Educational Practices to Identify and Support Students Experiencing Homelessness. Overview Brief #5: Vulnerable Populations. Updated

The EdResearch for "Action Overview Series" summarizes the research on key topics to provide K-12 education decision makers and advocates with an evidence base to ground discussions about how to best serve students. Authors -- leading experts from across the field of education research -- are charged with highlighting key findings from research that provide concrete, strategic insight on persistent challenges sourced from district and state leaders. The central question to this brief is: What evidence-based practices can schools and districts implement to identify and support students experiencing homelessness? Students experiencing homelessness tend to have lower attendance and academic achievement than similar low-income students, and academic outcomes vary widely based on residential context. Training school staff on students' legal and educational rights and signs of homelessness is crucial to identifying and supporting students experiencing homelessness and is required by McKinney-Vento. Regular communication with student-identified trusted adults allows schools to tailor practices to meet individual student needs and improve outcomes. The brief provides evidence-based practices and practices to avoid. [The University of Kentucky, Utah State University, and Simmons School of Education and Human Development are additional collaborators for this report.]