The McKinney-Vento Act and Children and Youth ... - State of Michigan

Educational Challenges
of Homelessness and
Out-of-Home Care
“ Moving and changing schools really shattered my personality. I feel like there are all these
little things I picked up from all of the different schools, and I feel all disoriented all the
time. There’s no grounding. I always just feel like I’m floating... Every time I moved I felt
less and less important.” 6
“ Imagine what could happen if foster youth could stay in one school—how much they
could blossom, if someone gives them that opportunity.”
—Lupe Tovar 7
This report explains the educational challenges of youth experiencing
homelessness or in out-of-home care. It describes the McKinney-Vento Act
and shares successful strategies that state and local education agencies and state
and local child welfare agencies can implement to support the educational
stability and achievement of youth in out-of-home care. The report also offers
policy recommendations for expanding youth’s opportunities to meet their
educational goals.
Mobility: The consequence of homelessness and
out-of-home care
Homelessness is a lack of permanent housing resulting from extreme poverty;
the mean income of families experiencing homelessness is less than half the
amount that demarcates the poverty line. 8 Additional factors that contribute
to homelessness include health problems and domestic violence. It is estimated
that at least 10% of all children living in poverty will experience homelessness
over the course of a year, i.e., over 1.35 million children. 9
While many young people experience homelessness as part of a family, other
youth in homeless situations are on their own. They may have been forced
to leave home by their parents or have run away from home due to severe
dysfunction in their families, including grave risks to their safety and wellbeing.
10 It is estimated that between 1.6 and 2.8 million American youth run
away or are forced to leave home each year. 11
Strategies for Improving Educational Outcomes through School Stability 7