PLANNING AND EVALUATION SERVICE

THE EDUCATION FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTH 

PROGRAM: LEARNING TO SUCCEED 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

Volume I: Reducing Barriers for Homeless Children and Youth for 

Access and Achievement 

Volume II: Educating Homeless Children and Youth: 

A Resource Guide for Promising Practices 

2002 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

DOC #2001-32 

 OFFICE OF THE UNDER SECRETARY
THE EDUCATION FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTH 

PROGRAM: LEARNING TO SUCCEED 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

Volume I: Reducing Barriers for Homeless Children and Youth for 

Access and Achievement 

Volume II: Educating Homeless Children and Youth: 

A Resource Guide for Promising Practices 

2002 
U. S. Department of Education 

Rod Paige 

Secretary 

Office of the Under Secretary 

Eugene Hickok

Under Secretary 

Planning and Evaluation Service 

Alan L. Ginsburg

Director 

Elementary and Secondary Education Division 

Ricky T. Takai

Director 

October 2002 

This report is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While permission

to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should be: U. S. Department of Education, Planning and 

Evaluation Service, Elementary and Secondary Education Division, The Education for Homeless Children and 

Youth Program: Learning to Succeed, Washington, D.C., 2002.

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205-8113. 
FOREWORD 

On January 8, 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind 

Act of 2001 that reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The 

new legislation embraces a vision of educational reform for elementary and secondary 

schools where no child is left behind. The reauthorized ESEA is built on four principles 

of educational reform: (1) increased accountability for student performance; (2) increased 

flexibility for States and local school districts; (3) expanded parental choice; and (4) a 

new focus on doing what works through research-based programs and practice. 

In reauthorizing the ESEA, Congress amended the Homeless Assistance Act to address 

the special needs of homeless children and youth. The new McKinney-Vento legislation 

(42 U.S.C. 11431 et seq.) expands and further improves the educational opportunities of 

homeless children and youth by emphasizing immediate enrollment, transportation, and 

outreach to youth. It also changed the name of the program from the McKinney to the 

McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. This document focuses on the 1994 

reauthorization since the data discussed here was collected before the 2001 

reauthorization of McKinney-Vento. 

In this document, which includes the study, Reducing Barriers for Homeless Children

and Youth for Access and Achievement, and the guide, Educating Homeless Children and 

Youth: A Resource Guide for Promising Practices, the authors provide evidence that state 

education agencies (SEA) and local educational agencies (LEA) have made significant 

progress in revising laws, policies, regulations and practices that have served as barriers 

to the enrollment, attendance, and school achievement of homeless students. This report 

addresses effective practices and policies that will help states and local educational 

agencies implement the new legislation and improve the quality of services for homeless 

children and youth. We hope the report offers a better understanding of the challenges 

and specific strategies needed to increase enrollment, attendance and academic success 

for children and youth experiencing homelessness. Moreover, we believe this document 

and the efforts described herein are an important contribution to national efforts to ensure 

that no child is left behind. 

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THE EDUCATION FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTH PROGRAM: 

LEARNING TO SUCCEED 

Volume I: Reducing Barriers for Homeless Children and Youth for Access and 

Achievement 

Volume II: Educating Homeless Children and Youth: A Resource Guide 

to Promising Practices 

Executive Summary 

I. Introduction

The Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program: Learning to Succeed

is a two-volume report on two studies that were conducted by Policy Studies Associates 

(PSA) under contracts with the Planning and Evaluation Service of the U.S. Department 

of Education. Volume I, Reducing Barriers for Homeless Children and Youth for 

Access and Achievement, reports on state and local efforts to serve the educational needs 

of homeless children and youth and overcome barriers that affect these students’ 

enrollment, attendance, and school success. Volume II, Educating Homeless Children 

and Youth: A Resource Guide to Promising Practices, describes promising strategies and 

practices that states, districts and schools can use to enroll homeless children and youth in 

school, and to help them to achieve the same high standards expected of all children. 

The studies found that homeless students are best served when promising 

practices are implemented as part of a comprehensive and coordinated homeless 

education program. States have made the most progress in eliminating immunization 

requirements as barriers to enrollment, but transportation, guardianship, and frequent 

moves from school to school are still significant barriers to educating homeless students. 

