Implementation Research for Prioritizing Students Experiencing Homelessness With New Policies

• In Event: Race, Space, Homelessness, and Education

Abstract

Background of Study. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, just under 270,000 students in K-12 schools were reported to be experiencing homelessness in California during the 2018-2019 academic year (Bishop et al., 2020), with 7 out of 10 housing insecure students being Latinx. Research indicates there are a great number of challenges educators and homeless liaisons face when serving students experiencing homelessness (Bishop et al., 2020; Piazza & Hyatt, 2019). Challenges include but are not limited to the identification of students experiencing homelessness, chronic absenteeism among students experiencing homelessness, and limited funding at the state level for homeless education.

Objective. This paper will explore three related research questions as Congress makes a historic investment in housing insecure youth: 1) How has federal policy shaped school system priorities for students experiencing homelessness?; 2) What is the relationship between program implementation and its educational impact for student experiencing homelessness; 3) What new types of data and research can inform fidelity in implementation for schools that target models for historically marginalized student groups like students experiencing homelessness?

Theoretical Framework/s. Building upon existing framework (Aviles & Heybach, 2017; Tierney & Hallett, 2012) for understanding the intersection between policy intent, design, and implementation of the federal McKinney Vento Act in schools, this paper will expand upon the themes of policy awareness and accountability to better understand the type of “Policy Capacity” to support implementation. Proposed as a new concept that becomes especially critical with new federal and state dollars being directed to schools, Policy Capacity has become more complex as staffing challenges grow and schools are left alone to a large degree to dismantle historic inequities, with little guidance or technical support from states or the federal government.

Methods & Data Sources. A qualitative inquiry approach (Wax, 1971) and guided by Critical Race Methodology (CRM) (Solórzano & Yosso, 2002) in our analysis of interview findings, allowed for an in-depth examination interviews of school system stakeholders, while grounding the study in the racial, social and cultural dimensions of school settings. Primarily individual interviews and focus groups were conducted for data collection via Zoom with homeless liaisons, principals, community-based leaders, district and county officials to understand their perspectives on implementation as it relates to the research questions listed above.

Significance of Study. Students experiencing homelessness have been noticeably absent from federal and state policy, especially policy conceived with ecology of education communities (Bishop & Noguera, 2019) in mind taken as a major influence on implementation. By exploring promising practices across different sites across California, the proposed study will illuminate promising practices and models to help inform the further development of policies and practices for ensuring adequate educational support for students experiencing homelessness.

Results. Study findings will help the field expand upon existing notions of policies design and implementation to support historically marginalized student populations. The study will also act as a blueprint for the types of research needed across all 50 states to bridge policy, practice, and political contexts.

Author

• Joseph P. Bishop, University of California - Los Angeles
  Presenting Author