1. Homeless Flag: Definition and Outcomes
October 24, 2016
Joseph Curiel, Results Measurement Specialist

2. The federal law The McKinney-Vento Act (1987):
Ensures educational rights and protections for children and youth experiencing homelessness
Dictates that every Local Educational Agency (LEA) must designate an appropriate staff person as a local homeless education liaison

3. The definition The McKinney-Vento Act (Section 725)
Children and youth (including preschoolers) who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence
Children and youth who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing
Children and youth living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, cars, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, camping grounds
Children and youth living in emergency or transitional shelters
Children who have been abandoned in hospitals
Migratory (or immigrant) children and youth who are living in a situation described above

4. Identification Students are flagged in MARSS
Once identified, students retain the flag for the remainder of the school year
Identification is up to the homeless liaison (and the LEA)
Families may not know about the act
Families may choose to take advantage of services but the LEA should still count students as homeless

5. Identification struggles
Families may not disclose their situation
Children can go unnoticed
Students and parents try to ‘hide’ their situation
Families fear social agencies’ ability to ‘take their children’
Older children may not report, because they fear being returned to an unsafe home
Families who are sheltering other relatives (doubling up) may be very invisible and hard to locate

6. Requirements Identify homeless children and youth
Ensure that children and youth experiencing homelessness enroll in, and have a full and fair opportunity to succeed in school
Ensure that families, children and youth receive educational services for which they are eligible, including Head Start, Even Start and other public preschool programs, and referrals to health care, dental, mental health and other appropriate services

7. Requirements (continued)
Inform parents and guardians of the educational and related opportunities available to their children and provide them with meaningful opportunities to participate in that education
Disseminate public notice of educational rights
Ensure that enrollment disputes are mediated
Inform families and youth about transportation services and assist them in accessing transportation
Must provide transportation to and from the “school of origin” if in the students’ best interest

8. Homeless flag statewide
Homeless percentages of the entire student population and counts. Although counts have decreased the homeless flags still represent over 8000 students. Stable Families Initiative has helped create a decrease for counts and percentages, but this is not equitable statewide.

9. Is it just poverty? 2016 Homeless + FRL Not Homeless + FRL Counts
8,510
289,039
Attendance %
92.8%
96.4%
Math Proficiency
23.8%
40.4%
Reading Proficiency
25.7%
41.4%
Math Does not Meet
53.6%
34.2%
Reading Does not Meet
53.0%
35.8%
When comparing homeless free and reduced lunch students to non-homeless free and reduced lunch students we see homeless students achieving at lower rates. Homeless is not simply a function of poverty, but represents an additional challenge.

10. Concentrations of homelessness by ethnicity 2016
Shows the within group % for each ethnicity and homeless flag status. Example interpretation: Not homeless Black students make up 11.5% of the not homeless student population but homeless Black Students make up 48.6% of the homeless student population. Homelessness is overrepresented in the Black student population.

11. Concentrations of homelessness by special populations 2016
Students flagged as homeless are more likely to be in Special Education, qualify for Free or Reduced Lunch, and have Limited English Proficiency

12. Homelessness Grade Variation 2016
Homelessness is more prevalent in grades 1 through 5 and much more prevalent in grade 12 compared to the other grades

13. Persistence of Homelessness
Most students were homeless only once in a 4-year period while about 25% were homeless twice

14. Homelessness and School Changes 2016
Homeless students changed schools at a greater than non-homeless students

15. Homelessness and attendance by grade level
Homeless students have worse attendance than non-homeless students. The disparity between grades is worse in the latter grades compared to the earlier grades.

16. Homelessness and math achievement levels
There is a large achievement gap between homeless and non-homeless students with more than 50% of homeless students scoring as “Does Not Meet” compared to less than 20% for non-homeless students

17. Homelessness and reading achievement levels
There is a large achievement gap between homeless and non-homeless students with more than 50% of homeless students scoring as “Does Not Meet” compared to less than 20% for non-homeless students

18. Housing Subsidy Study Collaboration between MHFA and MDE
Families experiencing homelessness given housing subsidies (and other services)
Effects of stable housing as compared to other homeless students