Reauthorizing No Child Left Behind

The Education of Homeless Children and Youth

In a life filled with uncertainty, loss, and deprivation, school is a place of safety, structure, and opportunity. Yet homeless children and youth face unique barriers to education. These barriers include being unable to meet enrollment requirements (including requirements to provide proof of residency and legal guardianship, and school and health records); high residential mobility resulting in lack of school stability and educational continuity; lack of transportation; lack of school supplies and clothing; and poor health, fatigue, and hunger.

As Congress begins the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind,this document offers the experience of educators and advocates directly involved in the implementation of the McKinney-Vento Act and Title I, Part A.  Drawing from a series of dedicated focus groups, surveys, and experience working with homeless children and youth in public schools across the nation over the past seventeen years, these recommendations are designed to make a strong law even stronger by reinforcing and expanding its key provisions in five focus areas: school stability, access to educational opportunities, special populations, school district liaisons, and funding.

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