For children and youth experiencing homelessness, school is the safest and most stable part of their lives. Often, school is their only safety net, offering food, health and mental health services, caring adults, and the education that is their best hope of escaping homelessness as adults. Children and youth experiencing homelessness are disproportionately likely to have special needs and to be Hispanic or African American.[1] Homelessness has a negative impact on academic achievement that is over and above poverty. In 2017-2018, the national average high school graduation rate for homeless students was 67.8% — 10% below other low-income students.[2]
1.5 Million
Number of children and youth experiencing homelessness in the 2017-18 school year.
1.4 Million
Number of children under age six experiencing homelessness.
87% More Likely
Children and youth experiencing homelessness are 87% more likely to drop out of school than their housed peers. [3]
In some states, state educational agency (SEA) leaders, including McKinney-Vento State Coordinators, have been asked to review local educational agency (LEA) plans for responding to school closures and COVID-19, to ensure these plans equitably and adequately address the unique needs of students experiencing homelessness. At the same time, LEA McKinney-Vento homeless liaisons are seeking guidance from SEAs on uses of funds, flexibility in budgeting and spending deadlines, and strategies to serve children and youth experiencing homelessness for the rest of this school year, over the summer, and at the start of the 2020-2021 school year.
SchoolHouse Connection offers this checklist of important considerations for SEA leaders to keep in mind as they review LEA plans, produce guidance for LEAs, and target and use stimulus funding to meet the needs of children and youth experiencing homelessness.
Below is a brief overview of the checklist and a high-level summary. For more detailed information, download this PDF.
1. Federal education laws are in full effect, with limited waivers available for certain fiscal, accountability, and assessment requirements.
What to look for in LEA Plans with regard to students experiencing homelessness:
- Continued enrollment in school of origin
- Immediate enrollment
2. As part of the McKinney-Vento Act’s mandates, SEAs and LEAs must ensure that students experiencing homelessness are able to participate fully in school activities, and that barriers to identification, enrollment, and retention in school are identified and removed.
What to look for in LEA Plans with regard to students experiencing homelessness:
- Adequate capacity for McKinney-Vento liaisons
- Priority access to devices, internet connectivity, and emergency assistance (transportation, meals, pre-paid cell phones)
- Enhanced identification efforts during school closures
3. States should offer and encourage flexibility in the use of current funding to meet the new and different needs of children and youth experiencing homelessness at this unique time.
What to look for in LEA Plans with regard to students experiencing homelessness:
- Reassess needs of students and young children who had been identified as homeless, as well as those who became homeless because of the pandemic
- Readjust Title I, Part A homeless set-aside for this school year and next, based on the needs assessment
4. As new funding from the CARES Act and additional federal relief bills flows into states, states should act to ensure some of that funding is targeted to meet the needs of children and youth experiencing homelessness.
What to look for in LEA Plans with regard to students experiencing homelessness:
- State/LEAs have set aside funds to meet the particular needs of students experiencing homelessness
- State/LEAs are raising awareness and coordinating with state and local housing agencies and Continuums of Care so students experiencing homelessness can access housing supports through new federal funding
5. As LEAs begin to plan for schools to reopen, whether during this school year or for the 2020-2021 school year, they must plan to address the needs of students experiencing homelessness.
What to look for in LEA Plans with regard to students experiencing homelessness:
- Increased personnel to carry out liaison duties for this school year and next
- Increased mental health and wellness supports for students experiencing homelessness
[1] SchoolHouse Connection (2019), Student Homelessness: Lessons from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). www.schoolhouseconnection.org/student-homelessness-lessons-from-the-youth-risk-behavior-survey-yrbs/
[2] NCES (2020). https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/tables/ACGR_RE_and_characteristics_2017-18.asp
[3] Education Leads Home (2019), Snapshot on Student Homelessness. www.educationleadshome.org/2019/02/12/education-leads-home-releases-homeless-student-state-snapshots-2/