The chances of lightning striking twice are infinitesimal, at best. What are the odds, in middle age, of being struck with a jarring bolt of figurative lightning, then a few months later being an eyewitness as the same sizzle in the sky jolts a group of students--those decision-makers of tomorrow? The author describes two experiences that proved…

With higher education offering a potential avenue out of a bleak alternative, School on Wheels of Massachusetts (SOWMA) has devoted countless hours to increasing the educational opportunities for young people impacted by homelessness. SOWMA first meets a student when he or she is experiencing homelessness. Once part of the SOWMA family, the…

This past winter, the third student-run homeless shelter in the United States came into being. Two recent Harvard graduates, Sam Greenberg and Sarah Rosenkrantz, who had volunteered at the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter as college students, saw a need within the Boston and Cambridge communities for a homeless shelter serving young adults. Drawing…

Using Kegan's constructive-developmental theory, this study examines transformative learning among six low-income and homeless women of Color pursuing their GED in a shelter-based literacy program. Narrative analysis of two developmental interview instruments indicated that some participants' epistemological perspectives and knowledge construction…

This mixed methods study investigated the impact of learning about homelessness on the civic development of privileged adolescents. Pre-post surveys, classroom observations, and qualitative interviews revealed that the participating adolescents developed a more complex understanding of the factors that contribute to homelessness; however, this…

Background: Previous research has shown that youth who are homeless engage in high-risk behaviors. However, there has been little information published on nutritional and physical activity behaviors in this population, and studies comparing homeless youth in school with their non-homeless peers are scarce. This study compares weight-related risk…

Used wisely, academic technology empowers students to take responsibility for their own learning. "In Leonardo's Laptop," Ben Shneiderman provides teachers with a powerful framework, "Collect-Relate-Create-Donate" (CRCD), for designing student-centered learning opportunities using computers. Shneiderman developed his model by…

Purpose: This exploratory study examined the feasibility of homeless parents' participation in an intervention to increase use of facilitating language strategies during interactions with their preschool children while residing in family homeless shelters. This study also examined the intervention's impact on the parents' use of facilitating…

Shows how children are affected by homelessness, how school personnel can help alleviate major stresses (constant moving, frequent change of schools, overcrowded living conditions, and lack of access to basic resources), and how Massachusetts and other state departments of education are preparing school personnel to serve homeless kids. Educators…

The issue of recidivism among federal, state, and local offenders released from custody has made it to the front burner of government and public policy analysts after a decade of building and filling correctional facilities. In this paper, the author, a County Sheriff, discusses his joint effort with the St. Francis House Moving Ahead Program in…

Describes community service learning (CSL) programs at Pottenger School, Springfield (Massachusetts). The kindergarten through grade-12 school, a literature-based whole-language school, integrates CSL into the curriculum through writing about student experiences. CSL projects have included feeding the homeless, corresponding with a soldier, and…