Homeless Education Policy: Charity, Accountability, and Student Rights

• In Event: Roundtable Session 14
  In Roundtable Session: The Tensions Between Students’ Rights and Citizenship as Inclusion

Abstract

Schools serving K-12 students ideally provide the needed tools to assist in their academic and social development. When children and youth become homeless, keeping up with their role as student becomes difficult. The Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act (1987), specifically subsection “Part B—Education for Homeless Children and Youth,” (Heybach, 2000) (referred to as McKinney-Vento) was a response to homeless student needs. This research examines McKinney-Vento implementation at the school level for unaccompanied homeless youth (UHY). Qualitative methods were employed to gain an understanding of McKinney-Vento in practice. Findings from this research suggest that a re-framing of McKinney-Vento must occur in order to shift the approach from a model of charity to one of accountability and student rights.

Author

• Ann M. Aviles de Bradley, Northeastern Illinois University