Children and youth experiencing homelessness are chronically absent from school at a rate at least twice that of the overall student population, and significantly more often than their housed, low-income peers. The mobility, poverty, and trauma associated with homelessness affects students’ emotional and physical health, hygiene, preparedness for school, transportation options, and other factors that increase absenteeism. Chronic absences increase the likelihood that a student will drop out of high school, which can perpetuate child and youth homelessness.
Brief/Toolkit
This brief shares strategies that schools, districts, and communities are implementing to help ensure that students experiencing homelessness are in school, every day.
Webinars
- Homelessness and Chronic Absenteeism in Rural Communities
- How Chronic Absenteeism Affects Students Experiencing Homelessness
- The Power of Relationship: How Mentorship Can Support Chronically Absent Homeless Students
- Improving School Attendance for Students Experiencing Homelessness: A Model School-Shelter Partnership
- Leveraging Chronic Absenteeism Data to Help Students Experiencing Homelessness
Guest Perspectives
- Using Chronic Absence Data to Identify and Support Students Experiencing Homelessness. By Tori Vohland, Children in Transition High School Liaison, and Jennifer Harris, Program Evaluator, at the Washoe County School District, Nevada.
- Five Questions with Sue Lenahan: Addressing Chronic Absenteeism. By Sue Lenahan, middle school teacher and McKinney-Vento liaison, Big Rapids Public Schools, Michigan.
- Five Questions with Tina Marie: How My Education Helped Me Push Through Adversity. By Tina Marie Giarla, 2011 SchoolHouse Connection Scholar and Program Director, Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless (MA)