number of students experiencing homelessness, their primary nighttime…

In this report, we examined the educational outcomes of Houston Independent School District's (HISD) students who are homeless from 2012-13 to 2016-17, the years immediately preceding Hurricane Harvey. We found that, compared to non-homeless students with similar characteristics, homeless students were at elevated risk of a range of adverse…

The number of homeless students in U.S. public schools continues to rise. Although many homeless students drop out due to challenges they face, research is lacking on how some homeless students overcome challenges and graduate high school, which is referred to as being academically resilient. The purpose of this qualitative narrative study was to…

Homelessness is a reality for many families with young children in the United States. Homeless children and youths lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. In 2017, about a third of all people who stayed in a shelter were families with children, and nearly half of children served by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban…

In January 2016, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) released the first 50-state profile on Early Childhood Homelessness as part of an interagency collaboration with multiple departments and agencies participating on the early childhood workgroup of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). This report updates ED's…

Students and families experience homelessness and high mobility (HHM) in vastly different ways. Yet, popular media, academic scholars, and practitioners often overlook this diversity. Building on a 2012 special issue of "Educational Researcher," I discuss recent research that highlights the heterogeneity of HHM student and families. In…

Homelessness is a reality for many families with young children in our country. In 2015, a third of all people who stayed in a shelter were in families with children and nearly half of children served by HUD-funded emergency/transitional housing providers in 2015 were age five or younger (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD),…

Homelessness is a reality for many families with young children in the country. In fact, infancy is the period of life when a person is at highest risk of living in a homeless shelter in the United States (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 6th Annual Homelessness Report, 2012). Every day more and more Americans understand…

While both the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and he U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) base their services and eligibility criteria on the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (hereafter referred to as "The McKinney-Vento Act"), each agency uses a different definition of "homeless" due to differences…

Family homelessness has been on the rise throughout the United States in recent years. As a result, more schools and communities than ever are challenged to serve students whose lives are touched by instability, uncertainty, and crisis. To date, there has been little inquiry into how families' particular places of homelessness might shape school…

This study investigated views about children experiencing homelessness held by preservice teachers in an early childhood education program. Thirteen early childhood preservice teachers were actively involved in class discussion, reading, doing class assignments, and visiting homeless shelters as community-based field experience. They were asked to…

This brief is designed for juvenile justice agencies and professionals (including law enforcement officers, juvenile probation officers, attorneys, juvenile court personnel, and detention facility staff), as well as State Coordinators for Homeless Education and local homeless education liaisons. It provides basic information to help educators…

There are approximately 1.5 million children in the United States who go to sleep each night without a home of their own (National Center on Family Homelessness, 2009). In this article, we provide insights into how educators can create greater classroom support, particularly in literacy learning and development, for this population. Drawing from…

This article discusses a number of administrative dilemmas faced by homeless families. For example, homeless families are often prevented from enrolling their children in public schools due to their inability to provide age, health, and educational records. Another administrative dilemma faced by homeless families is providing the school with an…