Regardless of whether or not they are awarded federal funds under the McKinney-Vento 

Act, districts are finding ways to address at least some needs of their homeless children

and youth. However, districts with McKinney subgrants were able to provide a broader 

range of educational and recreational services. Districts with no McKinney dollars relied 

on funds from Title I and community organizations to support their efforts. 

II. Background 

Homeless children are a fast-growing segment of the population, as their numbers 

have increased 10 percent between 1997 and 2000 to 930,232. Two-thirds are in the age 

range from pre-K through grade 6. Approximately 87 percent of school-age homeless 

children and youth are enrolled in school, although only about 77 percent attend school 

regularly, and only 15 percent of homeless children are in preschool programs, according 

to the Report to Congress: Fiscal Year 2000, Education for Homeless Children and 

Youth Program. 

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The Law and the Program 

Subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, which 

established the Education of Homeless Children and Youth Program (EHCY) and was 

amended and reauthorized in 2001, required that states take action to ensure that 

homeless children and youth have equal access to the same free and appropriate public 

education as all other children and youth. However, since these data were collected 

before the 2001 reauthorization, the 1994 reauthorization will be the most relevant law to 

examine. 

Subtitle VII-B of the McKinney Act (1994 reauthorization) stipulates that: 

• All homeless children and youth have a right to the same free and appropriate public education as other 

children and youth, including a public preschool education.

• States must review and revise residency laws and “other laws, regulations, practices, or policies that may 

act as a barrier to the enrollment, attendance, or success in school of homeless children and homeless

youth.”

• Students must not be separated from the mainstream school environment because of their homelessness.

• Homeless students should have access to educational services to enable them to meet the same 

challenging student performance standards to which all students are held.

The 1994 Act required each state education agency (SEA) to have a State 

Coordinator of Education of Homeless Children and Youth, whose office is responsible 

for identifying homeless children and youth, assessing their special needs, facilitating 

coordination between state and local education agencies, and coordinating with other 

education and service providers. States also must develop and implement professional 

development programs that raise school personnel’s awareness of, and ability to respond 

to, problems relating to the education of homeless children 

The Act required that each state coordinator collect data on the numbers of 

homeless children and youth, the nature and extent of their problems, difficulties in 

identifying their special needs, progress made in addressing their problems, and program

successes. This information is to be reported to the U.S. Department of Education every 

three years. 

 

The McKinney Act Subtitle VII-B EHCY program was funded at $28.8 million in 

both fiscal years 1998 and 1999. SEAs received formula grants, and they, in turn, 

awarded discretionary grants to local education agencies (LEAs). States awarded 602 

subgrants to LEAs to help homeless children and youth enroll in, attend, and succeed in 

school in the 1997-98 school year. These ranged from about $1,300 to $127,000 in 1998. 

About 4 percent of the nation’s school districts received subgrants. 

Districts offered an array of services and activities to provide homeless children 

and youth with a free and appropriate education. They usually identified homeless 

students, placed them in school, and provided them with transportation, as well as 

collaborated with local social service providers and worked to increase awareness of 

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issues relating to homeless children. Thirty-eight percent of state coordinators reported 

that subgrantees spent more of their McKinney Act funds on direct educational services 

for homeless children and youth than they did in 1994. 

 

Overview of the Studies

Volume I, Reducing Barriers for Homeless Children and Youth for Access and

Achievement, reports on state and local efforts to serve the educational needs of homeless 

children and youth and overcome barriers that affected these students’ enrollment, 

attendance, and school success. The study investigated (1) the extent to which states and 

school districts have successfully removed barriers that impede homeless children’s 

access to a free and appropriate education, (2) how states and districts have used federal 

McKinney funds to address the educational needs of homeless children and youth, and 

(3) how districts that do not receive McKinney funding have complied with the Act. 

Data for Volume I were collected by a combination of methods, including a survey of all 

state coordinators in the summer of 1998 and site visits between October 1998 and 

February 1999 to a sample of 14 local school districts, seven of which were McKinney 

subgrantees. 

