New Data Tool Reveals Hidden Crisis of Student Homelessness in American Schools

A new interactive data dashboard launched by SchoolHouse Connection and the University of Michigan's Poverty Solutions initiative is shedding light on the widespread but often unseen problem of student homelessness in American schools. The tool analyzes federal data over a four-year period, offering unprecedented visibility into homelessness trends from national to local levels.

The dashboard's significance lies in its ability to help school districts identify potential under-reporting of homeless students and highlight severely underfunded districts - those that have identified homeless students but lack McKinney-Vento subgrants to support them. This funding gap represents a critical challenge in addressing student homelessness, as schools struggle to provide necessary resources and support services.

Barbara Duffield, Executive Director of SchoolHouse Connection, emphasizes the hidden nature of this crisis, noting that child and youth homelessness often goes unnoticed in communities and schools. The tool's comparative analysis of educational outcomes between homeless and housed students, including chronic absenteeism and graduation rates, provides essential data for evidence-based policy making and resource allocation.

The dashboard's multi-level geographic analysis, spanning from national trends to state legislative districts, equips policymakers, educators, and advocates with detailed insights needed to address educational disparities and support vulnerable students. This comprehensive approach to data visualization and analysis marks a significant step forward in understanding and addressing the educational challenges faced by homeless students across the United States.