here are far too many barriers that stand between many children and a high quality education, particularly for students of color. Inequitably funded schools. Overstretched school staff. Harsh disciplinary policies. Crumbling facilities.
As if those weren’t enough, there are well over a million schoolchildren across the country who arrive at school each morning with one additional obstacle to overcome. Homelessness.
To put this number into perspective, there are far more homeless students in America than the total number of students enrolled in the nation’s largest school district—New York City.
In my home state of Washington, more than 35,000 students are homeless. Of those, only half of them will graduate high school on time—one of the lowest rates of any student group.
A recent report on this issue, Hidden in Plain Sight, paints a clear picture of the barriers and opportunities for homeless students. Two thirds of formerly homeless students said homelessness had a significant impact on their education, making it hard to stay and do well in school. Excelling in school can be challenging when living conditions are dangerous or unpredictable and for many homeless students, long-term stability seems hopelessly out of reach. We know that students who experience homelessness are more likely to be held back from grade to grade, have poor attendance or chronic absences, fail courses, experience disciplinary issues, and drop out.
These numbers create a stark reality—homelessness is robbing too many students of their chance to reap the lifelong benefits of an education.
Recently, in a heartening example of bipartisanship, Congress, the President, and the U.S. Department of Education have taken bold steps to recognize and address the issues these students face. This month, new provisions in the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2016 take effect that tackle transportation problems, housing disruptions and other barriers to enrollment and attendance. The new law will require schools to identify homeless students and calls for preschool-aged children to receive additional support services. It also requires more effective coordination among social services, law enforcement, family courts and other youth agencies.
But these laws and policies won’t mean much if schools and communities are not supported in implementation. As states begin to think about how to do this, Washington State can serve as a national model. An early leader in this area, our policymakers, housing agencies, providers and educators have put into place innovative state and local initiatives and partnerships that are already positively impacting students.
Take the case of the Tukwila, WA – a suburb of Seattle. Tukwila has more than double the rate of homelessness than any other district in the region but their homeless students are graduating at a rate of 73 percent. The district credits three key interventions: (1) knowing each homeless student by name and by need; (2) a robust community engagement plan to surround these students with the additional transportation and academic support, and (3) a school board who made investments in what these students needed - additional social workers and counselors focusing on dropout prevention, which in turn benefitted the whole student population.
Washington is building on programs like this one. In 2016, prior to the passage of ESSA, our state passed the Homeless Student Stability and Opportunity Gap Act to fund partnerships between schools, communities, and housing providers. The Act invests in school support for homeless students; and requires a point of contact in most middle and high schools who can connect students to services they need. Importantly, the Act also allows unaccompanied homeless students to access preventative healthcare.
As we’ve also seen in Washington, schools alone can’t solve this problem. This month, the philanthropic community put significant resources behind these proven efforts. The Raikes Foundation, which I co-lead, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Paul G. Allen Homeless Program, and the Campion Foundation have come together to establish Schoolhouse Washington. Our initial $1.86 million investment will fund improvements and advocacy for homeless students, their families and their schools. As a foundation, we believe homeless students should be graduating at the same rates as their peers.
The new efforts by federal, state and local governments and philanthropy are crucial, but by no means sufficient. Solving youth homelessness will remain a challenge for communities across the country but the good news is that there are known solutions and everyone can play a role. If you are a teacher, counselor, school administrator or a parent, you can get educated on how to better identify homeless students and inquire about community based resources you can connect these students to. If you are a service provider, you can connect with your local schools to better serve homeless students. If you are a funder or a policy maker, you can ensure that schools and your community have the necessary resources and policies in place to better serve these students.
We owe it to our children, including those experiencing homelessness, to provide them a good education. Policymakers, educators, civic leaders, providers, funders and young people must continue to push forward. Together we can make it so that homelessness doesn’t prevent even one child from succeeding in school – let alone one million.