Homelessness in Education: Testing an Intervention to Increase Teachers' Knowledge and Understanding of Homeless Students

• In Event: Purposeful Equity Work: Centering Intersectional Perspectives and Practices in Teacher Education

Abstract

Homelessness among school age students is an important issue that does not receive much attention in teacher preparation and professional development. However, homelessness among youth and families continues to be prevalent in the United States. Teachers need to understand the specific challenges these students may encounter in learning and development. In this project the authors developed a series of four online training modules for preservice teachers focusing on educating the teachers on who homeless youth are, the laws related to homelessness in education, what services are available to support these students, and how teachers can more effectively meet these students’ needs. A survey was created and used in a pre-test, post-test design to understand how preservice teachers’ views changed.

Authors

• Peter Wiens, University of Nevada - Las Vegas

• Hannah Hudson, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

• Arash Ghafoori

• Melissa Jacobowitz

• Kelly-Jo Shebeck