Education For All

For some kids, education is an incredible tool for creating a bright future and establishing a foundation to succeed in life. For others, it is an opportunity to escape homelessness and break the cycles of poverty that has held them captive. Homeless youth, especially high school students, face obstacles not beholden to kids coming from different backgrounds; kids that have permanent housing.

Homeless children generally fall into two categories: those living in families (whether their own or someone else’s) and those completely on their own. Twenty-seven percent live with relatives, friends, or other families without being legally accounted for on any lease; nearly 75 percent of homeless children live that way, according the National Center on Family Homelessness. The federal definition of a homeless student includes those in families living “doubled up”—for example, with a relative or friend’s family—as well as those living in hotels, parks, bus and rail stations, abandoned buildings, campgrounds, and cars, not mention emergency and transitional shelters

Some teens are homeless with their families. But others are on their own, simply trying to get through life without anyone looking out for their well-being, says Barbara Duffield, director of policy and programs at the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth.

"They are typically homeless because of a very bad situation at home, abuse or neglect," she says of unaccompanied homeless teens. On the flip side, teens who are homeless with their families may be in a parental role, taking care of younger siblings.

Of the nearly 1.26 million public school students who were homeless during the 2012-2013 school year, about 317,000 were in high school, according to data released last week from the National Center for Homeless Education.

Public schools are required under federal law to ensure homeless students have access to a free public education. Homeless youth are allowed to stay in their school, regardless of where they end up, and schools must provide students transportation to that school.

Housing is among the biggest challenges for the teens she works with, she says, and foster care has not usually been an option for older teens.

Young people who experience homelessness were 87 percent more likely to stop going to school, according to the 2014 Don’t Call Them Dropouts report ​from the America’s Promise Alliance and its Center for Promise at Tufts University.

One reason it’s so difficult for homeless students to reach graduation is the enormous amount of stress in their lives. An overwhelming number of students there have been exposed to violence of some sort, along with poverty, substance abuse and immigration issues. They’re often in survival mode and sometimes have problems thinking clearly, reasoning and problem solving. The influences of trauma can mimic learning disabilities.

There are a host of stressors associated with homelessness, including substance abuse, poverty, poor nutrition, lack of healthcare, and unsafe and overcrowded living. Many studies have shown the impact this kind of prolonged stress can have on kids. The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows stress has detrimental effects on developing neural networks in the brain, especially areas that control memory and verbal ability and mediate anxiety, depression, and anger. For all of these reasons, it can be difficult for many homeless students to learn and retain information.

...Just a few things to think about before school begins in a few weeks.