ERIC Number: EJ1046699
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2327-3607
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Voices behind the Numbers: Understanding the Experiences of Homeless Students
Mohan, Erica; Shields, Carolyn M.
Critical Questions in Education, v5 n3 p189-202 Fall 2014
In a given year, approximately 1.6 million children in the United States experience homelessness, and research shows that their living conditions generally place these children at risk for educational underperformance and failure at school (Hall, 2007; Love, 2009). Although lack of education or low levels of education on the part of a head of household are often identified as indicators of poverty, or associated with the persistence of poverty, too few researchers have attempted to understand the lived experience of poverty and its impact on educational experiences through the eyes of children and youth. In this article, we bring the harsh realities of children's experiences to light through portraits of five homeless children. After situating homelessness within the context of the McKinney-Vento Act, and within the broader context of empirical research on homelessness and its impact on children's educational experiences, we attempt to put a human face on the challenge of child homelessness and poverty in America. A bibliography is included.
Descriptors: Homeless People, Student Experience, Disadvantaged, Educational Experience, Poverty, Phenomenology, Youth Problems, Social Indicators, Poverty Programs, Interviews, Urban Youth, Etiology, Housing, Housing Needs, Public Policy, Academic Persistence, Children, Child Welfare, Student Welfare
Academy for Educational Studies. 2419 Berkeley Street, Springfield, MO 65804. Tel: 417-299-1560; e-mail: cqieeditors@gmail.com; Web site: http://academyforeducationalstudies.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Stewart B McKinney Homeless Assistance Act 1987
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Author Affiliations: N/A