LET THE NUMBERS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES:

RAISING SCHOOL AWARENESS OF THE SUPPORT NEEDS AND

CHALLENGES FACED BY HOMELESS STUDENTS

Jennifer Erb-Downward

Principal Policy Analyst

National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth

Tuesday, November 17, 2015, 10:30-11:45AM

INFORMATION IS Power

• Improve our programs and outreach• Raise awareness in our community• Advocate for policies and programs • Bring in additional funding

Problem: We do not have information

Lack of Information

68% of State EHCY Coordinators reported

that a lack of awareness and sensitivity by school

administrators and teachers was a

significant barrier to school success for

homeless children and youth.

68%

32%

Lack of Awareness and Sensitiv-ity by School Administrators

and Teachers

Significant barrier

Not a significant barrier

Source: Department of Education: State and District Implementation of the Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program

What Information is Available?• Some state-level information is publicly available

• Number of homeless students• Type of temporary housing• Number attending charter schools vs. public schools• Graduation/dropout rates (in some states)

• But homelessness is a local issue• Homelessness is everywhere, but what it looks like varies by

community• More detailed information at the school district and school level is

needed if we are really going to be able to meet the needs of homeless children

The Good News!• Education data on homeless students exists at the school

district and school level• Education data is public data• At least 40 states report linking their housing status data to

educational outcome data by a unique student identifier• This number will likely grow if the new education bill passes

• There are often already mechanisms in place to request data – including individual student data• If all else fails FOIL (file a freedom of information request)

• All you need is to:• Know where to look• Know your strengths and capacities (individually and as an

organization)• Develop partnerships to address areas of weakness

Example

Example

WHAT STORY CAN YOU TELL?A case study of homeless students in New York City: what the numbers show and how local data is being used to help homeless students.

Number of Homeless Students in New York City

• 84,171 students were homeless in SY 2013–14.

• One in 9 students experienced homelessness at some point between SY 2010–11 and SY 2013–14.

Source: New York City Department of Education, unpublished data tabulated by the Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness

For every homeless student living in shelter, roughly two homeless students were living in another temporary setting—mostly doubled up.

Geographic Patterns by Type of Homelessness

The enrollment gap between pre-K and Kindergarten suggests that almost 4,000 eligible homeless children were not enrolled in a pre-K program in SY 2013–14.

Note: In SY 2013–14, the Universal Pre-K program had not yet been fully expanded.

Geographic Patterns by Type of Enrollment

Duration of Homelessness

Most students who were homeless in SY 2013–14 were homeless during a previous school year.

Race and Ethnicity of Homeless Students

86% of homeless public school students were black or Hispanic in SY 2013–14.

Educational Impacts of Homelessness on Students

• Transfer schools more often• Miss more school—chronically absent• Lower state assessment pass rates• Twice as likely to be suspended from school• Lower graduation rates• Higher dropout rates• Need additional IEP and ELL supports

Impact on education lasts beyond the experience of homelessness

School Transfers

• One out of every 4 homeless students transferred schools in SY 2013–14, compared to one in 11 housed students.

• Every school transfer is estimated to set a student back academically by up to six months.

Community Disruption

Chronic Absenteeism

Among homeless students who transferred once or more in SY 2013–14, 54% were chronically absent.

Homeless students are more likely to attend schools with overall high absenteeism, a factor that is shown to undermine academic outcomes for all students.

Math and Reading Outcomes • Pass rates for homeless students varied dramatically by school district.

• Homeless students pass reading and math tests at roughly half the rate of housed students who were low-income, and one-third the rate of housed students who were not low-income.

• Housed students who had experienced homelessness in the last three years pass state tests at rates similar to currently homeless students.

Suspensions

While suspension rates across New York City have dropped dramatically since 2010, a great deal of variation in the use of suspensions for homeless students exists across school districts.

High School Dropout PatternsAnalyzing best practices that help homeless students to stay in school could lead to strategies that reduce dropout rates in other districts.

High School Graduation Patterns

The large degree of variation by district highlights that better graduation rates for homeless students are attainable and warrants a deeper analysis of what is working in certain districts and schools.

English Language Learners (ELL)

• ELL needs varied sharply by income status in SY 2013–14.

• The substantial overlap between homeless students and English language learners suggests potential value in coordinating services.

Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)

• The proportion of homeless students with an IEP in SY 2013–14 varied dramatically across school districts.

• Homeless students were identified as needing IEPs at a later age than housed students.

School District Profiles• Individual school district profiles can be downloaded at:• http://www.icphusa.org/Publications/Reports/

Data Tables• Data on student homelessness is available for multiple

geographies: • School District• Community District• City Council District• State Assembly District• State Senate District

Who Has Been Interested and How Has this Been Helpful?

• New York City Department of Education• Students in Temporary Housing Unit• Community Schools Initiative• Middle and High School Enrollment Team• Individual Schools• State McKinney-Vento technical assistance center for homeless

children and youth (NYS-TEACHS at Advocates for Children)

• Community Organizations and Advocacy Groups in NCY• Local Government• Media

Steps to Using Local Education Data

• What is your school district?• Does your State EHCY coordinator know if student outcome data is

linked by a unique student identifier number? • Typically a number or code assigned to students enrolled in public schools.• It allows state education agencies, districts, schools etc., to track, organize,

and transfer student records more efficiently and reliably.

• Is there a location on the school district website that reports any type of student data?• This is where to look for an official process to request data for research

purposes?• You want data at the individual student level for both homeless and housed

students – ideally for multiple years.

• Now, assess: • Can you do this research yourself, or do you need to partner with someone

who can (local universities or community colleges are great potential partners)?

• Who else do you need at the table?

THANK YOU!

Jennifer Erb-DownwardJErb-Downward@ICPHusa.org

info@ICPHusa.org

To Download Individual School District Profiles or Full Copies of the Atlas of Student Homelessness in New York City:

http://www.icphusa.org/Publications/Reports/