Homeless children and education: an evaluation of the Stewart B. McKinney homeless assistance act

Abstract

Children are the poorest group of Americans, and among those most devastated by poverty are homeless children. Numerous problems associate with homelessness for children, including academic problems: Homeless children tend to perform more poorly in school, repeat grades more often, and drop out of school more often than do other children. Risks at each stage of a homeless child's development contribute to this poor academic performance, which engenders tremendous costs for homeless children and for society. This paper explains the provisions and evaluates the worth of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 in relation to the education of homeless children. The act upholds lofty principles, but there are crucial flaws in the act itself and in the enforcement of the act that critically undermine its worth. Based on this evaluation, recommendations for policymakers are offered.