According to the Institute for Children, Poverty & Homelessness, "Homeless students achieve proficiency on New York State standardized English and math tests at roughly half the rate of housed students. In SY 2013–14 only 1 in 8 (13%) homeless students met grade standards in English and less than 1 in 5 (17%) did so in math.The educational impacts of homelessness continue even after a student is stably housed. Students who experienced any episode of homelessness within the last three years score at the same lower proficiency rates as currently homeless students." To read the full report, click here.
Recently, the GradNation campaign released a ground-breaking new report authored by Civic Enterprises that provides insight into how educators, policymakers and community organizations can help more students cope with homelessness, graduate from high school, and have a better shot at adult success. Read the report to find out about the lives of homeless students, what liaisons have to say, and what both groups say must happen to increase graduation rates and improve lives.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) recently released "Out of Reach 2016," which documents the disparity between wages and rents across the country and demonstrates why decent housing is out of reach for minimum wage workers. Among the findings in the report: a minimum wage earner would need to work, on average, more than 80 hours a week to afford a one-bedroom apartment and more than 100 hours a week to afford a two-bedroom apartment. Click here to read the full report. "A renter earning the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour would need to work 90 hours per week to afford a one-bedroom rental home at the Fair Market Rent and 112 hours per week to afford a two-bedroom." - NLIHC Click here for a discussion of "The Road to Youth Homelessness" infographic assembled by the National Coalition for the Homeless.
As reported in The Washington Post, "The number of homeless children in public schools has doubled since before the recession, reaching a record national total of 1.36 million in the 2013-2014 school year, according to new federal data." The article, available here, discusses the extent of childhood homelessness in the U.S. as well as the educational challenges homeless student face.
The National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) and the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (NLCHP) recently released updates to their publication "The Most Frequently Asked Questions on the Education Rights of Children and Youth in Homeless Situations.”
This revised edition covers a wide spectrum of education issues concerning homeless children and youth, from child care and early education services to higher education policies. It includes questions and answers that clarify recent amendments made by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and Title I Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the U.S. Department of Education’s Non-Regulatory Guidance, Head Start Performance Standards, and the U.S. Department of Education’s financial aid policies. To download the publication, click HERE. |