Family Violence: Educational Implications and Recommendations.

Findings of a 1990 study that identified the educational needs of Texas children who were homeless as a result of domestic violence are presented in this paper. Data were derived from: (1) interviews with three staff members of the Texas Council on Family Violence; (2) visits to four domestic violence shelters--three urban and one rural--and elementary schools serving two of the shelters; (3) interviews with shelter executive directors, elementary principals, shelter residents, and two classroom teachers; and (4) a survey sent to all domestic violence shelters in Texas, which yielded 34 responses, a 38 percent response rate. Survey statistics suggest that a significant portion of children who resided in a domestic violence shelter attended elementary school (27 percent). However, the statistics did not include children who continued to live in violent homes, those taken in by other family members, or those whose mothers had the financial resources to seek assistance elsewhere. The following recommendations are made: (1) implement practices to enroll all children in school; (2) maintain confidentiality of children's enrollment status; (3) provide comprehensive inservice training for school staff; (4) award the children immediate access to services and programs; (5) exempt the children from discipline policies involving corporal punishment; (6) improve communication between school and shelter staffs; (7) provide homebound services and transportation to those for whom safety is a concern; and (8) attempt to mainstream the children. (LMI)