In the 2021-22 school year, public schools identified roughly 1.2 million students experiencing homelessness, according to recent U.S. Department of Education data (NCHE, 2023). The high mobility that may occur because of homelessness creates challenges that impact students academically. Addressing these challenges requires cross-sector…

Approximately 1.3 million public school students in the United States were identified by their schools or districts as experiencing some form of homelessness in 2019-20. The housing instability faced by these students is associated with a range of acute needs, including transportation, food security, health care, and emotional and mental health.…

Under the McKinney-Vento Act, students who experience homelessness have the right to remain in their school of origin or to immediate enrollment in a new school. Eligible English learners (ELs) who are homeless have the right to access language assistance services. States must ensure that homeless children and youths have equal access to free,…

Subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 (McKinney-Vento Act) authorizes the Secretary of Education to provide grants to states [42 U.S.C. § 11432(a)]. Grants provide services and activities to improve the identification of students who qualify as homeless, as well as to enable the students to enroll in, attend, and…

This brief seeks to improve staff effectiveness while maximizing and streamlining support for students and families experiencing homelessness, ensuring they receive the assistance they need and deserve. The guidance is intended for, but not limited to, Massachusetts policymakers and Boston Public Schools (BPS) administrators, offering key insights…

Due to the growing number of students enrolling as homeless in American public schools, a quantitative design was applied to determine if students in an Illinois suburban, kindergarten through eighth grade school district (District A), who are enrolled under the McKinney-Vento Act and are receiving resources of food, shelter, clothing, and…

Disasters, such as floods, fires, and storms, can devastate communities and the lives of people who live in them. After disasters, displaced families long to return to a sense of normalcy, so reconnecting children to school is especially important during this time. By providing the structure of an education setting, schools can help children and…

How school districts measure homelessness among their students has implications for accountability and funding, as well as for supporting student success. Yet, measuring homelessness among high school students is challenging because students move in and out of experiencing it. Using administrative student-level data from a mid-sized public school…

This study investigated the unique educational needs of high school students who are homeless and served by the New York City public school system. The purpose was to uncover best practices that administrators use to educate these students by posing questions that pertain to issues that a school might have in dealing with the complexities of…

The Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) has synthesized key data on English learners (ELs) into two-page sheets on a variety of subjects. The topics for this report on English learners and homelessness include: (1) Percentage of Enrolled Homeless Students Who Are English Learners: 2016-17 School Year; (2) Percentage of Students Who…

Children and youth experiencing homelessness face unique challenges in accessing and succeeding in school. Subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, reauthorized in 2015 by Title IX, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (42 U.S.C. § 11431 et seq.; hereafter the "McKinney-Vento Act"), establishes the definition of…

In this essay, I use the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvements Act of 2001 to define homelessness and describe its prevalence in United States public schools. I present readers with statistics about student homelessness and situate Gorski's equity literacy within the progressive, equity-oriented foundations of the middle school…

Through the work of Y-PLAN (Youth--Plan, Learn, Act, Now) youth-led action research, the University of California Berkeley Center for Cities + Schools (CC+S) has focused its research on youth experiencing homelessness in California public schools. This research analyzed the McKinney-Vento Act from system-wide implementation perspectives, as well…

There is limited empirical evidence about educational interventions for students experiencing homelessness, who experience distinct disadvantages compared to their low-income peers. We explore how two school staffing interventions in New York City shaped attendance outcomes of students experiencing homelessness using administrative records from…

This District of Columbia Public Schools School Year 2024-2025 "Parental Right to Know Guide" informs parents on their rights with regard to the following: (1) Notice of Non-Discrimination and Non-Retaliation; (2) Teachers and Paraprofessionals; (3) Student Achievement (DC CAPE Data); (4) Student Records; (5) Unsafe School Choice Option;…