Volume II, Educating Homeless Children and Youth: A Resource Guide to 

Promising Practices, describes promising strategies and practices that states, districts and 

schools can use to enroll homeless children and youth in school, and to help them to 

achieve the same high standards expected of all children. This study described and 

analyzed four areas of state and local activity: (1) changes in education and services to 

homeless children and youth under the McKinney Act as it was reauthorized in 1994; (2) 

services and activities of state Offices of the Coordinator of Education of Homeless 

Children and Youth; (3) the McKinney Act subgrant award process, and how local 

education agencies (LEAs) with McKinney subgrants have supplemented the services 

available to homeless children and reduce barriers to their enrollment and success in 

school; and (4) the establishment of programs and policies for homeless students in 

LEAs. Data for Volume II were collected in the fall of 2000 by interviewing state 

coordinators in three states and making site visits to six districts recommended by current 

research and national experts. 

IV. Key Findings 

Barriers Facing Homeless Children and Youth 

Homeless children continued to face a number of major barriers to enrolling and 

succeeding in school. However, some states and school districts have come up with ways 

to overcome these barriers. 

Districts with McKinney subgrants were able to provide a broader range of 

educational and recreational services. Districts with no McKinney dollars relied on 

funds from Title I and community organizations to support their efforts. Most districts 

that did not have McKinney subgrants reported that they received no funds from outside 

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sources to serve homeless students. This was particularly true in smaller or more rural 

districts where homelessness was not commonly recognized as a problem. 

Homeless students' frequent moves from school to school were their most significant 

barrier to academic success. Students who were unable to find stable shelter had 

difficulty meeting state or district mandates regarding the number of days they must 

attend school to stay enrolled. Some state coordinators indicated that the slow transfer of 

student records, along with differing course requirements from school to school, 

complicated the accrual of sufficient credits for homeless students to be promoted and 

receive a high school diploma. However, many districts have developed or revised 

policies to ensure that homeless students can enroll in school immediately. Some

districts allow a grace period to track down records or obtain oral confirmation that a 

child had attended another school or been immunized. 

• The Victoria Independent School District in Texas has limited school transfers by 

keeping students enrolled in the same schools despite families’ mobility. 

• The Chicago Board of Education developed a policy that provides guidance on 

identifying, enrolling, and transporting homeless children and youth. 

Transportation to and from school remained a major barrier to homeless children 

enrolling and remaining in school. States and districts often have limited resources to 

address transportation needs, particularly across district lines. However, some States and 

school districts have found ways to meet the transportation needs of homeless children. 

• Between 1994 and 1998, 10 states created laws, made efforts to enforce existing 

laws, relaxed enforcement of laws, or provided additional funding to make 

transportation less of a barrier. 

• Chicago spent $2.1 million to bus homeless students, and was considering

developing a database to better manage the complex problems of transporting 

homeless children. 

• The Victoria Independent School District in Texas guaranteed transportation to a 

child’s school of origin even if he or she moves during the school year.

• Small steps such as picking up homeless students first and dropping them off last, 

as was done in Fort Wayne, Indiana, helped reduce the stigma of homelessness. 

Guardianship and immunization requirements were still significant barriers. 

Although important for safety and health, these requirements were often at variance with 

efforts to ensure that homeless children had access to school. However, some states have 

revised their laws, regulations, and policies to remove obstacles to the education of 

homeless children and youth. 

• States have made the most progress since 1994 in eliminating immunization 

requirements as barriers to enrollment by either creating systems to immunize 

homeless students, create new laws or regulations, or change, enforce, or relax 

existing laws. 

• Twelve states either created laws, made efforts to enforce existing laws, or 

relaxed enforcement of laws concerning guardianship policies, even though 

schools remain wary of eliminating guardianship requirements because of 

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liability concerns and fears that non-homeless students might abuse policies to 

enroll in popular schools. 

Lack of awareness and insensitivity to homeless students' needs among school staff 

was another barrier that could delay or prevent homeless children and youth from

enrolling and succeeding in school. However, many states are combating this lack of 

awareness and sensitivity. 

• State coordinators raised awareness of the special needs of homeless students by 

distributing materials to school personnel and conducting staff development 

meetings. 

Homeless students also had difficulty gaining access to special education, Head Start 

or other publicly funded preschool programs, gifted and talented programs, Even 

Start or other family literacy programs, and programs for students who are not 

proficient in English. In many cases, this is because educators are unfamiliar with the 

requirements of the law. However, some school districts went the extra mile to help 

homeless children gain access to these programs. 

