Identified Student Homelessness in Camden City Schools, 2014-15 through 2018-19
Author: Cutuli, J. J.
Date: 2020-11-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Homeless People,Public Schools,At Risk Students,Instructional Program Divisions,Preschool Education,Elementary Secondary Education,Natural Disasters,Racial Differences,Ethnicity,Bilingual Education,Place of Residence,Housing,Attendance,Academic Achievement,African American Students,Hispanic American Students

Camden City School District is committed to identifying and serving students experiencing homelessness to ensure they receive a free, appropriate public education. It considers data from students enrolled in district schools at the conclusion of each of the 2014-15 to 2018-19 school years as well as publicly available data from other local education agencies in Camden. We hope that this report offers insights into patterns of student homelessness. Our ultimate goal is to innovate new ways of identifying and supporting students who experience homelessness. Identified homelessness demonstrated that housing problems were prevalent in 2018-19. About 1 out of every 20 (4.59%) students was identified as experiencing homelessness. Nine out of ten (90.41%) of these students were staying doubled-up. Most (58.89%) students experiencing homelessness were enrolled in four district schools. Homelessness rates were about the same for each grade, though lower for preschool. Annual rates of identified homelessness increased over time but are likely undercounts. Rates increased markedly in SY 2017-18 and stayed around this level in 2018-19. This increase coincides with students entering the district affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria as well as a relevant change in district practice to improve capacity. This increase was not evident for students in district preschool programs. Some homeless situations (staying in hotels/motels, shelter) were less prevalent in recent years, suggesting an undercount. Hurricane Maria's impact elsewhere contributed to increases in student homelessness. Students affected by hurricanes accounted for the increase in homelessness in 2017-18. Homelessness nearly doubled for Hispanic and Latino students in 2017-18 while homelessness increased by only about 10% for African American students. Homelessness more than doubled (146% increase) in schools with bilingual programs during 2017-18 while homelessness decreased in schools without a bilingual program. Homelessness was sometimes linked to differences in educational functioning. The average absence rate was higher most years for the homelessness group. Students experiencing homelessness were less likely to be proficient in standardized tests. Homelessness appears unrelated to out-of-school suspensions in recent years. Student homelessness may be underreported in most charter and renaissance agencies. No consistent pattern of student homelessness was evident across the 9 Camden education agencies from 2014-15 to 2017-18. Four agencies (44.44% of city education agencies) did not report any homelessness. Two agencies reported persistent annual homelessness rates under 2%. [This report was created as part of a research-practice partnership among Nemours, Children's Health System, Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers, and Camden City School District.]