Mobile students and absent students are important subsets of at-risk students in schools and districts nationwide. As such, student mobility and school absenteeism are two challenges in K-12 education with significant policy and equity implications. Although both issues are at the nexus of schooling and society and there is an apparent overlap in…

This qualitative study utilized a transcendental phenomenological approach in which eight female participants, considered to be coresearchers, were interviewed to explore their lived experiences in overcoming pervasive crises in their lives to achieve great academic success. All the women experienced one or more of the following crises in their…

This brief provides important information to service providers on the requirements under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (subsequently referred to in this brief as the McKinney-Vento Act), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The McKinney-Vento Act ensures educational rights and protections for homeless children and…

Attendance is vital to academic success but many children in Michigan are not making it to school. Based on recent estimates, Michigan has the sixth highest statewide chronic absenteeism rate in the country. Efforts to reduce school absences can be strengthened by understanding the characteristics of students most at risk. Race, income and…

This Research-to-Impact brief is the third in a series by Chapin Hall's Voices of Youth Count on understanding and addressing youth homelessness. It details the unique challenges faced by young people experiencing homelessness who are pregnant or parenting. The brief's findings suggest that many of the nearly 4.2 million adolescents and young…

There is currently a paucity of literature in the field of evaluation regarding the practice of reflection and reflexivity and a lack of available tools to guide this practice--yet using a reflexive model can enhance evaluation practice. This paper focuses on the methods and results of a reflexive inquiry that was conducted during a participatory…

Counterportraits from a qualitative study of family literacy at a homeless shelter illustrate the impact of institutionalized racism on parent narratives about neighborhoods, communities, and schools. Black parents privileged Whiteness through "minority majority storytelling" (Solórzano & Yosso, 2002) to make sense of their lives in…

Only 37 percent of college students fit the stereotype of a recent high school graduate who attends a four-year institution directly after high school. In reality, the average college student is older, has more work and family obligations, and often attends part time. Unfortunately, financial aid, public benefit, and higher education policies…

The purpose of Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA; 20 U.S.C. § 6301 et seq.) is to provide all children with a fair, equitable, and high-quality education, and to close educational achievement gaps. Title I, Part A is designed to meet the educational needs of low-achieving children in schools with the highest…

The transition to adulthood is an underresearched topic for cross-systems youth, defined as young people who have experienced homelessness, child welfare system involvement, and educational challenges. This qualitative study explored processes of resilience in the transition to adulthood for cross-systems youth aged 18 to 24 (n = 20). Analysis of…

Higher education leaders are looking for high impact ways to improve retention and graduation rates in a climate of austere budgets. Increasingly, higher education sees the interplay of finances and academic performance as a key driver of student success. Across the nation, measurable improvements in student success outcomes are observed when…

The COVID-19 pandemic is overwhelming the functioning and outcomes of education systems--some of which were already stressed in many respects. The shutdown of schools, compounded by the associated public health and economic crises, poses major challenges to students and their teachers. The public education system was not built, nor prepared, to…

Homelessness is a reality for many families with young children in the United States. Homeless children and youths lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. In 2017, about a third of all people who stayed in a shelter were families with children, and nearly half of children served by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban…

In January 2016, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) released the first 50-state profile on Early Childhood Homelessness as part of an interagency collaboration with multiple departments and agencies participating on the early childhood workgroup of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). This report updates ED's…

This Formative Evaluation Lessons Learned template captures the major findings and lessons learned from the formative evaluation of the Youth Transitions Partnership (YTP) program in Alameda County, California. The YTP program is an intervention built around the core components of intensive case management and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).…