The Education of District of Columbia Black Homeless Youth: Limits and Possibilities

Abstract

PURPOSE OF THE STUDYFew cities have encountered the scale and magnitude of poverty and homelessness observed in our nation's capital, the District of Columbia (Washington, DC, the District, or DC; Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, MWCOG, 2011; National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2013). The transition from living at home to becoming homeless while overwhelming for adults, it is most difficult and psychologically traumatic for young people (Durham, 2003; Tobin & Murphy, 2013; Whitbeck et al., 2007). The state of homelessness compromises the physical, mental, and emotional status of young people (American Psychological Association, APA, 2014; Center on the Developing Child, 2014; Goodman, Saxe & Harvey, 1991). Homeless youth require wide-ranging services to temper their harsh conditions.In the meantime, federal law protects homeless youth's right and access to education. The McKinney-Vento Program (1987, 2002) provides funding to school education agencies (SEA's) and local education agencies (LEA's) to ensure homeless youth's school enrollment, attendance, academic support, and inclusion in extra curricula activities are met, and requires schools to facilitate their access to medical, dental, and other health and social services (Congressional Research Services, CRS, 2013; McCallion, 2012; McKinney-Vento, 2002). Federal law protects homeless youth's school access and coverage including within school districts that do not receive McKinney-Vento federal funding (Ableidinger, 2003; Georgia Department of Education, 2011).Moreover, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) ushered accountability measures to improve the educational outcomes for all students including homeless youth (NCLB, 2001). NCLB included specific provisions to address the unique conditions and needs of homeless youth (National Center for Homeless Education, NCHE, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014). In addition, Congress provides federal funding across several agencies administered by the Department of Education (ED), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support homeless youth (CRS, 2015).Like other homeless youth, District of Columbia homeless youth represent every color, ethnic group, and religious affinity. Nevertheless, Blacks comprise 51% of District of Columbia's population (District of Columbia Department of Health, 2013. More than half (52%) of DC's Black residents are at or below the national poverty rate (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014). Meanwhile, Black students represent 74.8 % of DCPS, and more than half of District of Columbia's public student population is low income (U.S. Department of Education, 2015; see Figure 1).This study is focused on DC's Black homeless youth. This is consistent with most homeless youth research, which is by and large situational specific (Braciszewski, Toro & JozefowiczSimbeni, 2011; Cauce et al., 2000). Also recognizing that the District of Columbia's Black community is characterized by its exceptional cultural history, this study expressly considers the unique conditions and nature of the Black homeless youth experience within the District's sociohistorical dynamics. Research suggests that culture has a pronounced impact on shaping the adaptive development of youth (Boyd, Richerson, & Henrich, 2011; Garcia Coll et al., 1996).Homeless youth depend on the institutional competencies of the public school system to effectively respond to their educational needs, and provide them the support systems they are legally entitled to receive. Accordingly, the availability or absence of responsive schools and wellarticulated supportive programs are of critical importance to homeless youth.Regardless, the conspicuously large number of homeless students attending the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) requires deliberate action and resolve. District legislators need to evaluate and address the factors that contribute to the rise in the number of the city's homeless youth population. …