• For example, Baltimore County took special steps to ensure that homeless 

children participated in early childhood special education, gifted and talented, and 

service learning programs. 

State coordinators collaborated and coordinated their work most often with local 

education agencies, state government agencies, other offices within their state 

agency, and homeless shelters to maximize funding and services. 

• A Texas collaboration involving eight homeless shelters, the University of Texas, 

and several technology companies led to the Support for Homeless Education: 

Linking Technology Resources to Shelters (SHELTRS), which provided tutoring 

and computer-learning opportunities to homeless students. 

• Oregon was able to quadruple its McKinney funds by supplementing them with 

Title I funds through the Title I, Part A Set-asides Initiative. 

• Similarly, Illinois’ coordinator encouraged districts to submit a consolidated 

Elementary and Secondary Education Act state plan to the U.S. Department of 

Education and to include their homeless education program in the plan, allowing 

homeless students in most of the state’s districts to be served. “Homeless children 

are a subset of Title I,” the coordinator said. “They are some of the poorest and 

neediest, so it is logical to tie the services together. 

Many districts with McKinney subgrants sent information to schools about how to 

recognize and meet the needs of homeless children and youth, and a few provided 

school staff with professional development and training.

• The Santa Cruz, California homeless liaison surveyed principals about their 

schools’ homeless education services and developed comprehensive resource 

guides for homeless children and their families.

• Both the Chicago and Baltimore Public Schools offered awareness-raising 

sessions for principals and school secretaries, who are key gatekeepers in 

enrolling homeless students. 

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• Bucks Country, Pennsylvania, and Chicago developed and disseminated printed 

materials on school-level requirements for serving homeless children and youth. 

• A Maryland State Department of Education pamphlet “FACTS About Education 

for Homeless Children and Youth” was customized for every district in the state. 

 

Most districts with McKinney subgrants had set up regular lines of communication 

between school officials and shelter providers, other service providers, and other 

educators to identify and place homeless children in school. 

• For example, in Victoria, Texas, the district worked with a teen-parenting 

program to identify and enroll homeless teen-age mothers. 

• Homeless youth also could be better served when their needs were addressed by a 

multidisciplinary team, as in Santa Cruz, California, where a team included a 

mental health worker, a social worker, and a Police Department Juvenile Officer. 

Data collection, monitoring, and evaluation varied across the sites visited, often 

depending on the information to which districts had access and their capacity to 

maintain and report data. Some McKinney districts, in addition to conducting an 

"unduplicated count" of homeless students collected data on participants’ ethnicity, the 

percent of identified students or families served, parents' participation in activities, 

student attendance, and student academic achievement. However, other districts were 

unaware of the McKinney Act requirement to track homeless students' academic 

achievement. The non-subgrantee districts visited did not participate in data collection, 

monitoring, or evaluation of homeless students. 

 

V. Conclusion 

These studies found a number of promising practices that were helping homeless 

children and youth enroll and succeed in school. In addition to strategies that addressed

specific problem areas, such as transportation and raising awareness, there were crosscutting strategies to address a range of issues that homeless children and youth face. 

 

• In keeping with the McKinney Act, states changed their laws or created 

special statutes for homeless children and youth. Districts also adopted 

policies to reinforce and strengthen the McKinney Act. 

 

• State coordinators played a key role in raising awareness, coordinating 

statewide activities, providing professional development on educating 

homeless children and youth, and collecting good data on homeless children 

and youth and program results. 

 

• Most districts had a homeless liaison – not just the 4 percent of districts that 

received McKinney grants. Liaisons identify homeless students, enroll them in 

school, arrange their transportation, and make referrals to health care and 

other services, while coordinating the activities of local service providers. 

They also raise public awareness about homelessness. 

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Collaborations and partnerships helped maximize district resources. Districts had 

a greater impact by coordinating with local social services, housing, and other agencies 

serving homeless children and their families. 

 

Homeless students are best served when promising practices are implemented as 

part of a comprehensive and coordinated homeless education program. Ultimately, the 

success of any homeless education program requires coordinated action by many 

individuals, and is measured by whether all homeless students are identified, enrolled, 

and educated appropriately.